Florida

The refuge's visitor centre is a good starting point for your exploration. Here, you can watch a 20-minute educational video and pick up information about wildlife drives and hiking trails.

The Black Point Wildlife Drive is the best way to see wildlife including waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds and raptors. Alligators, river otters, bobcats and various species of snakes may also make their presence known during your journey.

It would be a shame not to get out of your car, so be sure to take advantage of one of the many hiking trails. And if you fancy watching the activities of the strange-yet-graceful manatee, there's a dedicated viewing area.

As with the Everglades, summer is not the best time to visit Merritt Island. It's a time when Mosquito Lagoon lives up to its name. In winter, the refuge is swarming with migratory birds from the frozen north and the mosquitoes are mercifully absent.