Welcome to Florida

Today we arrived in Florida.  If I recall correctly this is only the third time I've been in the state.  I first drove through the very northern portion of the state in 2010 when I took a trip through Okefenokee Swamp and when leaving we drove around the south side of the swamp and ended up driving through Florida.

Then in 2014 we came to Orlando with my in-laws to visit Disney World with Abigail.

Now almost four years later we're back, to visit Disney World again and to see a bit more of the state.  This time we wanted to see several historical sites, so we planned a trip with shorter travel days so that we'd have time to make several stops.  As I'm waiting for my other pictures to upload I'm going to start by blogging about our first stop in Florida.

 As soon as you drive into the state you'll see a welcome sign, and then a warning not to stop and take pictures along the side of the interstate.

 The welcome center is under construction, but thankfully it is still open.

 Free orange juice is always delicious.

 Pandora is new at Animal Kingdom since the last time we visited.  I'm looking forward to seeing what it is like.

 The girls enjoyed their juice and seeing things inside, but what they really wanted to see were the balloons on a sign right outside the main entrance.

Outside are some cool exhibits that show off footprints of various native Floridian animals.

Black Bear.  Ranging in color from cinnamon to black, these medium-sized bears are omnivores, as they eat both plants and animals.  Only 1/2 pound at birth, adults can weigh up to 500 pounds, though they average around 150 pounds.  Bears in the North enter a type of hibernation and go for months without eating, drinking, or passing waste.
~exhibit signage

Florida Panther

 River Otter

 American Alligator

 White-tailed Deer

 Gray Fox

 Wild Turkey

 Great Blue Heron

 I took the girls to the Florida welcome sign for a photo opp.

Both of the girls really enjoyed this dolphin since it was both pink (Abigail's favorite color) and blue (Evelyn's favorite color).

We look forward to enjoying quite a bit in Florida over the coming days.

~Matt