Christmas Lights Are Spectacular in Natural North Florida

The Holiday Season is a highlight is Florida’s Natural North Florida region. Small towns are well lit, with holiday parades and festivals. Several our State Parks are lit with holiday decorations and private venues hold holiday special events. Here are a few for your consideration:​ The 8th Annual Christmas Train at Kirby Family Farm Hosted by …

It’s All About Seafood….Florida’s Big Bend Shellfish Trail

Experience fresh, local seafood along Florida’s Big Bend Life on Florida’s Big Bend, especially in the coastal communities of Taylor, Dixie and Levy counties revolves around seafood, especially shellfish. Not only are oysters, clams, shrimp and crabs available at local eateries, they’re available at seafood retailers, often “fresh off the boat”. Certain species. like bay …

Cedar Key 2019 Seafood Festival, October 19 & 20

Fall is here and in Natural North Florida, that means several things! One, it’s cooler and second, the annual Cedar Key Seafood Arts and Crafts Festival is getting ready to happen, October 19 and 20, 2019. In the early ’90s, there was doubt that the city of Cedar Key would survive the official banning of …

Tour de Melon–Bring Your Bike to Chiefland, FL For Some Fun, June 1, 2019

Hosted by Suwannee Valley Rotary Club, The 2019 Tour de Melon in Chiefland, Florida is a great opportunity to ride the roads of Levy County with cyclists of all ages and experience.   RIDE INFORMATION   Choose from either a Road Route or multiple paved Trail Routes Terrain is flat. Well-marked rural highways. Route maps will be available …

2017 Bay Scalloping On Florida’s Nature Coast–An Abundance of Tasty Bivalves!

It’s July, and Natural North Florida’s 2017 recreational bay scallop harvest is off to a roaring start.  The harvest began on June 16 for the waters from Suwannee (in Dixie County) to the Fenholloway River (in Taylor County) and ends on September 10.  The remainder of Taylor County, all of Levy County, Jefferson and Wakulla …

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 …

Fishing The Big Bend Marsh–The Closer You Get, The More Reds You’ll Catch!

In the fall, high tides flood, pushing water well into the creeks and marshes all along Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson and Wakulla Counties, on Florida’s Big Bend.  We don’t have many mangroves, but we do have lots of spartina grass which offers comfort to redfish, or red drum. When the reds get back in the …

Warmer Water and Air Temperatures Drive Snook North Into Florida’s Nature Coast

Snook are one of Florida’s most popular gamefish Traditionally, in years past, West Florida’s snook population remained south of our Natural North Florida waters.  That was largely due to cold winters, which either run snook into warm residential canals on the upper suncoast, or kill them outright.  However, winters over the last ten or twelve …

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.  …

Natural North Florida Springs–Cool in Summer, Warm in Winter

Our Natural North Florida counties (Alachua, Gilchrist, Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Madison, Jefferson, Union, Lafayette and Wakulla) have the largest concentration of natural freshwater springs in the world.  And, when the weather gets hot, they’re the perfect place to cool off.  However, visitors and residents flock to the springs, and their contant 72-degree water temperatures, when …