Florida

Florida’s dark skies are at the edges of the state, away from the cities on the coasts. The two certified parks are both Bortle 2: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, where the Milky Way runs over open prairie, and Big Cypress National Preserve, where the winter Milky Way shows over Burns Lake. The third certified place is the community of Groveland, which rewrote its lighting by ordinance and holds a Star Party each February. The uncertified parks are just as worth knowing: Dry Tortugas National Park records Bortle 1 skies, and Everglades National Park records Bortle 2.Winter is Florida’s season. December to April is the dry season, when the Everglades and Dry Tortugas guides put the best nights, and the Dark Sky Festival runs each February. Summer works for the Perseids and for the prairie, but the air is humid and the mosquitoes are out, so if you can choose, choose the dry months and a new moon.