Florida: It’s not all about a giant mouse called Mickey

TravelMole’s Graham McKenzie finds there’s much more to Florida than theme parks.

Do you think it’s possible to have too much of Mickey Mouse? No – I hear you say. Can you really get tired of Shamu and his fishy friends? That would be highly unlikely. What about yawning half way through a tour of Lego City? Nope..that won’t happen either.

I also don’t think that with all of the wonders that Universal has to offer, including of course our very own Harry Potter, life would become dull.

Book a flight to Orlando and these are just a few of the themed wonders that await you. The rides, the food, the technology is amongst the best and of course the biggest in the world. However – and it is  a big ‘however’  – if you feel the need for a spot of relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of International drive then just a few miles down the road vast areas of natural, untouched-by-human-hand  landscape exists with activities and wildlife to take you into yet another world of make-believe.

Kissimmee was often viewed as the ugly sister of the central Florida tourism façade. Cheap down-market hotels, overdeveloped shopping malls, huge numbers of villas for the visitors who prefer self-catering and, in short, little to retain the tourism dollar.

In an effort to offer an alternative the local government is putting huge efforts into sustainability and conservation, tasteful redevelopments and a massive overhaul of the main transport corridor that runs through the heart of the county. 

 A quick trip to the visitor /orientation centre will set you on the right path to days of nature-themed activities. Within Kissimmee huge lakes, which are in fact the headwaters of the famous Everglades, act as a reservoir for a truly impressive array of wildlife. Take a canoe or a gentle, non-intrusive, motor launch and you will be able to see a cornucopia of birds, mammals and reptiles.

Until the arrival of the Disney Corporation this area was in fact best known for its vast grazing land for cattle. Today very little of that can be seen but Osceola County, the government district within which much of Kissimmee lies, has restored and preserved a large acreage which is now accessible for visitors and local residents alike.

You can walk, cycle, drive, crawl, hop and if you are so inclined jog around much of it. Whilst n transit you will be able to observe some of the finest birdlife in North America with a mixture of resident and migratory birds. The local politicians are so keen on this policy that they have bought in excess of 1000 acres of land to extend the programme.

The land assets however are just the half of it. What the area is really famous for is water. Back in the 1960’s in response to flooding major changes took place to restore natural water flow and make  for improved fishing, wildlife observation and natures study.

Today what we find are Lakes, Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Cypress, Hatchincha and Tiger, plus the Kissimmee River forming the back drop to a truly magnificent exploration area. Again various modes of transport are available including the infamous airboats , canoes and small motor launches.

As one would expect it is alive with even more exotic looking birdlife and you would be truly unlucky not to spot one of the resident ‘gators. I mentioned fishing briefly but this is really understating the pedigree of the area as it is the epicentre of Bass Fishing with dozens of national and international competitions taking place each year. If you would like a gentle introduction into the resident wildlife then Wild Florida is a visitor attraction that offers a wide range of animals to observe in a zoo like environment plus ear shattering airboat rides.

On my trip around Kissimmee I didn’t spot any mice, whales or wizards.