Located near Orlando, Florida, the Ocala National Forest receives more visitors than any other national forest in the Sunshine State. Millions of visitors annually escape to this forest, which is one of central Florida's last remaining traces of forested land.

The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan Indian term meaning fair land or big hammock. The Ocala's vegetation lives up to its name, as you will discover towering palms, large live oaks and scrubby sand pines dominating forest's scrub oak ecosystem. Native to the Ocala, the sand pine is the only tree capable of growing to a usable timber size in this forest's dry, sandy soil. The Ocala's sand pine scrub ecosystem is the world's largest continuous forest of this type.

A wide variety of wildlife, plants, and trees can be seen in Ocala. On a calm morning more than a dozen alligators may be sighted on the lake from one of three observation points in the park. Bald eagles may be seen soaring over the area, perhaps waiting to steal a freshly caught fish from an osprey.

• Discover towering palms, giant live oaks and the largest forest of sand pines in the world.
• View bald eagles, black bear, and alligators in this highly diverse environment.