Deer Lake State Park is one of the World's Rarest EcosystemsStepping onto the boardwalk at Deer Lake State Park is like stepping into a time machine. A few paces down the walkway and you're suddenly transported to the Florida of a thousand years ago. All around is a moonscape of sand dunes guarding the remains of a maritime forest and a rare coastal dune lake where ancient creatures once thought extinct, are still very much alive.
Deer Lake is a Florida State Park 
The fully ADA accessible boardwalk traverses the dunes and offers excellent wildlife viewing as well as a glimpse into what Florida beaches looked like before development. The white sugar-sand beach offers visitors the chance to enjoy a day of swimming, fishing, sunning and beachcombing. There are no bathrooms or food vendors, so bring a picnic cooler.One of Florida's Best Beaches The beach at Deer Lake State Park is remote yet anchored by beach houses and residential communities. Although often overused, pristine is truly a word that describes this shoreline. The pure white sand, a hallmark of the Northwest Florida gulf coast beaches, washed down from the Appalachian Mountains eons ago and offers a vivid contrast to the aqua colored water of the Gulf of Mexico. You can bring beach chairs, a cooler, and fishing gear for a full day of fun - and don't forget the sunscreen. 
Northwest Florida Rare and Endangered EcosystemCoastal dune lakes are extremely rare and found in only five places in the world; the American Northern Pacific Coast, New Zealand, Australia, Madagascar and Northwest Florida. The lakes found in New Zealand and Northwest Florida are the rarest, in that they periodically “blow out” into the gulf, sending brown colored tannin-filled water outward while allowing the salty gulf water back into the lake. This action creates a delicate and potentially endangered ecosystem for creatures living in the lake. 
The park contains eleven distinct natural communities including beach dune, sandhill, scrub, basin swamp, depression marsh, coastal dune lakes, blackwater stream, and estuarine tidal creek, making the park home to a diversity of plant and animal life. Rare plants include yellow pitcher plants, rosebud orchid, pine lilies, and the largest populations of Curtiss’s sand grass in Florida. Deer Lake State Park protects these endangered ecosystems, allowing them to flourish naturally as they have for thousands of years.Dear Lake State Park is located in South Walton on the Northwest Florida gulf coast about half way between Destin and Panama City Beach. For more information about the park and activities, call 850-267-8300 or visit the Florida State Parks website. These Northwest Florida State Parks are not far from Deer Lake. Click here to read about Camp Helen State Park return from Deer Lake State Park to Northwest Florida State Parks |
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Northwest Florida Wine Tour
Print Edition
Did you know wine was made in Florida more than 50 years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock? Or that Muscadine grapes are native to the Southeast? You can learn about Florida wine and visit all the wineries in Northwest Florida with this unique travel guide.
If you like wine and you like wineries, this is the only guide that tells you where to find all of the Northwest Florida wineries, who are the wine makers and what wines they make. There's also a complete list of wine festivals so you won't miss any Northwest Florida wine events, recipes and cooking with wine, things to do and more.
You can buy the Northwest Florida Wine Tour print edition today and get it in time to take with you on spring break!
This is the only travel guide to the vineyards and wineries of Northwest Florida and it's an easy to use, comprehensive listing of attractions, B&Bs, shopping, state parks and historic sites, places to eat, annual wine festival events and more. You can use the book to make a daytrip, or plan a complete wine tour vacation. Best of all you can get it two ways, either as a downloadable e-book ($5.00) or in the popular print version ($11.95).
Go to the Northwest Florida Wine Tour page for more details or you can order the book now by clicking on the Add to Cart button above and start Exploring right now.
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