20 of the Best Ways to Play Outside in Dixie County!

There is no shortage of things to do outside in Dixie County. Located in the Big Bend region of Florida, it is the perfect spot for all types of eco-tourism activities that let you “play outside.” Natural North Florida is frequently called “Forgotten Florida.” I like to think of it as Florida like it used to be, …

2020 Bay Scallop Season Opens on Florida’s Big Bend, June 15

2020 Bay Scallop Season Opens on Florida’s Big Bend, June 15 The annual bay scallop harvest is the largest economic driver for our Natural North Florida/Big Bend Gulf counties. Snorkelers, hoping for a meal of these tasty mollusks travel from far and wide to take part in what many consider an “underwater Easter egg hunt”! …

Fiddler Crab Festival, Steinhatchee, February 14-16, 2020 — Bigger and Better!

Steinhatchee’s annual Fiddler Crab Festival has become the big event for this small coastal fishing community. From the very beginning, rain or shine, the event has attracted thousands of visitors to the riverside between Taylor and Dixie counties, in Natural North Florida. Steinhatchee is located in southern Taylor County, at the mouth of the Steinhatchee …

Unique Florida Art, Gifts and Decor…at “Catch The Drift” in Old Town

On your next visit to our Natural North Florida region, be sure to visit “Catch The Drift” in Old Town, near the Suwannee River in Dixie County.  There, owner Emery Mills will show you around her shop, where lots of unique and original Florida items are for sale.  Basically all the inventory revolves around native …

The Suwannee River and It’s Tributaries–The Beating Heart of Natural North Florida

Florida’s mighty Suwannee River represents the heart (and arteries) of our Natural North Florida region.  It flows over 200 miles from south Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico, on the border of Dixie and Levy counties.  It is fed by countless springs, each flowing from the Floridan Aquifer, as well as tributaries like …

2019 Steinhatchee NautiGirls Fishing Tournament, June 8—NO BOYS ALLOWED!

What began ten years ago as backlash to some friendly kidding among anglers at Steinhatchee, the NautiGirls Tournament has become one of the largest of the local tournaments. It’s fun, and yes, BOYS are only allowed to captain boats, and are NOT allowed to enter.  In fact, some of the best anglers in the area …

2019 Florida Big Bend Bay Scallop Harvest Season Announced and Scallopers Are Optimistic!

Florida has one of the few recreational scallop harvests in the US, and it’s all centered around Natural North Florida’s Big Bend.  While the scallop region extends from Gulf County (in the panhandle) to the Anclote Key lighthouse (off Tarpon Springs), the epicenter of the harvest is in Dixie and Taylor counties, west of Gainesville. …

Natural North Florida’s Bay Scallop Harvest Underway! Good 2018 Mid-Season Catches in Taylor, Jefferson, Dixie and Wakulla Counties

  The 2018 bay scallop abundance survey results are in, and the epicenter of this year’s short harvest season is along Natural North Florida’s Big Bend coast.  Each summer, biologists assess bay scallop populations along the Gulf coast of Florida, located in open and closed recreational harvest areas. Surveys are usually initiated in June and …

Sportfish Alert! Snook Continue Northward Migration Into Big Bend Waters As Winters Warm

Common snook, AKA Robalo or Linesiders, are native to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, provided there’s a place for them to avoid wintertime water temperatures less than about 60-degrees F.  Big Deal?  You say!  Actually, it’s a really big deal, as snook are the top of the food chain when it comes to …

Steinhatchee Springs WMA—Explorers and Photographers Welcome

Florida’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are a varied collection of public and private lands, managed and overseen by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).  Many include tracts of private homes and leased hunting lands, but all allow some access by the public.  The Steinhatchee Springs WMA is a narrow, 20,000+ acre parcel stretching …