Lettuce Lake Park: Two Dollars for the Real Florida

Eight miles north of downtown on the Hillsborough River. $2 per vehicle. The boardwalk into the cypress swamp is the best two dollars you'll spend in Tampa.

Half-mile loop suspended above black water and cypress knees. The canopy of bald cypress turns midday into twilight. Alligators float with only eyes and nostrils visible — the first time you realize a "log" is watching you back, the boardwalk railing feels more important. The observation tower above the canopy opens to the river floodplain — green wetland stretching without a building in sight. Ospreys hunting, anhingas drying wings, limpkins calling from the reeds with a cry that sounds like someone mourning beautifully.

December through March: dry season, lower water, concentrated wildlife, alligators in smaller pools easier to spot. Summer is lush but the humidity-heat-mosquito alliance is unholy. Bring binoculars and bug spray.