Taking Flight Geotour

Visit the sites along the Taking Flight GeoTour, hunt for and find geocaches, and learn about Manatee County’s wild spaces and the amazing feathered friends that live in them.

TAKING FLIGHT PASSPORT

Download a printable passport and complete the activities to be eligible for a Taking Flight Tracking Tag.

TAKING FLIGHT GEOCACHE LIST

About the Taking Flight GeoTour

Visit the sites along the Taking Flight GeoTour (TFGT) and learn about Manatee County's wild spaces and the amazing feathered friends that live in them. Along the way, you will be challenged to become a citizen scientist, a preserve ranger, a detective, a historian and of course an excellent geocacher in order to find all of the caches on the trail. Caches are located in birding hot spots throughout Manatee County's publicly accessible conservation Preserves. Each one highlights a specific bird species or aspect of bird life providing you with opportunities to learn more about these creatures and what we can do to help them survive. Caches also focus on protecting the region's waterways, bays, and natural watersheds, and habitat areas for many of our area's feathered friends.

The Taking Flight GeoTour launched August 20, 2012 and includes 15 caches within Manatee County. Trackable geotags were awarded to the first 300 participants to complete the tour, with an additional 300 provided beginning in 2016. To be eligible for the tag, geocachers must download and print a passport (click link to download and print out your passport) or pick one up at the Manatee County Parks & Natural Resources Department office at G.T Bray Recreation Center 5502 33rd Ave Dr W, Bradenton, FL 34209. Geocachers must log at least 12 finds, answer the question from each cache on their passport, and complete any additional requirements for specific caches (such as posting photos for earth caches).

After finding a minimum of 12 caches, participants can have their passports validated in person or via mail at the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department office at G.T Bray Recreation Center 5502 33rd Ave Dr W, Bradenton, FL 34209 during office hours

TFGT Cache Map

View Cache list in a larger map

These are the approximate locations of the caches within the County. For the exact coordinates, please look at the cache links list below or visit Geocaching.com

Thank You GeoTour Sponsors!

The Taking Flight GeoTour was made possible by funding from four different partner agencies. Manatee County's Natural Resources Department developed the GeoTour in partnership with the County's three National Estuary Programs: Sarasota Bay, Tampa Bay, and Charlotte Harbor. Each of the NEP organizations contributed $1500 towards the project, matched by the Natural Resources Department's contribution in staff time designing the project and volunteer time reviewing and helping to place the caches. This project is an inter-agency partnership and a wonderful example of working across boundaries to accomplish a great goal. Thanks partners for all of your help!