Places to Shoot: 50 - 100 Miles

Audubon Center for Birds of Prey (Maitland)

The Center provides an opportunity to view and photograph up close and personal Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Kites, Owls and Falcons; some of nature’s top predators. Additional exhibits highlight conservation in Florida, climate change, and Eagle Eyes on the Environment, a behind the scenes look into rehabilitation.
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Barberville Pioneer Settlement

The Barberville Pioneer Settlement consists of several historic buildings built in the 1880’s through the 1920’s, including a train depot, country store, post office and quarter’s house. It is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm.
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Barberville Yard Art Emporium

Barberville Yard Art Emporium is your one-stop shop for unique and vibrant furniture and art for your home or yard. Their large inventory of recycled aluminum, teakwood, plasterwork, and other products come in a variety of colors and styles which makes photography fun.
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Bok Tower Gardens (Lake Wales)

Nearly 50 acres of Olmsted gardens, 20-room Pinewood Estate Mediterranean-style mansion and the 205-foot art deco and neo-Gothic Singing Tower carillon.
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Butterfly Rainforest (Gainesville)

Butterfly Rainforest is located in the University of Florida Cultural Plaza. Free-flying butterflies and birds from around the world along with an assortment of other animals including turtles and fish in a lush landscape planted in tropical trees and colorful flowering plants amid waterfalls and a walking path.
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Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation (Gainesville)

They are primarily a conservation and educational facility and rescue exotic animals in need. They also have a rehabilitation license for native wildlife.
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Cedar Key, Florida

The tiny enclave of Cedar Key is a quaint, old-fashioned, Old Florida vacation spot. Cedar Key’s houses and stores perch above the Gulf of Mexico on stilts.
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Cedar Lakes Woods & Gardens (Williston)

A 100 year old retired lime rock quarry with walls lined with concrete and rock planters, filled with hundreds of species of plants and flowers. Birds of prey, owls, doves, numerous songbirds, butterflies, turtles, frogs, and other wildlife may be encountered along the trail.
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Circle B Bar Reserve (Lakeland)

The 1,267-acre property features several diverse Central Florida habitats including freshwater marshes, hardwood swamps, oak hammocks, creeks and lakes, which are home to a wide variety of ducks, shorebirds, wading birds, native and migrant landbirds, ospreys, bald eagles, and to more than 45-species of butterflies.
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Gatorland (Orlando)

One of the largest and most accessible wading bird rookeries in Florida provides protected nesting, foraging, and roosting area to over 20 different species of birds. Boardwalks provide close access to the birds. Photographers can enter the park at 7:30 am. Also, many alligators and shows.
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Hollis Garden (Lakeland)

A Botanic Garden set in a neo-classical architectural environment complete with patterned flower beds, public art and ornamental fountains.
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Kanapaha Botanical Gardens (Gainesville)

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens (Gainesville, Florida) is comprised of 24 major collections visually accessible from a 1 ½ mile paved walkway. These include the state’s largest public display of bamboos and the largest herb garden in the Southeast. Some of Kanapaha’s gardens are organized taxonomically; others demonstrate principles of ecology or natural selection.
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Lettuce Lake Park (Tampa)

Lettuce lake Park at the north edge of Tampa has a boardwalk that shows off Cypress Swamps and Uplands. There is a side trail that provides opportunities for photographing birds and alligators.
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Leu Gardens (Orlando)

Leu Botanical Gardens consists of 50 acres plants including palms, cycads and flowering trees; azaleas, vines, bromeliads and tropical philodendrons; annual flowers, roses and camellias; and camphor trees, elms and oaks.
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Mead Botanical Gardens (Winter Park)

Mead Botanical Gardens is located in Winter Park. It has hiking trails, creek, boardwalk, tall pine trees, greenhouse, butterfly garden, and pond that’s home to turtles, fish and wading birds.
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Nature Coast Botanical Gardens (Spring Hill)

There are 22 themed garden areas and a small waterfall.
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Orlando Wetlands Park (Christmas)

The Orlando Wetlands Park is a man-made wetland designed to provide advanced treatment for reclaimed water from the City of Orlando and other local cities. The Park is 1650 acres in size and located in Christmas, Florida. This is a great place to shoot shore and water birds.
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Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park ( Micanopy)

More than 20 distinct biological communities provide a rich array of habitats for wildlife and livestock, including alligators, bison, horses and more than 270 species of birds. Exhibits and an audio-visual program at the visitor center explain the area´s natural and cultural history. A 50-foot-high observation tower near the visitor center provides a panoramic view of the preserve.
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Pioneer Florida Museum and Village (Dade City)

On display are tools of the Florida Pioneer Man, showing how he built his house,made his furniture, plowed his fields, harvested his crops, and did his leather-work and blacksmithing. Also the Trilby Depot, the Lacoochee one room schoolhouse, is a 100 year old building. Methodist Church from Enterprise and the two story 1864 restored Overstreet House.

On display in the Overstreet Houseand kitchen addition, are furnishings which reflect the Florida Pioneer Woman’s everyday experiences – churning butter, cooking on a wood-burning stove, spinning, weaving, battling and boiling the family wash and doing her household tasks with simple primitive equipment.
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Safari Wilderness Ranch (Lakeland)

At Safari Wilderness Ranch driver guides will tour you through large herds of exotic game over 260 acres of pristine wilderness in customized safari vehicles, fitted with shade canopies and stadium seating. They specialize in wetland exotic species, African Watusi and Irish Dexter cattle (heritage breeds), and Austrian Haflinger horses.
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Southeast Museum of Photography (Daytona Beach)

The Southeast Museum of Photography exhibits, collects, preserves, and interprets photography to facilitate teaching and learning at Daytona State College.
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St. Augustine, Florida

Its unique scenery and history set this city apart from any other in the country. St. Augustine has a quaint feel but boasts a big appeal. Visitors can see why when they stroll along the brick-lined streets and delight in the city’s European flavor, with centuries-old buildings, horse-drawn carriages, hidden courtyards, and so much more. St. Augustine has plenty of history to explore — more than 450 years of it!

Nights of Lights, from the week before Thanksgiving to the end of January, has been proclaimed one of the best light displays in the world by National Geographic.
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St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is the only place in the world where you can see every living species of crocodilian! It also hosts a wide range of other animals, as well as birds, reptiles, fossils, and more!
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Sweetwater Wetlands Park ( Gainesville)

Now a thriving habitat, Sweetwater Wetlands Park is filled with vast numbers of plants and animals, including birds, butterflies, alligators and Florida cracker horses. At the park, you can walk more than 3.5 miles of crushed gravel trails and boardwalks, experience the lush landscape from viewing platforms, and learn about the habitat through educational signs and tours.
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Tarpon Springs, Florida

Tarpon Springs is known as the “sponge capital of the world.” In addition, Tarpon Springs’ charming downtown center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors to the Historic District can stroll along brick streets while browsing in art galleries, antiques stores, and specialty shops housed in buildings dating from the late 1800s.
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