Natural North Florida–Music and Fun–There’s Country, Western and More!

There’s a great line in the movie, “The Blues Brothers”, where the owner of Bob’s Country Bunker explains to the band that they play all kinds of music—“Country…AND Western”!  Well, despite the fact that our region made up of 14 mostly-rural north Florida counties furnish America lots of cattle, soybeans, peanuts and seafood, we enjoy …

Poe Springs Park in Alachua County, FL—Recently Upgraded and More Fun Than Ever!

Poe Springs, one of the largest of the springs alongside the Santa Fe River, is located in a county park, just a short drive from Gainesville.  And it’s Alachua County’s only park with an open, public spring suitable for swimming. Located on CR340 (Poe Springs Road), just a few miles from the town of High …

Alachu-Way or Alachu-Wuh?–A “Must Stop” Stop on Your Visit to Natural North Florida

If you’re driving south along Interstate 75 in North Florida, at about mile marker 410, you’ll cross the Santa Fe River and enter Alachua County.  The name of the county is pronounced “Alachu-Wuh”, derived from the Timucua word for “sinkhole” or “spring” which pepper the geography of the region.  There’s also a town, at the …

Gainesville’s Best—2018 Festival Schedule—Save The Dates!

Gainesville is home to festivals of all kinds.  They range from “medieval faires” to “punk rock” music events to curated art shows.  Each year, thousands of visitors come to this North Florida college town to enjoy food, art and just to have a great time.  In 2018, there are events planned almost any month.  Here’s …

See Gainesville’s Butterfly Rainforest–And Be Swept Away By Beautiful Creatures

As part of the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville‘s Butterfly Rainforest is truly one of the wonders in our Natural North Florida region.  The immense screened-in facility, full of flowers and plants (and butterflies!) serves not only as a destination for nature lovers and photographers, but as an adjunct facility for the research team …

Put On Your Walking Shoes and Tour The University of Florida’s Main Campus in Gainesville, Florida

    The main campus of the University of Florida is more like a city than a college campus.  Stretching miles in several directions, it’s home to over 50,000 students–plus the faculty and support staff that make the university one of the best in the country and certainly the “flagship” of Florida’s educational system. If …

Three Natural North Florida Springs–Free For All!

Some of the best things in our Natural North Florida region are free, and that’s especially true when it comes to three of our smaller springs.  While we have the largest concentration of first and second magnitude freshwater springs in the world, these county-maintained “swimming holes” in Jefferson, Columbia and Alachua counties are fun–and FREE! …

Visit Springs Along The Santa Fe River in Columbia, Gilchrist and Alachua County

The Santa Fe River traverses several counties in the Natural North Florida region.  It begins upstream of the town of  Worthington Springs in southern Union County, and eventually flows into the mighty Suwannee River at Three Rivers Estates.  The river flows downstream to O’Leno State Park in Columbia County  where it drops into the Karst …

Looking For Some Great Cycling? Download Our Ultimate North Florida Cycling Guide

The Visit Natural North Florida Biking Guide is online and ready to use. You can read it online, or download it as a PDF.   It features 26 one-day cycling trips and 2 multi-day trips, all linked to the RIDE WITH GPS app that’s available for smartphones or certain Garmin GPS units. To use the …

Natural North Florida Overcomes Hurricane Hermine

Hurricane Hermine comes ashore on Florida’s Big Bend, September 1, 2016 with minimal hurricane force winds. We’re a tough, resilient bunch in Natural North Florida.  When Hurricane Hermine hit just east of St. Marks in Wakulla and Jefferson counties on September 1, 2016 it had been a full decade since we’d had a similar event.  …