Florida has a list of its own: a state tree, a state reptile, a state butterfly, and knees on its cypress trees. These Florida scavenger hunt ideas are scored from paths, boardwalks and passenger seats.
Read the full guide
Five lists for one state
Choose a list in the menu, then press Print this list. State symbols in the wild works anywhere: A sabal palm scores a point in the first minute. Beach and dunes and Springs, swamps and rivers need the right day out.
Look, and keep your distance
Each note says which symbol a find is, or how to judge it. The printed rules come first: wildlife is never approached, fed or touched, nobody steps on a dune, and in a car only passengers tick.
Tips
Keep one sheet in the glove box for the whole trip: rare finds turn up on the last day.
At a spring or a swamp, look on posts and bare branches for An anhinga drying its wings.
Questions and answers
What can you look for on a trip to Florida?
A sabal palm, a mockingbird singing, sea oats growing on a dune, Spanish moss trailing from a tree limb, a turtle warming itself on a log and a front porch with a ceiling fan. Rare finds, such as A zebra longwing butterfly, score 3 points.
Is it safe to look for alligators?
Only from a boardwalk or another safe distance. The rules on the sheet say never approach, feed or touch wildlife, and a sign that warns of alligators is a find in itself.
Does it work in one city?
The Towns and Along the road lists fit any part of the state. For one old city on foot, the site has a St. Augustine hunt.
A dolphin, seen from the shore or a pier3 points. The state saltwater mammal. In Florida that usually means the bottlenose dolphin.
A Florida panther on a sign, a license plate or a mural2 points. The state animal, chosen in 1982 by a vote of students. The real cat is seldom seen.
A horse conch shell3 points. The state shell since 1969. It can grow to twenty-four inches. Look, and leave it where it is.
A manatee, or a manatee sign posted on the water2 points. The manatee is the state marine mammal. Signs on the water tell boaters where manatee rules apply.
A mockingbird singing2 points. The state bird since 1927, a songbird and a mimic. It lives in Florida all year.
A sabal palm1 point. The state tree since 1953, and the most widely distributed palm in Florida.
A zebra longwing butterfly3 points. The state butterfly since 1996: long black wings with thin yellow bands, and a slow flight.
An alligator, seen from a boardwalk2 points. The state reptile since 1987. Look from a distance and never feed one.
An orange blossom3 points. The state flower since 1909: the white, fragrant flower of the orange tree.
Coreopsis in bloom beside a road3 points. The state wildflower since 1991, planted along Florida's roadsides. The flowers run from golden to pink.
Florida orange juice on the breakfast table1 point. The state beverage since 1967.
The Florida state flag1 point. A red diagonal cross on white, with the state seal in the middle. The cross was added in 1900.
Beach and dunes 12
A beach access sign with a number on it2 points. Write the number.
A beach shelter roofed with palm thatch2 points. Look up at the roof from underneath.
A boardwalk that carries people over a dune1 point. Use it. The sheet's rules keep everyone off the dunes.
A brown pelican1 point. A large grayish-brown bird with a pouched bill. It dives headfirst for fish.
A fishing pier with lines in the water2 points. Ticked, never photographed.
A keep-off-the-dunes sign2 points. Read out what it says the dunes are for.
A sea turtle nest marked off with stakes3 points. Sea turtles nest on Florida's beaches. Stay outside the stakes.
A sign about dimming lights for sea turtles3 points. Read what it asks people to do, and when.
A sign that explains rip currents2 points. Read its first line out to your team.
The color of today's beach warning flag1 point. Florida's public beaches use one set of warning flags. Write the color, then read the sign that explains it.
Sea oats growing on a dune1 point. A tall dune grass. Collecting it in the wild without a permit is against the law.
The sun coming up or going down over the water1 point. Write which coast you are on: the Atlantic or the Gulf.
Springs, swamps and rivers 12
A boardwalk built through a swamp1 point. Stay on it the whole way.
A ramp where canoes and kayaks go in1 point. Say what color the nearest boat is.
A river the color of tea3 points. Stand on a bridge and look straight down.
A sign that warns of alligators2 points. Do what it says.
A spring so clear you can see its sandy floor2 points. Look from the bank or a platform.
A turtle warming itself on a log1 point. Count the turtles sharing the log.
A wading bird frozen in the shallows1 point. Count to ten and see whether it moves.
An airboat out on the water3 points. You will hear it long before you see it.
An anhinga drying its wings3 points. A dark waterbird. It perches with its wings outstretched, drying its feathers.
Cypress knees2 points. Woody knobs that rise above the water from the roots of a bald cypress.
Mangrove roots standing in the water2 points. The red mangrove is known by its stilt-like roots.
Spanish moss trailing from a tree limb1 point. Not a moss at all: it belongs to the bromeliad family.
Along the road 12
A bridge long enough that you lose sight of land2 points. Passengers decide. The driver watches the road.
A causeway with water on both sides2 points. Name the water if a sign gives it.
A drawbridge with its span raised3 points. Say what kind of boat went through.
A grove of citrus trees2 points. Rows of trees with fruit on them. Passengers tick it.
A roadside marker that tells a piece of Florida history2 points. Write the title on it.
A roadside stand selling citrus, honey or boiled peanuts2 points. Write which of the three.
A sign warning that wildlife crosses the road3 points. Write the animal pictured on it.
A toll gantry over the highway1 point. Write the road's number.
An official Florida welcome center1 point. Write the road it stands on.
An open truck heaped with oranges3 points. Passengers tick it.
Cattle in a pasture with white birds walking among them3 points. Count the birds if the car is slow enough.
What is pictured on a Florida license plate1 point. Write it down. Any Florida plate counts.
Towns 12
A building with a clay tile roof and arches2 points. Count the arches you can see from the street.
A front porch with a ceiling fan1 point. Spinning or still.
A lighthouse you can see from the road2 points. Write how it is painted.
A live oak wider than a car2 points. A large, sprawling tree, usually hung with Spanish moss.
A marina with more boats than cars1 point. Guess, do not count.
A market stall with a sign that says grown in Florida2 points. Write what it was selling.
A mural of sea life2 points. Name three animals in it.
A pool inside a screen cage1 point. Seen from the street as you pass.
A road named for a fish, a bird or a palm2 points. Write the name on the sign.
A shuffleboard court3 points. Count the lanes.
A work boat with nets or traps on deck2 points. Seen from the dock. Nobody steps aboard.
An old wooden house with a tin roof2 points. Scored from the sidewalk.
How this list was compiled
Written for this page in September 2026: original finds for a trip or a weekend anywhere in Florida, sorted into State symbols in the wild, Beach and dunes, Springs, swamps and rivers, Along the road, and Towns. Nothing was copied from another list, and no theme park, resort, team, chain or attraction is named. Every find is scored by looking from paths, boardwalks, sidewalks or a passenger seat: wildlife is never approached, fed or touched, nobody walks on the dunes, and nothing is taken home. Facts in the notes were checked on 2026-09-30, each in two places, and each item that carries a fact lists its pages in x.src: the state symbols on the Florida Department of State's state symbols pages (https://dos.fl.gov/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/) and on English Wikipedia (List of Florida state symbols, Heliconius charithonia, Flag of Florida, Florida panther); the alligator, the manatee protection zones, the anhinga, the brown pelican and sea turtle nesting on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission site (https://myfwc.com/); mangroves and the anhinga on the National Park Service's Everglades pages (https://www.nps.gov/ever/); sea oats, Spanish moss, the bald cypress and the southern live oak in University of Florida IFAS Extension publications (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/); the beach warning flags on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection site (https://floridadep.gov/rcp/fcmp/content/beach-warning-flag-program) and in section 380.276 of the Florida Statutes; with Wikipedia's articles on Uniola paniculata, Sea turtle, Brown pelican, Cypress knee, Spanish moss and Mangrove as the second reading. This page is not connected with or endorsed by any of them. Points and levels are our judgment. Licence: own work