Where the GPS gets fuzzy and the best stories begin. Explore the lesser-known corners of Florida’s backroads.
Exploring Columbus Cemetery, Civil War Earthworks, and the Forgotten History of Live Oak, Florida There is a ghost town hiding inside Suwannee River State Park. Not the kind with abandoned storefronts or houses slowly collapsing beneath the weight of time. This one is quieter. Its streets have become forest trails, its buildings have largely disappeared, … Read more
Hidden in Polk County, Florida, a collection of historic buildings preserves the stories of pioneer families, a nineteenth-century church, and a little schoolhouse that almost disappeared. There are places in Florida where history has been carefully restored, polished, and presented behind museum doors. And then there are places where you pull through an open gate, … Read more
Giant bat houses, legendary music festivals, Florida folklore, and one family’s extraordinary vision in Live Oak, Florida. Some places earn a spot on our travel itinerary because of their remarkable history. Others catch our attention because of their unusual attractions. And sometimes, somebody mentions there’s a giant bat house hidden inside a campground, and suddenly … Read more
There are certain things you can count on when traveling with us. I will find history. Murph will find an opportunity to complicate something. And apparently, we will visit at least one cemetery. At this point, I don’t think that’s even accidental anymore. After spending some time exploring nearby Falling Creek Falls, we headed just … Read more
Florida is not exactly a state known for waterfalls. We have springs that glow blue beneath the trees. Rivers darkened by tannins. Sinkholes, caves, wetlands, beaches, and enough swamps to keep an alligator comfortably employed for the foreseeable future. But waterfalls? Those are a little harder to come by. So when our travels brought us … Read more
There are trips where I carefully research every destination, map out exactly what I want to see, and arrive knowing enough history to understand what I’m looking at. And then there are stops like White Springs Historic District. My itinerary notes for this one were remarkably thorough: “Figure we’ll just drive through and see the … Read more
Florida is not a state known for whitewater. Beaches? Absolutely. Springs? We have some of the most beautiful in the world. Swamps? More than enough, thank you. Mountains, dramatic elevation changes, and raging rivers? Not so much. And yet, hidden along the Suwannee River near White Springs is a place where Florida breaks its own … Read more
Sometimes the wrong turn is the one worth remembering. There are places we carefully plan to visit. We research them. Add them to an itinerary. Figure out where to park and what we want to see when we arrive. And then there are places we find completely by accident. Micanopy Historic Cemetery was one of … Read more
Sometimes the best discoveries aren’t on the itinerary—they’re the ones you almost drive past. I almost missed this stop. Just after crossing the St. Johns River, a small green historical marker caught the corner of my eye. By the time I realized what I’d seen, I was already past it. If you’ve followed Travel Made … Read more
A three-day North Florida journey built from one simple errand, a lot of extra time, and more detours than expected Some road trips begin with a carefully chosen destination. Others begin because somebody needs paperwork signed. This was definitely the second kind. What started as a simple weekend trip to Lake City, Florida, quickly turned … Read more