Park 15: Canaveral National Seashore

1/9/13. As part of our winter trip to Florida and Disney World, we decided to take a day off from Disney Parks to go to National Parks!

We left Orlando early in the morning and headed east. We stopped first at the Visitor Center in Titusville where a wonderful ranger spent a lot of time with us explaining the different places to visit. We hope he didn't catch the flu bug that we have been fighting the last few days.

We decided to start with the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. After taking a short walk around the visitor center, we drove through the Black Point Wildlife Drive. We were amazed at all the birds and the peaceful scenery. We next stopped to view the Manatee at the observation deck. There were quite a few of them huddled together in different groups.

Next we drove north through the park and stopped at the Seminole Rest which the National Park Service Website consists of several prehistoric shell mounds dating from 2,000 BC to 1565 AD. Snyder's Mound, the largest mound at this site, is unique because few structures this large remain intact today. Two turn of the century buildings occupy the mounds and have aided in their preservation.

The Timucuan and Ais Indians inhabited this part of Florida when the Spanish arrived. They raised corn, beans, and squash and supplemented their diets by gathering berries, nuts, tubers, and seeds and by hunting and fishing. Women maintained the crops and gathered food while the men hunted, fished, and waged war. Small villages included several extended families. Houses were constructed of logs with thatched roofs and woven twig or mat siding.


Seasonally, groups settled along the coast to gather and process clams, oysters, and fish that supplemented the meat and agricultural products eaten the rest of the year. Women and children were responsible for collecting the clams and processing them for later use while the men fished, hunted, and protected their families. The same sites were revisited year after year, and the large mounds that once dotted the Florida coastline were created.

We were really blown away by this site and had no idea that such islands existed. It felt like we were back in time, and it gave us a great feel for the Florida geography and history.





Next we drove all the way to the northern end of the park to Smyrna Beach. Now, this felt like home! The barrier island was remarkably similar to our beach in Westhampton. The sand where we walked on the beach was covered with small shells and the beach was beautiful as can be seen in our photos:

 We had a lovely time walking on the beach - especially in January!! The weather couldn't have been better. Late afternoon, we left the park and headed back towards Titusville. We stopped at a small local restaurant on the way home and got a good dose of local color! We arrived back in Orlando tired and happy and watched Monsters Inc. outside by the pool.