Wednesday Walking - Two New Parks

We often enjoy a walk though the Old Ortega neighborhood located in southwest Jacksonville. The area was developed by the Ortega Company founded 1909 by John N. C. Stockton and Charles Bettes.  The neighborhood was designed by the prominent architect Henry J. Klutho. You can see many examples of Klutho's work around Jacksonville.

One of the real joys of exploring an area on foot is finding hidden gems that you might not see from a car. On our last walk through Old Ortega we found two such places.

Cortez Park

Cortez Park is one of four circular parks located along Baltic Street. The park was named for the world explorer Hernando Cortez. At one time an electric trolley traveled to Cortez Park where it turned around for the return trip downtown. 

Beautiful old Oak trees provide shade and numerous benches make for a pleasant place to sit and take a break.

Seminole Park

At Seminole Park on McGirts Blvd. a  beautiful grassy area slopes gently to the Ortega River. Sit on a bench, do a little fishing or launch your canoe from the boat ramp are just a few way to enjoy this small neighborhood park. 

Get outside and explore the world at 3 miles per hours. You might be surprised at what you see!

Walking Wednesday is where I share my favorite walk of the week.

Wednesday Walking - Seaton Creek Historic Preserve

This is where I share the favorite place we walked this past week.

It's amazing to me how we keep finding these neat little places to walk right near home. Saturday we found just such a place. 

Seaton Creek Historic Preserve

Seaton Creek Historic Preserve is an 800+ acre preserve located near Thomas Creek. The preserve has 5 miles of trails that criss-cross through a sandy pine forest, a beautiful hardwood hammock, a marsh area, and by several slow moving creeks. Seaton Creek is part of the Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation.

The preserve is located not too far from a major Interstate highway and yet we didn't hear any traffic noise. Just  birds singing in the trees. It was so quiet it was almost eerie. We didn't even see any other people until we were leaving and we met another couple who had just pulled into the parking area. 

One of several small creeks that meander through the park.

I actually did a double take when I saw this historical marker. Most battles fought around here are from the Civil War era. I was surprised to see this was the site of an American Revolutionary War battle. Apparently the southern most battle of the war. Who knew?

This area was the site of the Battle of Thomas Creek on  May 17, 1777. It is considered to be the southernmost battle of the American Revolution.

The palmetto is a fan palm that is native to southern Georgia and all of Florida.

It grows profusely in sandy soil and at the base of pine and hardwood trees. It was abundant in the preserve and allowed to grown naturally. It's the bane of most Florida homeowners who work diligently to get rid of it. Doesn't usually work as they come right back! The reason that most homeowners don't like the palmetto is the belief that they make a perfect home for snakes. 

True or not I don't know but we did come across this little guy on the trail.

He's just an innocent little garden snake minding his own business. We let him cross the trail in front of us and take shelter in a palmetto before we continued on.

Beside the snake we also encountered lots of birds and mosquitoes. 

If you want to hike Seaton Creek trails beware there are no restrooms or water fountains. Bring your own water and don't forget the bug spray!

Seaton Creek Historic Preserve is located at 2145 Arnold Road, Jacksonville, Florida. (right down the road from the Pecan Park Flea Market!) You can walk or ride a bike. Dogs are welcome as long as they're on leash. 

Lace up and take a walk in the woods!

Wednesday Walking - Close to Home

This is where I share the favorite place we walked this past week.

We didn't have to venture too far from home for this walk. Less than a mile from our house is Bethesda Park a city park that features a popular 20 acre fishing lake. I've been to this park twice. Not to fish or walk but to attend weddings at the lodge and  pavilion by the lake. Who knew there were miles of trails zig zagging through the woods?

It's funny how something can be so close and we've never really checked it out. Sunday we took a nice long walk around the lake and through the woods. The weather wasn't too bad but it's apparent with the temps in the eighties that summer is on the way. Oh how I dread our long, long hot summers...

The lake was beautiful and the woods were quiet. Plenty of birds, squirrels and unfortunately a few ticks to be seen. (Not as many as our walk through the woods at Jekyll) Thankfully we didn't bring any home with us!

A view from the trail across the lake to the boardwalk.

I'm glad we took the time to check out this little jewel of a park so close to home.

Lace up, take a walk and discover something close to home!