I've paddled the Emerald Cut a few times now. Initially I didn't like the idea of paying to launch…read moremy own paddleboard. However, it's only $10 now that I have my own life jacket (saving me additional cost of $5 to use one of theirs, as required). Well worth the low cost for some soul-enriching, communing with nature. I have never made a reservation. I normally arrive around 10:30, most recently on a Friday. Parked for free on Baptist Camp Rd. Just a bit of a walk from there with my inflated paddleboard, but I don't mind the extra exercise. You can unload your stuff closer, if preferable. There are port-a-potties available. You can count on there being a line in the check-in office. Various recreation supplies are available there for purchase. The process moves reasonably enough. A reservation will guarantee your entrance, however, and possibly aide quicker personal info collection. I always plan to do the Emerald Cut in roughly 3 hours round-trip, allowing myself several stops to enjoy the surroundings. You do run into (quite literally at times) novice paddlers along the way, which can be a bit tricky, yet not a real nuisance for me. In general, there's friendliness along the waterway. Slighty rowdy, party vibes in some spots, but also opportunities for solace and zen in various nooks. Encountering wildlife, fragrant elderberry, and other captivating flora along this stretch is always gratifying. It's a popular recreation destination for good reason.

Many tourists don't realize Florida is home to stunning crystal-clear spring rivers--perfect for…read moreswimming, kayaking, and tubing aka "hidden gems". My Hubby and I love kayaking, so we booked an excursion months in advance for Rock Springs through TripAdvisor. Our Tour Operator was Get Up And Go Kayaking located at Kings Landing in Apopka, FL. I LOVE saying Apopka ;) The good news: Apopka is a quick 1 hour drive from Orlando. Make sure you don't miss the turn to King's Landing, because the entrance is located on a narrow dirt road. You must drive past Kelly Park (which fills up fast). There is a Park Ranger located here who will guide you to King's Landing. As you get closer and if you see a parking spot, grab it! Check in is located in the Cabin like office where you will have to sign a waiver. If you do not want to take a clear bottom, guided Kayak tour, you can either rent or BYO Kayak versus taking a semi private, clear, guided kayak tour. NOTE: ONLY use their Sunscreen/lotion which is provided at no cost. It protects the wildlife and the Springs. We wanted the full experience as we have previously enjoyed renting clear Kayaks. Our guide for the morning was: Megan, who was fantastic! Full of energy, information and helpful tidbits about the Springs and its human and wildlife inhabitants. Our group was small and capped at 10. We paddled through both narrow and open stretches, and stopped to swim in the warm, crystal-clear water. One highlight was a banyan tree with an 8-foot natural "jump hole"--such a cool experience! It was a serene, memorable day, and fun fact: this is the very spring featured in the Visit Orlando commercials! Yeah, definitely take a day away from crowded Orlando to relax and enjoy Mother Nature! You will Thank Me ;)

I have fished with a lot of guides and can honestly say that Captain X was one the most…read moreknowledgeable, enthusiastic and has the obvious love to put his clients (I now consider us friends) on fish. My goal was to land a 48" Red Drum and catch a Black Drum for the first time. We started off on a perfect day and caught the Black Drum early and then took off for a spot that he felt would be favorable for the Red Drum (although late in the season). Most guides may not be willing to travel to a further spot with gas prices today, but Captain X was bound and determined to get me on one of my dream fish. The bite was slow due to the season and some sharks in the area (had a few on, but we weren't set up for sharks), Captain X was constantly monitoring for fish, and changing out a variety of baits to give us the best chance. Towards the end of the day a storm was brewing and he explained that we can fish one more spot (for 5-10 minutes), but may have to wait out the storm to get back safely...this would put us back to the marina over an hour past our allotted time. Since I was fishing solo, I told him that I wanted to, but realize how much work goes in after the charter, and left it up to him. He gave me a big grin and said "let's get your trophy"! Literally on the last cast we saw the rod bend and heard the beautiful sound of the drag and the fight was on! I had to work the entire boat for several minutes and drop the rod almost entirely in the water a few times when the fish was under the boat. The adrenaline was pumping for quit some time after landing the fish and it measured in at exactly 48"! Needless to say, that if you want the best guide in the Orlando/East Coast area Captain X is your guy!!!

Wonderful offseason fishing trip with Captain Xavier. That's the guy in the website photos that's…read moreeither protecting his skin from sun damager or he's in the witness protection program....back to the trip. It was a windy day so we fished fresh water about 25 minutes north of Orlando. For me it was all about making memories with my two 20-somthing kids. We didn't catch any lunkers but we caught enough fish to make the trip enjoyable using light tackle. Xavier made sure the boys each realed in fish on a regular basis using a combo of live and artificial bait. I had communicated to him that the trip was for them and he made it memorable for us all. If you are looking for an excellent guide, pleaseant conversation and memorable fishing trip Close Encounters is for you and Captain Xavier is your guide of choice.

Captain Steve as always was a great time. Knowledgeable professional and friendly we always have…read morea good time with him and caught more fish in two days than ever have 60+! The office is easy to book with and very helpful as we had to change our date This is our fifth year and will gush no one else but IO and Captain Steve

Captain Steve is a very professional and knowledgeable boat captain…read more He knows where the fish are and he can move all over Stick Marsh to find the big ones. Highly recommend Captain Steve for an outstanding fishing day. HE IS THE MAN!

This park is little more than a little late a few park benches and is the center point of a a…read moredriving circle on Bumby. It is a pleasant enough park, though. I am also confident that it serves this particular neighborhood well enough. It is a great place to take the dogs out for a walk or just to enjoy a pleasant enough afternoon. This is what pretty much brought me here today. Orlando has some great parks and while this particular park can't compete with say the park at Lake Eola, it was never meant to compete with such a park. This park was designed to utilize some land that could not be otherwise used and give it a purpose and a place for a neighborhood to gather in leisure. I would say that this park succeeded in this task.

Lake Como park is a true gem in our community. For those who have the privilege to live close by,…read morethis is a place with multiple personalities. From the early morning, where you can see the sunrise through the trees and reflect on the quiet water, to the early evening where you can stand on the east side of the lake and watch the amazing colors of the sunset in the distance out west. In the middle of the day, just to walk around and get a breath of urban fresh air. There are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the view, have a picnic, do yoga, or some HIIT, or simply run around the path and try to become a local legend on Strava.

Dolphin and manatee tour. The captain and guides were…read moremasters of the area and the topic. They were also great small talk artists. The stop at the island was a highlight. Worth the time and money.

This was a lot of fun, and completely on a whim! We were visiting my daughter and new grandson and…read moredecided to stay at a nearby resort. Looking for some activities, this came up in our search, so we made an afternoon of it. First off, the captain and crew was comical and they made the experience that much more memorable. We seen turtles, dolphins, and a few manatees! On top of that, we debarked on a small island along our tour, got out, stretched the legs, and took in some amazing views. The Mangroves were a sight to be seen. I can just imagine all the sea creature they give habitat to. We also seen some amazing boats, as well as, some interesting... uh... placement of sailboats. Great history of the local storms and the havoc they wreaked! Thank you for the fun experience for the Familia!! As always, enjoy and Happy sailing!

My wife, Emily and I are local and wanted to try kayaking at our local park at Shingle Creek. Emily…read morehasn't ever kayaked on her own before in a single person kayak. Josh showed her how to do it, quickly and efficiently. Josh and Tia's knowledge of the creek, the wildlife, the vegetation, kayaking, etc. was truly awesome. They made our Labor Day special. We won't seen forget the experience and we'll certainly be back. Check out the Paddling Center at Shingle Creek!

We had a great time with the Paddling Center. Staff was helpful and courteous. We were especially…read morehappy with our tour guide who was very knowledgeable. He pointed out many items of interest. The experience could be done by beginners and experienced paddlers alike.

Had a really great family adventure with an amazing guide, Stevie! He was so knowledgeable and…read morehelpful. The tour was so relaxing and we saw so many animals. Highly recommend!!

My friends and I visited on Feb 22nd and Ben was our amazing guide. He had a lot of interesting…read morefacts and information about the springs and all the animals we came across -- he also had great sense of humor! It was so cool gliding ontop of the crystal clear waters and watching the fishes and HUGE turtles swim beneath us. We were lucky enough to see a manatee and a bunch of Macaques (babies and adults!) that day too. So happy we all agreed on the 1:45 hr trip out to Silver Springs from Orlando, definitely worth the hype!

We had a great time with Captain Quinn on the dolphin tour…read more We saw at least 10 dolphins and manatees up close, and a ton of other Florida wild life and scenic views. Captain Quinn was very knowledgeable about the wild life and ecosystem and he answered all of our questions! It was a blast and definitely on of the highlights of my vacation. I couldn't recommend CaptainQuinn and his dolphin tour enough!

Captain Quinn was a pleasure and spent time searching to find a few different families of dolphins…read more Took a min to assist another vessel and also didn't hog the viewing once we had our fill of one of the large pods of dolphins and even pointed out to a rival tour boat where the pod was. When we finished the tour he offered a perfect place for lunch which we did explore and loved. Just an all around great guide and good guy. You can't go wrong with this private tour.

We came for the Introduction to Sailing class. It was the perfect Orlando winter day, the sky…read moreclear, 65 degree weather. There is an adorable mascot guarding the building - Rags, such a sweetie pie. Our instructor, Steve was very friendly and informative, he has been sailing his whole life and this is second nature to him, we spent a couple of hours out on the lake and I have to say that I loved it!! There was another couple on the boat that were super sweet and we definitely had a great time learning and hearing all of the stories Steve had to tell about the area way back when. I fell in love with sailing and we are hoping to get the lessons for two in the near future. I can't wait.

What a gem! Close to College Park/Downtown and affordable. Like another poster, I also woke up on a…read moreSunday and thought it would be a good idea to rent a boat. We rented a little electric catamaran that seats two people. It's slow moving but was great to just putter around the lake for 3 hours. There were other boaters and jet skiers out there as well. The electric chaise lounge has room on the sides for a bag or a small cooler and you can sit on the side and just hang your feet in the water. We will definitely be back and will probably rent a pontoon boat next time around. The Yelper who gave this place 2 stars is not actually rating the marina - I believe she is rating the park next door. The marina does have bathrooms and is not for public access to the water.

Lovely paved path around two lakes in downtown Orlando, just south of the 408 off Mills. Great for…read morean after lunch stroll. Well maintained

Greenwood Urban Wetlands is a 19 acre nature park in Orlando. It lies on the west side of Greenwood…read moreCemetery which was established in 1880 and is where many of Orlando's notables and pioneers lie at rest. The wetlands were created in 1991 between the Lake Davis and Lake Como neighborhoods as a stormwater treatment facility to handle the water run off. While the main purpose of the park is to clean the reclaimed water, a welcome byproduct of that is that it attracts a lot of wildlife. Wetland parks are some of my favorite kind of parks because they attract a variety of wildlife including wading birds, migrating birds, lizards, turtles, and alligators. At the entrance to the park is a community garden and Little Library. My favorite part of the park is the 0.7-mile loop trail surrounding Lake Greenwood that takes approximately 13 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking and walking. Along the way you will pass cypress trees, cross two bridges, and see a variety of birds enjoying the lake. Animals that have been spotted here include blue jays, ducks, barn owls, and red wing blackbirds. During my visit I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret along with ducks. The scenery during my walk was stunning. I saw a number of people reading, playing with their kids, and exercising. This is an ideal place to practice your photography, bird, watch, and have a picnic. This is such a wonderful natural resource for the city of Orlando and I loved my visit.