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Things to see and do in South Florida, brought to you by people who live in South Florida! |
South Florida Parks and RecreationSouth Florida vacationers will be amazed at the variety of parks available in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and the other South Florida areas. Hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, bike trails, camping, and picnicking are just a few kinds of recreation offered in South Florida. |
Grassy Waters Preserve
Grassy Waters Preserve is located in the far west area of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County. I'd been here several times in the last 5-10 years, and don't know why I haven't added it until now!
It's been a terribly hot summer (to follow the bone-chilling cold winter) here in Florida, so I figured we'd best get an early start to our trip. I was right - the weather was perfect when we arrived around 10 AM - not too hot or humid, and not yet raining, and best of all, no mosquitoes! We walked along the expansive branching boardwalks for over an hour and barely broke a sweat.
The preserve was historically part of the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, and is part of West Palm Beach's water catchment area. At 20 square miles (including the north and south sections of Grassy Waters, as well as Apoxee Park to the southeast), this preserve makes up 50% of the entire area of the city of West Palm Beach!
On this trip we visited the south section of Grassy Waters - I've yet to be to the north section, as I've read its only attraction is a picnic pavilion. The walk along the boardwalk was relaxing, with the sounds of frogs and birds. We saw a ton of wildlife, including the standard squirrels, birds, and turtles. There were many resting spots along the way, including several small pavilions with rocking chairs - note to self: get a rocking chair. Best of all, I stopped when I heard a rustling aside the boardwalk and saw a deer! It was maybe six feet from us, and stopped to stare at us for some time; during that time there was continued rustling, and eventually a baby deer appeared! Mamma and baby turned their backs and continued to forage for a while, then disappeared behind the foliage.
After our walk we stopped at a shelter near the front to enjoy the snacks we had brought (there are restrooms but no concessions). We opted to skip the nature center as it was threatening to rain, and I wanted to get home before it did.
All in all, this was my best trip there thus far - it's so rare to see wild deer down here so close to the city. I still want to explore the north section, as well as the nature center and Apoxee Park. (Grassy Waters Preserve continued)
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