[paulat585]

Hi, I am picking up some family nature-lovers at the airport on Weds. the 23rd. Thought I could take them to Merritt Island for the day, but have never been before. What would you suggest doing? They like hiking, seeing wildlife. Thanks!

[JerryLBell]

The Blackpoint Wildlife Drive is one of our favorite places to go. The drive is several miles long and you should see a lot of birds this time of year. We've also seen deer and otter there. It's off Max Brewer Memorial Pkwy (the main connection between Titusville and the island). When you're done with the drive, turn left (east) on Max Brewer Memorial Pkwy and then left (north) on Courtenay Pkwy. On your right, there's a sign for something like "Scrub Jay Park". It's a fairly short walking loop and if you go counter-clockwise and look off into the field on your left, you're likely to see Scrub Jays, which can only be found in parts of Florida (us birders love to see birds they haven't seen before to add to their life lists). We've also seen armadillo (live ones! not road kill!) and gators there (well, a gator but he was good-sized and blocking our path back to the car). Go further north, cross the bridge and turn right immediately after the bridge into a little parking area and you can look down into the river and almost always see manatees. On that way back out of the island, Max Brewer Memorial Pkwy turns into 406. Look on your left for Dixie Crossroads. They have the best shrimp I've ever had anywhere and their powdered sugar-covered corn nugget appetizers are heavenly.

We like this area so much that in the past we've come down to Florida from North Carolina, done the wildlife drive at dusk, gone to eat at Dixie, stayed the night, gone to do the wildlife drive at sunrise, did the scrub jay walk, watched the manatees, then gone back to Dixie for lunch. We're retiring soon and moving to our house in TV and hope to do this on a regular basis in the winter (the birds aren't there in nearly the same quantities or varieties in the summer).

Enjoy! I'm envious of you going now!

[Bogie Shooter]

Home - Merritt Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

[John_W]

On the news this week, the Heroes & Legends Museum opened at the Kennedy Space Center. I haven't had a chance to check out the details, but my wife's best friend and her husband are coming down from Baltimore just to see it this week. Here's a link if you want to know more.

Kennedy Space Center | Blogs

[justjim]

To me there is nothing like a walk on the beach and I don't mean a swim in the Atlantic. We often just walk along the beach in our shorts or jeans and pick up "treasure" 0ccasionally and find a beverage place (like the Cocoa Beach Pier) and enjoy. You can walk for just one mile or 5 miles if you want to make it a hike. The salt air is invigorating! Oh, Dixie Crossroads is a must if you like sea food.