Author: Sandra Friend
Finding Zen at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens
Take time for reflection with a meditative walk in nature at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville among 62 acres of thematic gardens along Lake Kanapaha
Splashdown at Hart Springs
While most visitors come to swim in the beautiful springs that flow into the Suwannee River, Hart Springs Park offers paddlers, campers, and hikers a place to play, too.
Along the Santa Fe at Chastain-Seay
A hidden natural treasure and a local recreation area, Chastain-Seay Park sits at the bottom of a steep bluff below Worthington Springs in Union County.
Spring time at Lafayette Blue
For an adventure along the Suwannee River, explore Lafayette Blue Springs, one of the best places in the region to see how sinkholes and springs interconnect.
The lovely lilies of Log Landing
Protecting an old-growth floodplain forest along the Suwannee River, Log Landing is an off-the-beaten-path destination for photographing wildflowers and wildlife
Views delight at Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve
Follow Elvis’ dreams to Yankeetown’s own 413-acre nature preserve, Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, a sweep of panoramic beauty along the salt marshes of the Gulf of Mexico
Ellaville: Walking with ghosts
Where the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers meet, discover the ghost town of Ellaville along the trails of Twin Rivers State Forest and Suwannee River State Park
The Green Giants of Goethe State Forest
Deep in the heart of more than 53,500 acres of forested preserve, a stand of ancient trees is crowned by the Goethe Giant, one of Florida’s largest cypresses
Among the Aucilla Sinks
In Florida’s own “Land of the Lost,” the Aucilla River gets swallowed by the earth to emerge in vast rocky cauldrons where mastodons roamed: the Aucilla Sinks.
Walking Wakulla’s Wild Shores
Enjoy a beach walk on the wild shores of Wakulla County at several spots in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and at two county parks.