Lake City, FL

With over 2,000 hotel rooms, Lake City is a popular place for travelers to stop and spend the night on their way to and from the amusement parks and beaches of central and south Florida.  However, the city has more to offer visitors than overnight accommodations.  Not willing to spend more than an overnight stay?  Travelers can still enjoy some of the attractions Lake City has to offer during their short time in the area. 

While most of the hotels are clustered near the Interstate Highway 75 and U.S. Highway interchange, three miles to the northeast on U.S. Highway 90 is the historic downtown area of the city.  The downtown is in the midst of a renaissance and offers a few nice eating establishments as well as a locally-owned brewery.  Also downtown is a one-mile walking path around picturesque Lake DeSoto.  Young children especially will enjoy feeding the ducks which are always present along the lake shore, so be sure to bring some duck food.

Just 1.5 miles south of downtown is the 1,800-acre Alligator Lake Recreation Area.  With its eight-plus miles of walking paths, it may serve as the first opportunity for travelers to see a real live Florida Alligator.  The shallow lake is an important migratory bird stop and is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail.

Lake City is home to a number of festivals, including the mid-Feburary Olustee Festival which commemorates with a re-enactment the Civil War Battle of Olustee, the largest Civil War battle to have occurred in Florida, a Beer and Wine Festival in late March and the Alligator Lake Spring Festival in mid-April.  The Alligator Lake Spring Festival celebrates native flora and fauna.