I scored with some extra time during a work trip out to Orlando, and took a friend’s recommendation on an airboat ride with a guy that’s been giving tours for 17 years. His experience was obvious, easily finding alligators (including babies), bald eagles, wild hogs, turtles, turkeys, hawks, and much more…an insane amount of wildlife in 90 minutes! I then made my way up to Blue Spring State Park, the focus of which is a constant temperature spring that feeds the St. John’s river, and is  known for an abundance of manatees. While I had missed the manatees by a few days (the air temps had risen, giving the manatees a few extra days to stay out on the St. John’s river before retiring to the warmer spring for the winter), the place did not disappoint, with amazingly clear water, beautiful vegetation, and even more wildlife – countless birds, fish, turtles, and more alligators.