Why Every Family Should Have One

If you are a Florida resident, snowbird, or frequent visitor to this great state and you do not yet have a Florida State Park Passport, you need to get on it and get yours TODAY. In fact, Every single family in Florida should have a State Park Passport, and here's why:

Having (and using) a Florida State Park Passport will change your life.

I'm serious! It has changed ours, and each of the families we have given a passport to. Let me jump into the reasons why... starting with those of you who say you love Florida, and those of you who say you can't stand Florida and only tolerate her. Here's the truth:

You can't "Love" Florida unless you truly know her.

You may love the beach. You may love the golf courses. You may love Disney. But you can't love Floridaunless you get out and experience who she is and what she has to offer.

Did you know that we have a whopping 175 state parks in Florida? One hundred and seventy five, people! Whether you’re aware of it yet or not, our state park system is truly magnificent... And it should be one of the great prides (and joys) of each of us who call this great state home. To give you some perspective, Florida ranks 5th in the nation, only behind California, New York, Washington and Oregon in number of state parks and lands.

You may be wondering... "WHY do we have so many state parks?"

Well, I'm glad you asked. It’s because our government, at the urging of passionate, vocal, interested parties, decided that we have a crazy abundance of lands and locations with tremendous ecological, aesthetic, recreational, and cultural/historical value. Florida is unique from much of the rest of the continental United States in its sheer diversity of natural ecosystems and landscapes. We are known for our gorgeous beaches, but I would argue, as would many, that Florida’s wide variety of freshwater systems are equally as breathtaking, and our expanses of swamp hammocks, pine flatwood forests, and even the misunderstood pine and oak sand scrub areas offer so so much beauty, intrigue, adventure and history, just begging to be shared, enjoyed and protected for the future. By exploring each of Florida's state parks, you will have an opportunity to see, first hand, how diverse this state is. And there is no way you cannot love what you will experience. There is truly something for everyone.. from beach-lovers to rainforest enthusiasts to rock climbers, scenic overlook seekers, mountain bikers, morning coffee sippers, long and short distance hikers, kayakers and even white water rafting junkies!

What does a Florida State Park passport give you?

In short, it’s a pocket-sized bucket list of amazing places to go, but waybetter. Like your US travel passport, you receive cancellations stamps at each park you visit. Every park has it’s own page in the passport, and it’s own corresponding stamp that you can get from the ranger station as you check in. Unlike your US passport, this passport is also a killer guide-book to the parks. Each park page lists the most important details about the featured park, including a picture, relevant hours, a great little description, and highlights the activities that are available, such as canoeing, swimming, hiking, birdwatching, camping, etc. Parks are divided into regions for easier map searching and trip planning.

A Florida State Park Passport gives you the opportunity to be part of something special, either solo or as a family. It gives you a common goal to strive for with the ones you love. We visited a total of 37 state parks last year, and had a blast! Many of our trips combined multiple state parks at a time... But even if you go at a much slower pace, the joy is in the journey and the discovery, and the satisfaction in knowing that you are getting the most out of the state you call home, and learning to be a good steward of her lands and resources.

My kids get so excited every time we go to a new park we haven’t been to before and we get to collect a new stamp. They always want to know how many stamps we’re up to so far, and of course, they like to be the ones to request the stamps from the rangers. It’s a fun scavenger hunt, of sorts, for us.

My dear friend and her kiddos collecting their very first state park passport stamp.

A state park passport makes the BEST. GIFT. EVER.

Let’s talk birthday and holiday gift ideas... So tough to figure out what to get, right?? Never again. Next time you need to get a gift for that family that has everything… or for that 6 year old kid who has more toys than an aisle at Walmart - think PASSPORT. It’s the gift that no one thinks about that will add more joy, more excitement, more adventure, and more quality time with family than anything else you will buy, at a fraction of the cost! It’s totally unexpected, and always a hit. We have now gotten state park passports for 5 of our dear friends and have been able to witness their "free time" as a family transform into truly enriching experiences that all of them will remember for their lives. And if you’re really wanting to spend more money, add on an annual State Parks Family Pass, while you’re at it! Trust me… the memories made will be worth so much more than a toy that will only end up in the landfill down the road.

We go by some rules.

We do have to go by some rules, of course. We can only collect park stamps if we have “earned” them. That means no driving by the entrance, picking up the stamp, and moving on with our day. Really!! The whole point of this is the adventure, the time spent with family, and the learning and exploration that go on with each new place we visit. If a park doesn’t look interesting enough to stay (which is ultra-rare to begin with), we probably haven’t learned what we need to learn about why it’s there yet. So in order to earn our stamps we have to do something at the park that helps us learn why it’s there. Even in the smallest parks with not as much to do we always make an effort to take a hike on a nature trail, visit a museum, or fish for a bit off the dock. We try to spend as much time there as we can. We are every bit as responsible for the experiences we have through our attitudes and reactions as the park is for providing “something to do.”

Also, the interpretative efforts of our state parks do a wonderful job of explaining what makes each of them so special... even if you’re not in LOVE with the area or landscape at first. A great example of this for us was Lake June-in-Winter Scrub Preserve State Park. Being centrally located and south of Orlando (read: hot. dry.), this is not a park I was initially jumping out of my skin to see. It is exactly what it says it is... mostly scrub... which sadly, until recently I had very little appreciation for. But I wasn’t seeing the forest for the trees, so to speak. (pun intended, smirk.) I learned that Lake June-in-Winter is not only beautiful... It’s an incredible habitat for the endangered Florida Scrub Jay. We even got to see some!! I always thought the Florida scrub was a dry, hot wasteland, but it turns out there is a beauty to it all it’s own, flora and fauna that thrive there and nowhere else, and as my appreciation grows I see more and more of the unique beauty in it. As will most anything else, when we learn more about something we find it more beautiful. What a gift to give our families!

So next time you’re looking for a way to get active with your family or to try something new and unexpected, or for that next perfect gift for the hubby, wife, daughter or son, reach for a Florida State Park Passport and get yourself ready for some amazing experiences. Follow along with our family’s adventures if you’re not sure where to start. We’re busy working our way through all 175 of our State Parks and writing about it as we go. Check out the resources on our webpage and feel free to drop us a line through our contact us page to ask us any questions you may have about getting yourself out and about in beautiful wild Florida.

UPDATE:

The physical Florida State Park Passport book is currently awaiting an updated reprint. While some gift shops or ranger stations may have a copy or two left over, there are no passports available for sale online at this time. As soon as the latest print version is available, we will shout it from the rooftops and have a link to it on our Resources Page, or you can check the Florida State Park Passport info page for updates. While you wait, click HERE for a PDF of the latest online edition of the Florida State Parks Guide! This is a GREAT option to get you started if you can't find the printed version of the State Park Passport near you.

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