| The city of Homosassa, located in western Citrus County on the Gulf Coast, is just 74 miles north of Tampa and 90 miles northwest of Orlando. With its many waterways, historic sites, wildlife parks, and festivals, Homosassa has a lot of activities to offer for boaters and nature enthusiasts. The Homosassa Arts, Crafts and Seafood Festival takes place every year in old Homosassa on Yulee Drive.
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park offers an educational children´s center that features a two-headed painted turtle, and other exhibits with hands-on activities on Florida´s wildlife and habitats such as, wildlife puzzles, touch and feel identification kiosk, computer games on wildlife and how tall am I compared to various Florida wildlife. With a newly built wildlife walk, visitors can walk along a one mile elevated boardwalk through habitats for Florida´s black bears, cougars, bobcats, and river otters. The wildlife park is an excellent place for bird watching and is only one of five places to see a whooping crane up close. Homosassa Springs Wildlife Parks also offers Glass Bottom Boat tours for an up close but dry way to see some of Florida´s natural marine life such as the manatees.
Homosassa also features the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park. This once thriving 5,100 acre sugar plantation was a steam-driven mill that operated from 1851-1864 and served as a supplier of sugar products for the south during the Civil War. Six information plaques surround a forty foot lime-stone chimney, iron gears, and a cane press. There are also picnic sites available on a first come first serve basis. |