Miami to Tallahassee Road Trip Guide

An hour and ten min from Miami is West Palm Beach, the location of your first stop; McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary offers visitors the opportunity to view different animals up close, as well as the ability to interact with smaller species that reside there. For example, visitors can hold a baby alligator or a python, among others. The mission of McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary is to rehabilitate injured or abandoned wild animals, rescuing wildlife in all sorts of situations (birds or squirrels injured after falling from their nest, animals struck by cars, and so on).

The Sanctuary offers tours (reservations required) where you can learn more about the animals from tour guides. During your visit, you will have the chance to encounter a variety of wildlife, from alligators, tortoises, bobcats, panthers and many more.

After your visit to McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary, continue heading north for about an hour until you arrive in Fort Pierce and the Manatee Observation and Education Center. The Center offers education and wildlife viewing on Florida’s coast. Located west of the Atlantic ocean, the center straddles the Indian River Lagoon and Moore’s Creek and its site is known as a place that manatees congregate due to its warm water.

Within the Center, you can learn about Manatees and other wild animals, as well as the different habitats found in the state of Florida through tactile exhibits and displays. There are also observation areas where you can look for manatees and other wildlife, like Bottlenose Dolphins and Pelicans. The Center aims to increase understanding and responsibility for the delicate ecosystems of the Treasure Coast, teaching methods to interact with the environment that lessen our impact.

Less than one hour and 40 min from Fort Pierce is the city of Kissimmee and Wild Florida, which offers a Gator Park, airboat tours, a drive-through safari, and wild animal encounters. Wild Florida has more than 200 animals able to be viewed, including zebra, sloths, and lemurs. There is also a walk-in aviary where you can view pheasants, parrots and other birds.

Interactive programs are available where you can spend time with a sloth, or work as an animal keeper for the day. Airboat tours offer visitors the chance to check out natural Florida, where you may encounter alligators, turkeys and wild hogs among other wildlife. Wild Florida was created in order to preserve a piece of private property on Lake Cypress in the Headwaters of the Everglades and seeks to protect and conserve the diverse ecosystem of the state.

As you continue on your road trip to Tallahassee, drive for about two hours to Ocala, where you will find the next stop in your adventure; Silver Springs State Park. Known for having the charm of historic Florida along with the clear, beautiful water of one of the state’s last uninhabited spring-fed rivers, the Park is home to a myriad of wildlife around the spring and in the Silver River.

You will find plenty of things to do at Silver Springs State Park; there are glass-bottom boat tours on historic boats, kayaks and canoes available for rent, opportunities for hiking and camping, and even a museum. With nearly 5000 acres of different habitats, you are sure to catch sight of different mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds during your visit, with the river home to alligators, turtles, and manatees, along with many different fish.

After leaving Silver Springs State Park, you are a little more than an hour from your next destination; Olustee Battlefield State Park in Osceola. Commemorating the site of Florida’s largest Civil War Battle, where more than 10,000 fought a five-hour battle, the battlefield became the first historic site in the state in 1912. There is a visitor center that features historical information and relics from the war. During February, a re-enactment of the war is held, making the month a good time to visit the Park.

A picnic area at the Park is ideal to sit and relax and think about the area’s history. There is also a one-mile trail with signs that describe the battle’s events. Olustee Battlefield State Park offers the opportunity to learn about the area’s history, while also getting some fresh air and stretching your legs.