Having spent the last few weekends preparing the house for Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas, it was time to enjoy the beautiful weather that Mother Nature was providing us and head out for an outdoor activity. One of the things we enjoy doing as a family is exploring the different nature preserves around Central Florida. The Disney Nature Wilderness Preserve is a spot that we have always wanted to try out but had yet to visit, so today was our day.
We picked up the boys from Grandma and PopPa’s house, where they spent the night the evening before. We brought their FSU shirts for them to wear because Florida State was playing the Gators, so we had to represent the colors. Spoiler alert: the Seminoles got crushed, but it was expected with the season they were having. The Disney Nature Wilderness Preserve is located in Poinciana, which is about a 40 minute drive from the house. Since our departure was around lunch time we were looking for a place to grab a bite to eat on our way. We spotted an Uno’s Pizzeria and Emily agreed to indulge me as this is one of my favorite spots. I am a huge fan of the Primo Pepperoni deep dish pizza that I shared with Hunter. Sawyer got the spaghetti and Emily got a salad.
We made quick work of our lunch and continued the remaining twenty minutes of the drive to the nature preserve. When we arrived the drive in was a lot longer than anticipated and there were acres of untouched land as far as the eye could see. The winding entry road took you to the welcome center where we started our journey. We grabbed our map and chose the 2.5 mile walking trail which best suited our fitness level and current condition.
The walking trails were more like worn down grass four wheeler trails which was nice because they were wide enough to walk alongside each other. The trail was well laid out, taking all Guests on the same initial trail but allowing you to add to the length of the trail, depending on your desire for exploration. About 15-20 minutes into the hike you arrive at a pristine lake with a few benches to sit, relax, and enjoy the view. This was where we spotted an alligator floating across the water, which was our only real wildlife discovery of the day.
After a brief rest at the water’s edge, we continued on the rest of the 2.5 mile red path, which Sawyer made clear was not his vote. We decided to play guessing games as we completed the rest of the trail to help pass the time and have some fun. We let Sawyer run ahead at one point so that he could lay on the bench while he waited for us (whatever works!). Although there wasn’t much wildlife to be found, the slight breeze and overcast conditions made it an absolutely perfect day to be outside. We weaved our way back to the welcome center as the group’s energy level was quickly dwindling.
We hopped in the car and agreed that some ice cream would be the perfect pick-me-up that the group needed to get some of our energy back. We spotted a Twistee Treat on the way in which was the perfect stop on our way home. Hunter got an enormous chocolate waffle cone that could have fed his entire sixth grade class. Sawyer got his chocolate and vanilla swirl and Emily and I shared a dipped cone. It was the perfect temperature to enjoy as we ate on the benches outside of the store.
After finishing our afternoon goodies, we made the forty minute drive home where we enjoyed our Thanksgiving leftovers and had a relaxing evening in.