The National Park Service turns 100 years old later this year. That's where Florida's longest pristine stretch of coastline is celebrated daily.

On a gray winter afternoon, only the seagulls joined a lone fisherman at the Canaveral National Seashore. This 24-mile stretch of coastline is the longest unspoiled strip of shore left in Florida.

"This is just a hidden gem," said Avia Woulard, an interpretive park ranger.

While the beach is the main attraction, it can be little chilly by Florida standards. That's why Woulard believes winter is a great time to see what the 57,000 acres has to offer.

"I love to see the nature. I love to see it's not changed," said Joyce Saarinen, visiting from Chicago. "It's not cleaned out. It's just natural."

The Saarinen family discovered that under the century-old oak hammock awaits a walk back in time for her son TJ.

"We home-school TJ, so this is another way to be hands-on, and just not from the books," Saarinen said.

Welcome to the settlement of Eldora, now lost to the hands of time.

"When the waterways were the main way of travel, this was one of the stops," Woulard said.

It's here where steamships used to arrive. Once home to farming and seasonal homes, the only thing left today is the Eldora State House.

"There was a school, there was a post office, there was a hotel," spits out a recorded phone conversation.

A tour delivered on your cellphone brings to life the history of the now-forgotten community.

"It fell into shambles," Woulard says after most residents moved or died.

The bright spot: how the Eldora House was saved by the Friends of Canaveral group. After a 10-year restoration effort, the grand house stands as a museum on the banks of the Mosquito Lagoon.

Without the risk of mosquitoes to interrupt your afternoon, the winter months are some of the best times to visit the Eldora State House,

"Once you come, you fall in love," Woulard said.

To visit the Eldora House and Visitors Center, use the northern entrance to the park, just south of New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County.

Admission is $5 per car load.

For fourth-graders, the National Park Service is happy to extend admission for free if you visit their website first.

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