ith Tampa’s Riverwalk convention center hub as its meetings centerpiece, Central West Florida is a seasoned host of gatherings great and small.
From the Republican National Convention in 2012 down to the smallest board meeting, the conference venues, convention hotels and transportation infrastructure of the area, which includes Tampa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Sarasota, are as solid as it gets.
But apres-meeting and minutes away from the bustle are adventures in nature that are solidly unique and give attendees a mini getaway into the wild.
Big Cats
Home to about 100 lions, tigers, bobcats, cougars, servals and other species—and committed to protecting them from the dangers of private ownership—Tampa’s Big Cat Rescue (www.bigcatrescue.org) gets visitors close to these beautiful, exotic creatures in a variety of ways, including private group tours that last about an hour and 15 minutes.
“The most we can do is a group of 60,” says Jennifer Leon, director of outreach. “We break them down into groups of 20, so everyone goes out at the same time.”
The preserve also offers a mobile home “party house” for day or evening events, accommodating about 90. In addition, though they never take the animals off the preserve, Big Cat Rescue conducts off-site presentations featuring slides, videos and animal artifacts.
Another safe haven for big cats, bears, primates and other animals, the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary (www.bigcathabitat.org) is just east of Greater Sarasota and offers corporate tours as well as regular animal training sessions open to the public.
Well ‘Preserved’
Six miles of trails cut through the hardwood hammocks, willow marshes and swamp woodlands of St. Petersburg’s Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (www.stpeteparksrec.org/boyd-hill-nature-preserve.html), a 245-acre expanse that is part of the Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail and features a bird of prey aviary as well as countless bird species attendees may glimpse during their visit, if they can tear their eyes away from the alligators and gopher tortoises, that is.
Cameras are a must on wildflower walks, especially in the fall when the fields are covered in color, and during monthly treks led by bird experts from the Audubon Society.
Private tram tours are offered, as are group hikes and night hikes to look for alligators, bats and scorpions. The preserve also can set up craft programs that include palmetto weaving and pine needle basket making.
“We’re very accommodating for groups and try to individualize their experience,” says Ranger Andrea Andersen.
To that end, Boyd Hill rents classroom and meeting space at the Lake Maggiore Environmental Education Center, with seating between 30 and 90. Also available for group events is the Pinellas Pioneer Settlement, complete with a barn and historic homes dating back to the late 1800s.
Giraffes Galore and More
Set on 47 acres of rolling countryside north of Tampa in Dade City, Giraffe Ranch (www.girafferanch.com) offers a true safari experience as groups go out by customized safari vehicle, by camelback or by Segway to view Indian rhinos, zebras, pygmy hippos, monkeys and, of course, giraffes—400 animals in all, from domestics to exotics from Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
“We do a lot of corporate groups and we can go up to 80 per tour,” says owner Elena Sheppa.
Ring-tailed lemur feedings, otter feedings and behind-the-scenes rhino encounters are among the program add-ons, while a pole barn with picnic tables is available for lunch or snacks.
“It’s amazing how coming here gets people out of their element a little bit,” Sheppa says. “It puts you in nature and everyone relaxes.”
A similar experience can be had at Safari Wilderness (www.safariwilderness.com), located between Tampa and Orlando and owned by the same team operating Giraffe Ranch: Sheppa and her husband Lex Salisbury, former head of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. A bigger site (260 acres) and group facilities that include a lodge hosting up to 350 might make this venue better for larger conventions, but the adventure remains—safari excursions that get you close to herds of animals, including waterbucks, Watusi cattle, axis deer, water buffalo and blackbuck antelope, among others.
“I’ve taken people to Africa and this is probably the closest thing in the country to going on safari in Africa,” Salisbury says.
Egmont Key Encounters
North of Anna Maria Island and accessible only by boat, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge (www.fws.gov/egmontkey) is a refuge for animals and people. Quiet and remote, it’s only you, the turtles and the shorebirds as you hike a nature trail, stroll pristine beaches and explore a 19th century lighthouse.
Madeira Beach-based Hubbard’s Marina operates a 42-passenger ferry out of nearby Fort DeSoto Park, equipped with concessions and bathrooms, both of which are absent on the key.
