Florida
Kayak Florida With Your Grandchild: Nature & Conservation
Program No. 24937RJ
Explore the pristine beauty of northern Florida’s waterways with your grandchild, and gain insights into the region's rich flora, fauna, hydrology and conservation efforts.
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?
800-454-5768
Age 10 - 15
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
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DATES | ||||
Full Inventory Jun 22 - Jun 27, 20252,099 1,799 | ||||
Jun 22 - Jun 27, 2025
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,199 / Adult
1,799 / Child
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Full Inventory Jul 6 - Jul 11, 20252,099 1,799 | ||||
Jul 6 - Jul 11, 2025
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,199 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| |
Full Inventory Jul 13 - Jul 18, 20252,099 1,799 | ||||
Jul 13 - Jul 18, 2025
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,199 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| |
Full Inventory Jul 20 - Jul 25, 20252,099 1,799 | ||||
Jul 20 - Jul 25, 2025
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,199 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| |
Full Inventory Jul 27 - Aug 1, 20252,099 1,799 | ||||
Jul 27 - Aug 1, 2025
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,199 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| |
Full Inventory Aug 3 - Aug 8, 20252,099 1,799 | ||||
Aug 3 - Aug 8, 2025
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,099 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| 2,199 / Adult
1,799 / Child
| |
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6 days
5 nights
13 meals
5B 4L 4D
1
Check-in, Orientation, Intro to North Florida
Gainesville, Florida
2
Paddle, Snorkel the Ichetucknee Springs, History Museum
Gainesville, Florida
3
Kayak Santa Fe River, Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park
Gainesville, Florida
4
Paynes Prairie, Hike La Chua Trail, Observation Tower
Gainesville, Florida
5
Kayaking at Silver Springs State Park
Gainesville, Florida
6
Wrap-up Presentation, Program Concludes
Gainesville, Florida
At a Glance
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Walking 1-4 miles per day, including on/off motor coaches, some standing.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
What You'll Learn
- Kayak the Ichetucknee Riverwith a local author, naturalist and educator, followed by a field trip to the Florida Springs Institute for a presentation about the region’s conservation and perseveration efforts.
- Explore the Silver River, then enjoy a field trip to the Silver River Museum for a unique, expert-led exploration of the current threats to our rivers and springs.
- Enjoy a hands-on exploration of ancient indigenous technologies like pottery, fishnet making and spear andatlatls throwing with the Florida Public Archaeology Network.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Lars Andersen
Lars Anderson is a history and wildlife author with more than 35 years of experience exploring Florida’s wildest places. He has published works about North Florida and Georgia including his most recent project: “The Paddlers Guide to the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail,” published by the Suwannee River Water Management District. Lars’s knowledge and understanding of the area’s cultural and natural history helps make each Road Scholar program a meaningful and educational exploration of the “real” Florida.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Gayle Felix
View biography
Gayle Felix has been a Road Scholar group leader since 2015. She grew up and raised her family outside of Boston and now resides in Hingham, Massachusetts. With a history/American studies degree from Boston University, she enjoys sharing the history of Boston and surrounding areas. Gayle has led programs in New England; Washington, DC; and other areas in the United States. Gayle enjoys being with her family and friends, biking, kayaking, golfing, and hiking. She especially enjoys traveling and meeting new people.
Lars Andersen
View biography
Lars Anderson is a history and wildlife author with more than 35 years of experience exploring Florida’s wildest places. He has published works about North Florida and Georgia including his most recent project: “The Paddlers Guide to the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail,” published by the Suwannee River Water Management District. Lars’s knowledge and understanding of the area’s cultural and natural history helps make each Road Scholar program a meaningful and educational exploration of the “real” Florida.
Suggested Reading List
(5 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Kayak Florida With Your Grandchild: Nature & Conservation
Program Number: 24937
Paynes Prairie: The Great Savanna: A History and Guide
This new paperback edition of Paynes Prairie still offers the sweeping history of the shallow-bowl basin in the middle of Florida, just south of Gainesville, but now adds a guide to outdoor activities that can be enjoyed in the state preserve there today, along with maps of trails for biking, hiking, and canoeing.
The Historic Haile Homestead at Kanapaha Plantation: An Illustrated History
This is the first detailed history of one of the oldest houses in Alachua County, Florida: the Haile Homestead. Fully illustrated with many photographs, most of which were in private collections, this history deals with an important family in the county's history and brings the story of the house up to the present.
Gainesville (Images of America: Florida)
Gainesville, Florida, has grown from a small agricultural community in the north-central part of the state to a thriving city. Many people have had a hand in Gainesville’s evolution. After befriending the Timucuan Indians, who had originally inhabited the region, the Spanish began recruiting other settlers to move to the area. Despite those valued contributions, however, the people who brought the railroad to Gainesville deserve the most credit for giving the town its start. Soon after tracks were laid through the city, small businesses sprouted and opportunities for new industries arose. The city’s population expanded along with its economic growth, and more people began to witness the unique potential of Gainesville. In 1905, the city became home to the University of Florida, and a rich educational heritage began. The university brought great attention to the town and subsequently made Gainesville one of the most important cities in the state and one of the most prominent educational epicenters in the South.
The Yearling
Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so, as his family fights off wolves, bears, and even alligators, and faces failure in their tenuous subsistence farming, Jody must finally part with his dear animal friend. There has been a film and even a musical based on this story.
Cross Creek Cookery
First published in 1942, Cross Creek Cookery was compiled by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings at the request of readers who wanted to recreate the luscious meals described in Cross Creek -- her famous memoir of life in a Florida hamlet.
Lovers of old-fashioned, down-home cooking will treasure the recipes for Grits, Hush-Puppies, Florida Fried Fish, Orange Fluff, and Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie. For more adventuresome palates, there are such unusual dishes as Minorcan Gopher Stew, Coot Surprise, Alligator-Tail Steak, Mayhaw Jelly, and Chef Huston's Cream of Peanut Soup.
Spiced with delightful anecdotes and lore, Cross Creek Cookery guides the reader through the rich culinary heritage of the deep tidal South with a loving regard for the rituals of cooking and eating. Anyone who longs for food -- and writing -- that warms the heart will find ample portions of both in this classic cookbook.