“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
― Henry David Thoreau

Major funding for HENRY DAVID THOREAU was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members: The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment and Mark A. Tracy. Major funding was also provided by Jeff Skoll, the Mansueto Foundation, Tyson Foods, Inc., and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Additional funding was provided by the Tyson Family Foundation Inc, The Neil and Anna Rasmussen Foundation, Roxanne Quimby Foundation Inc, Jim and Mona Mylen through The HeartSpace Fund, and Elizabeth Kenny.

WUCF brings the ideas of Henry David Thoreau to Central Florida with an online guide designed to help you slow down and reconnect. Explore local nature, try simple activities, and find small ways to live more intentionally each day.

Henry David Thoreau

July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862

Henry David Thoreau helped define modern environmentalism and nonviolent resistance, yet his life has often been obscured by myth. The author of Walden and Civil Disobedience, he was brilliant but flawed, idealistic but deeply opinionated. A writer, scientist, and activist, his words resonate urgently with today’s challenges as humanity searches for ways to live in harmony with nature and each other. His life and legacy are now the focus of a new documentary by Ken Burns.

Join WUCF at Mead Botanical Garden for a screening of Ken Burns' Henry David Thoreau in one of Central Florida’s most beautiful gardens.

The program will include selected clips from the film followed by a community conversation exploring Thoreau’s enduring ideas about nature, attention, and living deliberately.

Local voices will help guide the discussion, connecting Thoreau’s reflections from places like Walden Pond to the landscapes we experience here in Central Florida. Together, we will explore how our region’s wetlands, springs, and native habitats invite us to slow down, pay attention, and consider our relationship with the natural world. 

• When: Thursday, April 16 | 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Where: Mead Botanical Garden | 300 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, FL
• Cost: Free - Join us for refreshments and conversation.

Discover places across Central Florida where you can slow down and spend time outside. The WUCF staff handpicked quiet gardens and local trails that offer simple ways to step outside and see your surroundings differently. Using the Google Map below, you can select a spot near you.

What do we miss when we’re moving too fast? This collection brings together everyday sights in Central Florida that reveal more when we take the time to look.

Send Us Your Observations

Thoreau believed attention was a form of living deliberately. Have an image to share? Send us an email at WUCFCommunications@wucf.org or tag "WUCF TV" on Facebook, Instagram, or X.

Put Thoreau’s ideas into action with easy, thoughtful exercises you can try anytime. You can bring these ideas home with activities designed for kids and caregivers to explore together. These hands-on prompts encourage curiosity, creativity, and a deeper connection to the world just outside your door. Tap the button under each image to open the PDF guide and print at home.

Major funding for HENRY DAVID THOREAU was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members: The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment and Mark A. Tracy. Major funding was also provided by Jeff Skoll, the Mansueto Foundation, Tyson Foods, Inc., and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Additional funding was provided by the Tyson Family Foundation Inc, The Neil and Anna Rasmussen Foundation, Roxanne Quimby Foundation Inc, Jim and Mona Mylen through The HeartSpace Fund, and Elizabeth Kenny.

Celebrate all things earth with this playlist of videos tackling subjects like climate change, animals, farming, and conservation from the experts at PBS.