Everyone knows outdoor classrooms are a powerful teaching tool and are excellent venues for teaching a wide range of subjects. Teachers can easily use outdoors to illustrate the relationship between personal and planetary health, fostering creative thinking, and providing hands-on problem solving. In addition outdoor classrooms provide opportunities for exploring solutions to global and local challenges, from preserving the biodiversity and feeling a part of the ecosystem rather than apart from it.
Trout Lake Nature Center and Florida Black Bear National Scenic byway has partnered to provide this powerful outdoor teaching tool. The Outdoor Classroom exposes students through direct experience to nature and ecosystems, adaptation and much more.
Florida Wildlife festival is another way Florida Black Bear National Scenic byway has partnered with the local community to bring the classroom to the outdoors. The purpose of the Wildlife festival and our mission is to increase awareness and promote the safe coexistence of humans and wildlife by fostering community appreciation of the Florida black bear and other native wildlife species, as well as Florida’s unique ecosystems that serve as wildlife habitat.
Adventure Activities
Florida Black Bear National Scenic Byway will help you develop a relationship with the environment by experiencing the great outdoors you will learn to respect, appreciate and enjoy what nature has to offer.
Hike the Florida Trail, camp in the deep woods, spend a lazy day at a cool, bubbling spring, paddle a spring run, a lake or a river. Outdoor activities on the Ocala National Forest not only offer fun and excitement but also allows for the opportunity to learn about the world around you. Encompassing more than 600 square miles it is adventure paradise. Even if you just take a Sunday drive the Ocala National forest will help satisfy the urge to explore new destinations. Ramble the forest roads, stop anywhere and take a hike. From vast pine lands and cypress studded wetland prairies to densely wooded oak hammocks and colorful palm shaded sub tropical oases, the variety of Eco-systems to explore is mind blowing.
Kayaking the byway
Mountain Biking Paisley Woods Trail
Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest is know for various Eco-systems, the sand pine scrub stands out. Growing deep on prehistoric sand dunes the pine scrub is home to many threatened species, such as the scrub jay, sand skink and many others. Within the sea of sand pine, there are longleaf pine islands that provide a different view with open park like strands of trees over grassy plains.
If you want to learn about what life was like at the turn of the century in Florida “piney woods” Silver River museum is a great educational place. The artifacts that are on display trace Florida History from its earliest days and the main gallery has a massive Monmouth that is a thousand years old.
Learning on the Florida Black Bear National Scenic Byway never ends, from the rivers, lakes, to the thousand year old massive Monmouth an outdoor and indoor place that rocks with education.