Highlands Hammock State Park, Florida

Ready to string your hammock high up in the trees for the night? JK, the ‘hammock’ this park is referring to is actually a type of local tree ecosystem, that this park was created to preserve! Highlands Hammock State Park includes a scenic 3-mile loop drive that gives access to the park’s nine trails, a separate 11-mile trail accessible to bicyclists, horseback riders, or wanderers in search of wildlife, and many elevated boardwalks that’ll make you feel like you’re walkin’ on water. Look around and you’ll find flora in the form of old-growth bald cypress swamp, ferns, bromeliads. Fauna abounds from gopher tortoises to bald eagles, and the elusive Florida panther. Oh, and if you’re debating when to come, visit in the fall and winter seasons to catch a Music in the Park Concert series, hosted every third Saturday of the month. Really, what doesn’t this park have?