Oxbow Eco-Center — Attraction in Port Saint Lucie

The Oxbow Environmental Center is an absolutely amazing place of peace, beauty and solitude.

This gem in Port St. Lucie is the perfect place to appreciate the beauty of nature. A tip of my hat to those folks that work so tirelessly, keeping Oxbow Environmental beautiful.

Being of limited mobility is not an issue at Oxbow. The welcome center is fully accessible, as are many of the trails. There's even a picnic area with tables for young and the not so young wanting a place for a relaxing meal.

Keeping the Oxbow Environmental Center beautiful for all is quite simple. Pick up your trash and place it in the proper container or recycle bin.

Don't be shy about picking up someone else's trash. Not only will you be preserving the beautiful surroundings, you are protecting the residence wildlife and helping out the staff keeping the area clean. Just pretend that you are picking up a $20 bill....I guarantee you will not have any problems bending over to pick up that piece of wayward paper on the ground.

Seniors, bringing your friends, your grandchildren and anyone else that enjoys the outdoors. You can even bring your dog....just make sure you keep the leash on and remember to bring your baggies to clean up after your four-legged friend.

Don't forget...

The trails can go for miles it seems. I go with my dog and walk through them. She loves it because it is the woods with so many scents, trees and sticks etc. The trails are fairly wide enough although some areas are narrow if walking with the dog and some of the trails have branches in the ground that you must pay attention to so you don't trip. Otherwise, the trails have some sand or dirt, twigs etc. Must wear sneakers there. So far I have seen a couple of big turtles but no other animals. You can hear a lot of birds as it's a nature trail. My dog Lily came upon a big turtle and she was mesmerized by it. She knew it wasn't a dog or a person but was so curious. She kept sniffing it. It then moved its head out and she jumped back in awe. It was the cutest and funniest thing. We then went on about our walk. So far this has been the best option for a nature or trail walk...

New Year's Day Hike in the Oxbow Preserve in the St. James area of Port St Lucie

The Oxbow Preserve is a 225-acre site along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.

The preserve offers 3 ½ miles of hiking trails and is where young and old alike can discover the mysterious and hidden life of the forest and river. The trails are flat and easy to walk on. We saw an armadillo and gopher tortoises burrows, a few squirrels. There were probably lots of birds but we were there to walk.

The preserve offers a rare glimpse of “the real Florida” - in the canopy of the floodplain forest, the scrub and pine flatwoods and in the primordial swamps and wetlands.

The center offers guided hikes and educational programs for families, children and adults. Though it was closed the day we went, our...