Horses Welcome at Bronson’s Black Prong

It’s not just any resort that offers a private barn adjacent to your room. At Black Prong Equestrian Center, located in Bronson, horses are just as welcome as people. Equestrian enthusiasts flock here for its nine dressage arenas, cross-country and marathon courses, on-site trainers and the 150 miles of trails in the adjacent Goethe State …

Nature Coast State Trail Part 3: Fanning Springs to Trenton

Part 1: Fanning Springs to Cross City Part 2: Fanning Springs to Chiefland The Nature Coast State trail is a 32 mile trail that runs through Dixie, Gilchrist, and Levy counties.  For casual bikers, the trail is easily divided into three shorter pieces.  The third and final chunk of the trail is a 7 mile …

Step into Serenity at Gainesville’s Laurel Oak Inn

Almost as much its beauty, the scents of the gracious 1885 house strike you upon walking in. The smell of breakfast baking and coffee perking in the kitchen, the warm undertone of polish and wax that keeps the place gleaming, and, upstairs, the bath salts and soaps awaiting you after a day spent exploring the …

Nature Coast State Trail Part 2: Fanning Springs to Chiefland

Part 1: Fanning Springs to Cross City The Nature Coast State Trail follows the track of a former railroad, and the 32 mile trail can be divided up into three separate mini-trails perfect for casual bikers and hikers.  Part one of this series covers the 12 mile track from Fanning Springs to Cross City and can …

Wintertime Means Clear Inshore Waters on Florida’s Big Bend — Learn to Fish Them!

Take a look at my latest Florida Sportsman Big Bend Fishing4Cast.  There are some good tips on fishing the super-clear Gulf coast waters that we experience during the wintertime along Florida’s Big Bend. Also, if you’d like to read a few of my archived Big Bend Fishing4Casts, some of the 2008 columns are on my …

New Package, Discounted Rates Lure Visitors to Steinhatchee Landing Resort for Big Bend Fishing Adventure

WHO: Steinhatchee Landing Resort, a picturesque riverside retreat in North Central Florida, along with Captain Jim Henley and Saltwater Fish’n Charters WHAT: Unaffected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Steinhatchee Landing Resort is inviting anglers to enjoy a winter fishing getaway in Florida’s Big Bend area, home to a rich Gulf estuary and healthy fish …

The Nature Coast State Trail, Part 1: Fanning Springs to Cross City

In the late part of the fall, the weather in North Florida becomes perfect for hiking and biking.  The temperature stays mild, and rainy days are few and far between.  The Nature Coast State Trail, formerly known as the Nature Coast Greenway, is a 32 mile trail that winds its way through Gilchrist, Dixie, and Levy …

Learn More About Fishing Steinhatchee’s Northwest Shoreline

The close-in coastline south of Steinhatchee often gets more than its fair share of attention by anglers, especially during the cool early-winter months.  There are, of course, a couple of good reasons.  First, the bottom is rockier there, providing shelter and warmth for the bait fish and crustaceans that are of interest to inshore species …

Holiday Lights in Natural North Florida

Two Natural North Florida holiday events grace the list of the best Christmas lights I compiled for the St. Pete Times’ Sunday travel section. Don’t miss  A Cedar Key Christmas, where Santa arrives by clam boat on Dec. 11, and Stephen Foster State Park’s Festival of Lights, which transforms the White Springs park into a …