Highlands Hammock - 20 fun things to do
Story & CCC worker photo by: Larry Levey - News-Sun April 11, 2001 - Explorer Page Coordinator

Courtesy Photo By looking closely in this photo, one can see a mother alligator standing guard over three little ones. The picture was shot from the boardwalk on the Cypress Swamp Trail.

WARNING: The Park has one major problem. It's addictive. .. Ranger Andy Anders.

Ranger Andy Anders is right. Highlands Hammock State Park can quickly turn you into a park addict. How? Through its history, its well preserved natural treasures and its host of activities. Here's just a sampling of things you can do at Highlands Hammock State Park:

1. Go to the Settlers Orange Grove at sunset and watch the deer at feeding time.

2. Rent a bike - or bring your own - and ride around the loop drive or the off-road trail.

3. Walk one or some or all of the park's nine walking trails, especially the popular Cypress Swamp Trail (the "Boardwalk", where you'll often eyeball an alligator. Trails vary in length and can be walked in 15 to 35 minutes.

4. Search out the historic trees of the park, indlucing the Big Oak, more than a thousand years old, and the Richard Lieber Memorial Live Oak/Laurel Oak and the Margaret Shippen Roebling Memorial Live Oak. And spend a few minutes finding out why thse folks deserved to be remembered.

5. Go bird-watching. From March 1-18 of this year, 64 different species of birds were seen at the park. No wonder it's one of the sites of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Pick up a bird list at the ranger station.

6. Borrow the horseshoes and/or shuffleboard items from the ranger station.

7. Enjoy breakfast and lunch at the Hammock Inn. And don't forget those Wild Orange Shakes and Wild Orange Pies.

8. Take a ranger-guided walk or tram tour, with the tram visiting regions of the park you can't get to on your own.

9. Take the kids to the playground areas.

10. Bring a picnic lunch.

11. Visit the museum to learn about the role played by the Civilian Conservation Corps both at the park and throughout all America during the Depression. Stop to admire the statue of the CCC worker, only one of four or five in the country.

12. Bring your horse and ride the horse trails.

13. Bring your tent or recreational vehicle and camp overnight or longer. Join in the campground get-togethers.

14. Attend the Saturday night campfire programs.

15. Visit the amphi-theater or rent it for a special occasion.

16. Take time to let the beauty of the park invade your senses, remembering this was Florida even before there was a Florida.

17. Spend time talking with the Rangers. You'll be impressed by their knowledge and their enthusiasm.

18. Buy a T-shirt or other souvenir at the ranger station.

19. Attend the CCC Festival in November and the March for Parks and Earth Day on April 21.

20. Volunteer to help out at the park.

And be aware: there is no known cure for this addiction.

Courtesy Photo A walk along the Cypress Swamp Trail exposes visitors to the natural beauty of Highlands Hammock, with its serenity and its colors, shapes and shadows.