Silver Springs, FL — How long has Silver Springs been a Florida attraction? Depends on how you reckon it, but people have been coming here for a long time indeed. About 10,000 years ago, the Timucuan Indians gathered at the headwaters of the Silver River to hunt Columbian Mammoths. In the mid 1950s, the lovely […]
Florida History
Tenoroc: Largemouth Bass in a Limestone Barrel
LAKELAND, FL — Some of Florida’s best bass fishing takes place out of public view in the state’s phosphate pits. Your best opportunities to catch a trophy largemouth bass begins by scoring an invitation to one of the deep lakes left behind from limestone mining. But if you’re short on friends or looking for a […]
Day Trip: Go Greek at the Tarpon Springs
TARPON SPRINGS, FL — A good vacation can remind us how pleasant it is to stay at home. To that end, a day trip that includes the northbound drive from Clearwater to to Tarpon Springs along US Highway 19 may be especially effective. Try it. Go ahead. Fasten the kids into the backseat on a […]
Manatee Springs State Park: Chiefland, Florida
MANATEE SPRINGS STATE PARK, FL — When naturalist William Bartram visited Manatee Springs in the late 1700s, he said the place was astonishing: “This charming nymphaeum is the product of primitive nature, not to be imitated, much less equaled, by the united effort of human power and ingenuity!” Two centuries later, much of that beauty […]
Kayak the Ocklawaha River for a Scenic Glimpse of Old Florida
OCKLAWAHA RIVER, FL — Deep under the shade of cypress, swamp maple and sable palms, central Florida’s Ocklawaha River runs clear and cool, even now in the stifling heat of summer. Out here on a weekday afternoon, far removed from the sound of civilization, you can kayak through a forest so thick you’ll wonder if […]
Dade’s Massacre Reenacts Start of Second Seminole War
BUSHNELL — During the first weekend of January, hundreds gather from around the country to re-create an event that forever changed the face of Florida. It was late December 1835, and the U.S. government planned to begin its Indian removal in just a few days. One hundred and eight soldiers, under the command of Major […]