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
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 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
There are plenty of places in Florida named for people who shaped the state’s history. Explorers. Governors. Soldiers. Pioneers. And then there’s Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. Here, beside the Suwannee River, Florida built a museum dedicated to one of America’s best-known 19th-century songwriters. Nearby, a massive carillon tower rises … Read more
Long before Florida became synonymous with beaches, theme parks, and roadside attractions, people were already traveling to the state in search of something remarkable. They came for the water. Along the banks of the Suwannee River in the tiny town of White Springs, Florida, a sulfur spring once poured millions of gallons of mineral-rich water … Read more
Where the River Still Waits There are places that vanish quietly, and then there are places like Ellaville—towns that don’t disappear so much as sink. Tucked along a bend of the Suwannee River, Ellaville was once one of Florida’s most prosperous lumber towns. In the late 1800s, steam whistles echoed through the trees, steamboats lined … Read more
Some roads don’t fade quietly.Some stop mid-sentence. Stretching nearly a thousand feet across the dark, tannin-stained waters of the Suwannee River, the Hillman Bridge stands rusting and silent—an abandoned steel giant that once promised connection and now leads only into forest. We didn’t set out to find it first. On our way to scout the … Read more