Loved this area and didn't really expect to before we came. Spent the weekend at a commercial park near the cross Florida Greenway. Took a great hike through the woods. Years ago there was a plan to build a canal like the Panama Canal across Florida. The plan was scrapped and a great trail was built instead. Spent some time catching up on Internet and laundry.
Silver River SP is fantastic. Campsites are huge, private, pull throughs with lots of birds and chipmunks. Several lovely trails to the river, the sinkhole, and through the woods. Great bike trail about 8 miles on trails the first afternoon here. Met a nurse on the trail that told us John Travolta's family lives here and his wife just had her baby at his hospital. Fun.
We are in St Petersburg now and it is fantastic. Beautiful water everywhere you look with amazing beaches. Fort De Soto is an great country park. More blogging and pictures soon.
Silver River SP is fantastic. Campsites are huge, private, pull throughs with lots of birds and chipmunks. Several lovely trails to the river, the sinkhole, and through the woods. Great bike trail about 8 miles on trails the first afternoon here. Met a nurse on the trail that told us John Travolta's family lives here and his wife just had her baby at his hospital. Fun.
Toured the museum and the 'cracker town' at the park. I thought cracker was a pejorative term but in some places it means the original Florida pioneers. The museum was great. displays covering the prehistoric fossils found in the local sinkholes, through the Seminole Indian period, the Civil war and especially the 30's when this area was the first Florida theme park with glass bottom boats and alligators tours, monkeys, etc.
From Silver River we took day trips to Rainbow Springs SP, another old Florida theme park back in the 30-40 & 50s. This one was lovely because the azaleas, camellias, and magnolias were all blooming. Nice 3 mile walk to the river where we saw a river otter playing. Then headed to Dunnellon to see the old town and on to Crystal River SP. Crystal River is on the gulf and we saw more manatees in the wild. Super!
Our last day in the area we went to the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings House State Park. She wrote the Yearling and was a com temporary of several authors. Lovely old homestead. Then on to Gainesville and the Devils Mill hopper State Park. This is a huge funnel shaped sinkhole with a boardwalk to the bottom and a half mile nature trail around the sinkhole. Pretty place on a pretty sunny day. The park got its name because the sinkhole is roughly shaped like the hopper on a mill and was thought to be a scary place, hence the Devil part. The stream flowing into the bottom is called the River Styx. Felt like I was on an upside down tropical island in the TV show Lost. Pictures coming soon.
From Silver River we took day trips to Rainbow Springs SP, another old Florida theme park back in the 30-40 & 50s. This one was lovely because the azaleas, camellias, and magnolias were all blooming. Nice 3 mile walk to the river where we saw a river otter playing. Then headed to Dunnellon to see the old town and on to Crystal River SP. Crystal River is on the gulf and we saw more manatees in the wild. Super!
Our last day in the area we went to the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings House State Park. She wrote the Yearling and was a com temporary of several authors. Lovely old homestead. Then on to Gainesville and the Devils Mill hopper State Park. This is a huge funnel shaped sinkhole with a boardwalk to the bottom and a half mile nature trail around the sinkhole. Pretty place on a pretty sunny day. The park got its name because the sinkhole is roughly shaped like the hopper on a mill and was thought to be a scary place, hence the Devil part. The stream flowing into the bottom is called the River Styx. Felt like I was on an upside down tropical island in the TV show Lost. Pictures coming soon.
We are in St Petersburg now and it is fantastic. Beautiful water everywhere you look with amazing beaches. Fort De Soto is an great country park. More blogging and pictures soon.
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