The old stone weir and bridge on the Myakka River, hand-built by the CCC — one of the best free alligator-viewing spots in Florida, where in the dry season the big gators haul out to bask.
Coming up is the weir — a low stone dam across the Myakka River, built by hand by the Depression work crews back in the nineteen-thirties to hold the water in Upper Myakka Lake. Pull off and walk out onto the bridge and boardwalk here, but keep your wits about you, because this is one of the best free alligator-viewing spots in the entire state of Florida. Especially in the dry winter months, when the water drops and the fish get concentrated, the alligators haul out onto the banks right below the weir to bask in the sun — big ones, sometimes dozens of them, lying still as logs.
Look for them along the banks and floating like knobby driftwood in the water. And while you're marveling, let me give you the hard rules, because people get hurt out here every year by being foolish: stay well back from the water's edge — a gator can lunge shockingly fast for a short distance. Never, ever feed one, or feed the fish or turtles near them; it is against the law, and a fed gator loses its fear of people and has to be killed. Keep small children right beside you, and if you've brought a dog, keep it far from the water and on a short leash — to an alligator, a dog looks exactly like dinner. Follow those rules and you can stand here and watch prehistoric giants sunning themselves a stone's throw away, perfectly safe. It's one of the great wildlife sights in Florida. Take it in, then roll on along the river.
Photo: Mwanner at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
