Celebrate the Holiday Season with Florida State Parks

CENTRAL FLORIDA - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection?s (DEP) Florida State Parks invite Floridians and visitors to create a new holiday tradition this year by attending a state park special event. With festive decorations and activities, state parks are a great setting for friends and family to enjoy natural Florida while celebrating the season.

?There are few greater treasures than sharing the holiday season with family and friends and there is no better place to do so than in Florida?s state parks,? said DEP?s Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock. ?From visits with Santa to displays of millions of lights, we hope all visitors will enjoy the festivities that park staff and volunteers work diligently to offer during this time of year.?

Following the holiday season, in 2010, DEP?s Florida State Parks will celebrate 75 years of recreation and preservation. Florida?s 160 state parks offer white sandy beaches, vast open prairies, steep ravines, lush semi-tropical forests, cultural sites and crystal clear lakes, rivers and springs. State parks also offer countless locations to learn about Florida?s cultural history and serve as outdoor classrooms for students of all ages. Affordable, family-friendly activities, such as swimming, hiking, bicycling, paddling, diving, fishing, camping, horseback riding, birding, photography, events and ranger-led tours are just a few ways people enjoy our natural resources.

Special events for the holiday season in central Florida include:

Santa Over the Rainbow
Rainbow Springs State Park, Dunnellon
Friday, December 11 - Sunday, December 13, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, December 18 - Sunday, December 20, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 26 - Sunday, December 27, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
The Friends of Rainbow Springs will once again bring Santa Clause to Dunnellon. Bring a child or become a child yourself for this one of a kind experience. Walk through the wonderland of lights that decorate the headsprings area of Rainbow Springs State Park, see Mr. and Mrs. Clause come up the Rainbow River on a lighted boat and head towards their cottage where pictures are taken, visit with Santa?s elves and listen to carols. Only the lights will remain on display for park visitors to enjoy December 26 ? 27 following Christmas. Gates open at sunset. Regular park admission fees apply. For more information, call (352) 465-8539.

Christmas at Wekiwa
Wekiwa Springs State Park, Apopka
Saturday, December 12, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Get into the spirit of Christmas by hearing festive music by the Nature Center. There will be small gifts for children as the animals and the park staff share the good cheer of the season with our visitors. Regular park entrance fees apply. For more information, call (407) 884-2006.

To learn more about Florida State Parks and the 75th Anniversary, visit www.FloridaStateParks.org, and follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/FLStateParks.