Fire up that Merlin app and get ready for a heavy data usage day — the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is a drivable 11 miles of birding nirvana. Open on weekends and holidays only, the drive takes anywhere from one to three hours through one of Florida’s top three birding areas, home to 377 different bird species. During the winter months, more than 150 species regularly use the property, “from showy herons and egrets to numerous tiny warblers and flycatchers,” according to the St. John’s River Water Management District. Audubon Expert certification is within your grasp!
2850 Lust Road, Apopka, sjrwmd.com/lands/recreation/lake-apopka
This article appears in Best of Orlando (R) 2025.