My Favorite Place in Florida

I shouldn’t write this blog entry, because right now only Floridians seem to know about this beautiful place, and I’d kind of like to keep it that way. Tourists don’t flood it. It’s not surrounded by restaurants and food vendors and tourist attractions and hotels. Much of the year, in fact, it’s deserted.

I think what saves this place is that it’s waaaaaay out in the middle of nowhere in the center of North Florida, where no tourist usually bothers to go. Only a true lover of Florida nature will make the effort. So I’ll take the risk of telling you that the most gorgeous place in all of Florida, without a doubt, is Ichetucknee Springs State Park.

This natural spring, which winds through pristine forests, stays a constant 72 degrees, so it can, in fact, be quite crowded in the summer months. It’s the perfect way to beat the heat. But the rest of the year it returns to its natural, calm, peaceful state. Even the tiny concession stand is only opened from Memorial Day in late May to Labor Day in very early September. The rest of the time your admission fee is on the honor system, there are no shuttles to take you to the head of the spring, and there’s no food to be had for miles around, so you’d be well advised to pack a picnic lunch. But oh, it’s worth it!

What I like to do is wait until I’m sure school has started back up in September, then take two cars. Rent an inner tube or an inflatable raft from an area vendor, then leave one car at the south entrance of the park, and drive the other to the north entrance to the head spring, thus effectively shuttling myself and my guest. From there you can float for hours on the crystal blue water, observing a variety of birds and raccoons and deer and fish and turtles, and you’ll be hard-pressed to remember that civilization even exists.

If all humans other than me for some reason disappeared off the face of the earth, I would make my way to Ichetucknee Springs and spend my last days floating, floating, slowly floating down the river.

Author: The View from a Drawbridge

I have been a bridgetender since 2001, and gives me plenty of time to think and observe the world. View all posts by The View from a Drawbridge