At Caverns State Park, acidic groundwater dissolved crevices just below the surface creating cave passages large enough to walk through. We saw stalactites (that which drips), stalagmites (dripped on), soda straw (tubular), draperies (Flowing films of water that move along down positive-sloping walls build up layers of calcite), and other formations.
Three Rivers State Park is located in Florida, very close to Georgia. The Flint and Chattahoochee rivers combine to form Lake Seminole above the Jim Woodruff Dam. Below the dam, the waters become the Apalachicola River, which flows into Apalachicola Bay, and eventually, the Gulf of Mexico. The name of the park is a tribute to these three rivers. Three Rivers became a Florida state park in 1955.
Silver Springs State Park is the largest artesian spring in Florida. This attraction was privately owned and operated until it was taken over by the state and made part of Silver Springs State Park in 2013.
From the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, we headed to Highlands Hammock State Park. During the Great Depression, prior to World War II, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed park facilities. Highlands Hammock State Park is one of the highest ranking parks in Florida for biodiversity. The park is known for its beautiful old-growth hammock and thousand year old oaks. Ferns and air plants are abundant. Black bear and the Florida panther are said to be present….but we did not see either or their tracks.
We decided to visit the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, a historical museum and botanical garden in Fort Myers. The botanical gardens had some beautiful and unusual plants for sale.
Thomas Edison’s Winter Estate
