Disney Wilderness Preserve, Kissimmee

Two powerful environmental concerns have come together here, with the Nature Conservancy and Walt Disney World joining forces to preserve and protect this 12,000-acre ecosystem. In this region are the headwaters of the Everglades, that "shallow river of grass" so eloquently described by author Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, whose efforts helped save this vast swampland from destruction. Water from this region in the center of Florida flows inexorably south, covering much of the land down the center of the state and into southern Florida before flowing into the sea. At this vast preserve, you can get a look at pristine plant communities, wildlife, and waterways.