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The playgrounds are on the smaller side and better for kids under 4 probably. There are boardwalks over the water through the mangroves that lead to a kayak launch area (it would be LOTS of fun to rent a kayak here.maybe when the kid is a little older), another manatee viewing area, and other locations within the park. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip.we're big animal people. We got to see a few manatees without a lot of waiting. I was chasing a 3 year old so I didn't have much time to learn (but the opportunity is there with lots of signage). The water channel appears to be a power-plant cooling discharge.my guess is that manatees like the warmer water. The highlight of the visit was the walk along the water, which had covered awnings every 50 yards or so which provided VERY comfortable manatee viewing areas on a hot 90F day. There are lots of walking trails, all gentle and easy. There is a gift shop with snacks and reasonably clean restrooms. Parking is plentiful for the size of the park. This was a surprise! We were looking for covered playgrounds to burn some energy while staying out of the sun.īefore we even made it to the playground we took a walk through the mangroves, saw some manatees, hung out by the water, played on the boardwalk, and hung out with a (fake) alligator. When we were leaving the lot looked pretty full. We had no problems parking but got here around 10AM-ish, I'd imagine at later times after noon it gets much busier. 2+ miles of shore here so you can walk a long ways. Lots of birds around and the water was a pretty color here. The beach was great for shells, we got some good ones! It was a red flag day so the water was rough, but we did walk along the shoreline and that was nice. There is also food available at the beach. There is a gift shop next to the main parking lot and it has some ice cream and drinks there too, plus lots of gift ideas. They had good bathroom facilities at both sides of the trailer ride (adjacent the parking lot, and at the beach), so this was nice too. This was running continuously all day and seemed to be back every 10-15 minutes or so. Note that after parking you take a trailer ride to the beach from the parking lot. We mostly did a beach day but also did some hiking on the trails. There are rails to lean on along the entire boardwalk. I would recommend this for any age! One consideration for those who might struggle to walk for a long while-there are benches along the way, but if you or a loved one has difficulty with distances, rest may not be as accessible as needed. Our questions to them were simple and easily answered, but I overheard some very in depth exchanges between the guides and more knowledgeable guests than we. They continued to notice more cypress trees trying to consume handrails or “melting” onto the edge of the boardwalk, but occasionally had their attention turned to the swamp beyond the boardwalk by raccoon families, a (false) sighting of a ghost orchid, and-most impressively-a very big alligator.Īlong the way, guides helped us see things our novice eyes did not spot. My boys, on the other hand, saw things such as the cypress tree eating a hand rail and the nice tree hugging the other tree (aka the Strangling Fig-a misnomer in their opinion). My oldest, a daughter, read the plaques and enjoyed the expected sights, such as the hidden bittern we spotted (pictured-you gotta look carefully!). Understanding my role of mom, you will allow me to show you the swamp as my boys saw it. In the end, and to their surprise, we all really enjoyed it! I didn’t hear one complaint until it was time to leave. Upon arrival at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, however, their spirits were quieted and they gave space for it to be bearable. I am a mom of three children (8, 11, 14) who were not at all convinced that a swamp was a worthy way to spend their morning.
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