Spend The Night and Spread Your Wings From Perry, Florida

Perry, in Florida’s Taylor County, is known as the “Forest Capitol of the World”. And rightly so, as for many years the smell of the local paper mill was the giveaway that this small city was more important than just a “wide spot in the highway”. But now, with the Foley mill is now turning …

The Best of The Best–Florida Stone Crabs

Crabs are a favorite of American diners. There are Dungeness crabs on the Pacific coast and blue crabs from Maryland to the Carolinas. But there’s no crab like Florida’s stone crab, Menippe mercenaria. Found off both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, stone crabs are not killed during the harvest of their claws. Harvesting is accomplished …

Highlights Of Your Paddling Adventure On Florida’s Mighty Suwannee River

Our Natural North Florida region is blessed to have the Suwannee River as its main freshwater attraction. Yes, we have no crowded beaches or amusement park, but we have Florida’s longest free flowing river. There are no dams and just a few obstructions along its path from White Springs to the Gulf of Mexico. While …

LET’S GO FISHING ON FLORIDA’S BIG BEND! LESSON #3: SPOTTED SEA TROUT

On Natural North Florida’s Big Bend, there’s no argument about the most popular and sought-after fish. Without doubt, it’s Spotted Sea Trout. In terms of sheer numbers, they outnumber all other species, with the exception of bait fish, upon which they prey. And they’re great table fare, too! Another reason Spotted Sea Trout are popular …

Park Your RV—and Enjoy The Chiefland, Florida “Neighborhood”

Located in northern Levy County, just south of the Suwannee River, is a naturally diverse county. It has springs, State Parks, and Chiefland, its largest city, offers plenty of amenities valuable to RV’ers heading to Natural North Florida. Five RV parks come to mind when thinking of staying in Chiefland. Four are close in, and …

Paddle(Board) Natural North Florida’s Rivers and Lakes

If you’re a canoeist or a kayaker, you’ll certainly like paddling a stand-up paddleboard (SUP). In the past few years, SUPs have gained in popularity due to ease of operation and ease of transport. Also, they’re relatively inexpensive to purchase and can also be rented from many outfitters, like Rum 138 Outfitters or Santa Fe …

Two Unique SCUBA and Snorkeling Destinations in Levy County, Florida

Many of the springs in our Natural North Florida region are along our rivers (Santa Fe, Suwannee, Wakulla) and their flow of clean 72-degree Fahrenheit water feeds a “spring run” leading to those rivers. Some spring runs are short, like Convict Spring near Mayo or long, like the one that essentially makes up the Wakulla …

RV ALERT! Heading To Natural North Florida in 2021? Plan Ahead!

Jayco? Wanderlodge? Casita? What’s your RV? No matter your “ride”, you’ll find our Natural North Florida region perfect for outdoor living. But, be aware that some of our RV parks and campgrounds fill up quickly and often take reservations well in advance. That’s especially true of our Florida State Parks and at private campgrounds near …

LET’S GO FISHING ON FLORIDA’S BIG BEND! LESSON #2: SNOOK

Story by Capt. Tommy Thompson Until recently, there was nothing “common” about catching common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) on our Big Bend Gulf of Mexico coast. Historically (at least in my 70 years!) snook were pretty much limited by cooler water to the Gulf of Mexico south of Anclote Key in Tarpon Springs. But, in the …