OUTDOORS VisitSPC.com/Outdoors FLORIDA BOTANICAL GARDENS trees to relax in its 255 acres. Anderson offers boating, scenic views, nature trails and easy access With a canoe and kayak launch, boardwalk and 35-foot wooden observation tower, the scenic Boca Ciega Millennium Park in Seminole is noted for its excellent birding. It earned a stop on the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s “Great Florida Birding Trail.” More than 175 species of birds -cut warbler. GULF OF MEXICO For divers, there are 42 reef sites along the Gulf Coast of St. Pete/Clearwater from Tarpon Springs to St. Pete Beach, located from 200 yards to 38 miles offshore. In 2019, a 100-foot wide ring of concrete statues called the Circle of Heroes was placed nine miles off the coast of Clearwater, adjacent to the popular Veterans Reef dive location. The life-sized statues of soldiers from all branches of the military sit in 47 feet of water. The Tampa Bay area has several dive shops, including Mac’s Sports in Clearwater and Sunshine Scuba in Largo to rent or buy equipment. And Queen Fleet , operating out of PHILIPPE PARK HONEYMOON ISLAND AND Drive over the Dunedin Causeway just north of Clearwater and head west to Honeymoon Island, a development-free beach scene with multiple hiking trails and mangroves for paddling. Sail Honeymoon has kayaks, sailboats and standup paddle boards available for rent right off the Causeway before you get to the park. There’s also a ferry from there to Caladesi Island State Park , which is famed for its unspoiled beach. Quiet paths lead along the dunes, home to shore birds, sea turtles and gopher tortoises that burrow behind the dunes. It’s a great and marked kayak trails among the mangrove trees in the park. The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is a biking and walking trail that extends for 54 miles across the length of St. Pete/Clearwater, from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs, with scenic spots along the way. Cyclists looking to cover a distance sometimes bike the whole trail in one direction, stay overnight in Tarpon Springs, and pedal back the next day. The trail was created in 1990 along a portion of an abandoned 50 AMERICA’S BEST BEACHES
Gulf To Bay St. Pete Clearwater FL Gulf to Bay St. Pete Clearwater FL: Page 50
