Sawgrass Recreation Park

Our final stop of the day was a drive out the Sawgrass Recreation Park. The Soverns family purchased the park shortly after hurricane Wilma (the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin) devastated south Florida in October 2005. The family and staff have methodically rebuilt the park, with a wonderful wildlife area showcasing native creatures. They will soon open an island with a display of the Florida Panther.

The highlight of our visit was a private airboat ride into the Everglades with Captain Charles. As a Florida "cracker”, I though I knew most everything there was to know about the Sunshine State, but our guide full of information about our state’s natural heritage, the native people of the Everglades, wildlife, and the plant and insects would in the “river of grass”.

Though sometimes hidden from the rush of our day-to-day lives, it's comforting to know the "real" Florida is alive & well.