Outdoors and Nature
Our Outdoor and Nature experts, Sandra Friend and John Keatley, travel around the region exploring the fabulous springs, rivers, trails, and hidden treasures that make up our ten county Natural North Florida region.
Natural North Florida Album: Honey Lake Plantation
With services ranging from a salon and spa to a smokehouse and wild-game processing facility, Honey Lake Plantation in Greenville is a truly one-of-a-kind destination. Offering lodging, event hosting, hunting and fishing, corporate retreats and more, Honey Lake occupies 4,700 acres of Madison County that underwent a $30 million renovation to become a resort. With …
Goethe State Forest: Paradise for Horses, Birds
Equestrians know Goethe State Forest as a top-notch spot for trail riding, carriage riding and training at nearby Black Prong Equestrian Center, a 250-acre facility and lodge where world champion equestrians train. Even if you’re not a world-class horseman, you can experience Goethe on horseback or on foot. Hike amid the lupine looking for bobcat …
Get Lost in the Labyrinth at O’Toole’s Herb Farm
Full disclosure: Unless you’re a field mouse, you can’t literally get lost in this labyrinth. It’s not the kind of labyrinth with tall hedges that form a maze. It’s the contemplative, meditation-style variety, where you walk along a narrow path, nearing the center of the maze. Why? For one, it’s gorgeous. Set amid the fields …
What Makes a Mayhaw a Mayhaw? Find Out in This Video
At Golden Acres Ranch, you’ll find goats, sheep, even bees, but what really gets Southerners’ hearts going pitter-pat is the mayhaws. When the Goldens bought their property in Monticello, they had no idea it contained a mayhaw pond. It didn’t take long, though, until folks around town pointed it out, drawn in by the promise …
Meet Natural North Florida’s Own “Buck”
There’s been plenty of buzz lately about the documentary “Buck,” a biography of horse whisperer Buck Brannaman. But North Florida has its own Buck, Trey Young of Crawfordville’s 3Y Ranch. Like Buck, Trey is a master of Natural Horsemanship, where trainers use calm, gentle interactions to introduce a colt to riding or to remediate problem …
Ancient Mysteries at Monticello’s Letchworth-Love Mounds
Bucket by bucket, the earth was gathered more than a thousand years ago to form the nearly 50-foot temple mound at Letchworth-Love Archaeological State Park. Stop by the open-air visitors’ center on your way to the mound, and you can lift a recreation of just how heavy that basket of dirt would have been. It’s …
Ochlockonee State Park, Panacea
This short video gives you a look at Ochlockonee River State Park, where camping, boating, swimming, fishing and hiking make for a full day outdoors. Bring exact change when you visit: The ranger station may not be staffed, and you’ll need $4 per carload (up to eight people) to drop in the honor box. Pedestrians …
Keaton Beach’s Hodges Park: Playground, Pier and Picnics
If you’re near Keaton Beach, don’t miss a stop at Hodges Park. With two Gulfside picnic pavilions, a pier with a fantastic view, a playground and restrooms, it’s an ideal place to spend an afternoon or watch a sunset. The boys couldn’t resist running down the length of the pier all the way to the …
Try Steinhatchee Landing for Family Gatherings Large or Small
Whether you’re traveling with kids or for an extended-family reunion, Steinhatchee Landing is a popular choice for its restful setting and fully outfitted accommodations. Having a whole house to call your own is a wonderful alternative to a hotel room, especially when the cottages are equipped like the Landings. Sure, you get the expected kitchen …
Putting the Green in Blueberries: Earth-friendly Farming at Monticello’s Green Meadows Farm
When longtime organic gardener Delores Green retired from teaching, she wanted to turn her hobby into a small business. “I wanted to be outside growing things,” she says. Delores and her husband, Ronny, searched for a crop they could grow organically on land they owned in Monticello. They settled on blueberries and opened Green Meadows …