Florida Family Getaways - 2008 - (Page 20) Other Great Native Sites Finding sites related to Florida’s natives is easy; across the state, there are dozens of sites related to the Seminoles, Calusa, Miccosukee and Timucua. pre-Columbian people, these ocean traders did not farm but lived mostly off the sea. Adventurous souls can visit the Calusas’ capital by kayak or canoe at Mound Key Archaeological State Park on Estero Bay. Call (239) 992-0311 or go to www.floridastateparks.org/moundkey/. Evidence of the Calusa, a name that translates to “fierce people,” can also be found at the Randell Research Center at Pineland, 13810 Waterfront Drive, Pine Island. Call (239) 283-2062 or visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/. And don’t miss Gainesville’s Florida Museum of Natural History, at the corner of Hull Road and SW 34th Street. Visitors will enjoy Northwest Florida: Waterways and Wildlife as well as an exhibit on South Florida people and the environment. In November, the Museum of Florida History will debut a new exhibit on the Seminoles. Call (352) 846-2000 or visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu. Information on the Seminole exhibit is at www.flheritage.com/museum. Crystal River Archaeological State Park, 3400 N. Museum Point Road, Crystal River (near Homosassa), was a gathering point for Native Americans who traveled great distances long before Columbus. Archaeologists believe the area’s springs had great religious significance. Call (352) 795-3817 or go to www.floridastateparks.org/crystalriver/. Weedon Island Preserve and Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Dr. N.E., St. Petersburg, teaches about the natural history of those who lived, hunted and fished along the shores of Tampa Bay. Call (727) 453-6500 or go to www.weedonislandcenter.org. The Charlotte Harbor area, at bottom, was home to the Calusa, one of the great maritime cultures in Florida. Unlike other Top: Crystal River Bottom: Charlotte Harbor Reader Response 5 20 VISITFLORIDA.com/family http://www.floridastateparks.org/moundkey/ http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/ http://www.floridastateparks.org/crystalriver/ http://www.weedonislandcenter.org http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu http://www.flheritage.com/museum http://www.semtribe.com http://www.semtribe.com http://VISITFLORIDA.com/family
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