Meet The Great Outdorks. They're a group of friends helping you explore Orlando's, you guessed it, great outdoors. 📸: @thegreatoutdorks
It’s been a minute but we’re back with not one, not two, but THREE locals to know in our LTK series. Kevin, Tiffany, and Dave Aka “Downwind, Swamp Witch, and Wisdom Dave” make up The Great Outdorks, a fun local account to follow on Instagram that’ll get you pumped on traversing our great outdoors.
The band of misfits are long-time friends who took up hiking during the pandemic. Their brilliant captures, ridiculous observations, and honestly, really great hiking tips certainly caught my attention. I figured they might easily grab yours too.
Below are five of the 10 questions we asked them, edited ever so slightly for clarity and brevity. 👇
First things first, are you long-time Orlandoans? We were all born out of state, but have been in Orlando long enough to remember Rosie O’Grady’s, Mystery Funhouse and Terror on Church St.
Tell us about your work in Orlando. Your day job and any volunteer work, too.
- Dave: I run the art glass studio that supplies all the Disney theme parks worldwide.
- Kevin: I am a movie prop photographer/archivist.
- Tiff: I am a legal secretary for a law firm.
You each can pick a favorite local outdoor experience. What is it? What're we doing? Who's going with ya?
- Dave: Taking a pontoon boat out on the Butler chain of lakes (with anybody but these two haha) with a BBQ & good music.
- Kevin: Navigating the Ninja Warrior-like abandoned boardwalk with The Dorks at Mead Gardens (and probably ruining my shoes in the process).
- Tiff: Hiking out in Orlando Wetlands, followed by a visit to Fort Christmas (Bonus: if I see any horses on the drive over, I will stop and say hello.)
What is one Orlando wildlife/outdoor hot topic that you think people need to pay more attention to? Stop trashing the trails! Pack your junk up, and take it back out. We find so much garbage out in the woods during our hikes.
Tell us any unpopular opinions about experiencing the great outdoors Central Florida has to offer. You don’t need to get up early to hike, and you can absolutely hike during the summer. There is no “hiking season” in Florida. Trust us. We are lazy, and we do this every week.
Want to know more? I don’t blame you. Head here to learn what The Great Outdorks said would be their “last hike” if they had to choose, whom they’re taking with on a dream hike and where they’re going, and the one perception that needs to change about hiking in Central Florida asap.
Who should we feature next time? Hit reply and let us know.
