**This page is an advertisement only. All contact information & location is found at the bottom of page.** Greers Ferry Lake is a favorite water playground nestled in the foothills of the Ozarks in north central Arkansas. This 40,000-acre masterpiece pleases water enthusiasts of all types. The lake is surrounded by an abundance of rock […]
Wekiwa Springs State Park
This area was known as Clay Springs until 1906, when the name was changed to Wekiwa Springs. Forty-two million gallons of crystal clear water flow each day from Wekiwa Springs into Wekiwa Springs Run. The run joins with Rock Springs Run to form the beautiful upper Wekiva River. Creeks, later called Seminoles, are the most […]
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is one of Florida’s oldest roadside attractions. Founded in 1947 by Newton Perry, Weeki Wachee has been the mecca for mermaid enthusiasts. The magical allure of the mermaids swimming in a first magnitude spring has drawn visitors from around the world. Today, visitors can still witness the magic of the […]
Troy Spring State Park
The spring is the historic site of what remains of the steamship, Madison. In the mid 1850s Captain James Tucker had his ship, Madison, built with a very shallow draft especially intended for the frequently changing water levels of the Suwannee River. For many years, the ship served as a floating mail service and trading post. In […]
T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
Native Americans were the first to enjoy the beauty and bounty of St. Joseph Bay. The peninsula was settled by hunter-gatherers of the Weeden Island and Mississippian, Fort Walton Cultures. Remains of shell tools and pottery of these cultures have been found in the park. Spanish explorers named St. Joseph Bay in the early 1500s, […]
San Pedro Underwater Archaeological Preserve State Park
This underwater archaeological preserve features a submerged shipwreck that is available for diving and snorkeling. Part of a Spanish flotilla, the San Pedro was a 287-ton, Dutch-built ship which sank in a hurricane on July 13, 1733. Her remains were discovered in 1960 in Hawk Channel near Indian Key. After major salvage efforts in the […]
Rainbow Springs State Park
Rainbow Springs has served as an important natural resource for humans and animals for many years. At one time, mastodon and mammoth fossils were found in the Rainbow River, along with relics of the American Indians who used the river for transportation and fishing. Much later, in the early 20th century, men began mining the […]
Ponce de Leon Springs State Park
This beautiful spring is named for Juan Ponce de León, who led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513-as legend has it-in search of the “fountain of youth.” Although not literally the ‘fountain of youth,’ Ponce de Leon hoped to find when he landed in Florida in 1513, the spring bearing his name has […]
Oscar Scherer State Park
Oscar Scherer State Park was the first attempt by the state of Florida to contract with private enterprise to develop a park with a potential for revenue. After seeing the removal of many natural areas, the citizens of the community wanted something else and something less. Mrs. Elsa Scherer Burrows, daughter of the site’s namesake, […]
Manatee Springs State Park
The first-magnitude spring at this park produces an average of 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily. In winter, West Indian manatees swim upriver to the warmer waters of the springs. Popular for snorkeling and scuba diving, the headwaters of the spring are also a great spot for swimming. The spring run forms a […]
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park
When the sea level was higher than its present level, the Upper Keys were a living coral reef. As the sea level fluctuated over time, coral reefs have been alternately submerged and exposed, allowing the coral polyps, the small animals that build the reef, to create large structures. When sea level dropped, the coral was […]
Lafayette Blue Springs State Park
In the mid to late 1800s, this section of the Suwannee River was an important highway for steamboats carrying supplies and agricultural products to and from local plantations. The establishment of railroads signaled the end of the steamboat era. Lafayette Blue Springs has been a public park for many years. It became a state park […]
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Comprised of over 200 separate islands and islets, the Florida Keys have the only living coral reef formations to be found in the continental United States. The first undersea park in the United States, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park encompasses approximately 70 nautical square miles. While the mangrove swamps and tropical hammocks in the […]
Indian Key Historic State Park
In 1831, Jacob Housman bought Indian Key and set out to build his own wrecking empire to compete with the monopoly in Key West. At this time, wrecking or salvaging cargo from shipwrecks was both legal and extremely lucrative. Housman’s empire included a store, hotel, dwellings, cisterns, warehouses and wharves. Known for his shady business […]
Ichetucknee Springs State Park
Perhaps the Ichetucknee’s greatest historical treasure is the Mission de San Martin de Timucua. This Spanish/ Native American village was one of the major interior missions serving the important Spanish settlement of St. Augustine. The mission, built in 1608 flourished through most of that century. The river and springs were used consistently by even earlier […]
Gasparilla Island State Park
Fishing has always been an important part of Gasparilla Island’s cultural history. The Calusa tribe likely fished area waters for a living. In the 1700s, Spanish fishermen arrived and established camps along the shore where fish were shipped to Cuba. In the 1800s, American settlers were attracted to Charlotte Harbor by its rich bounty of […]
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Spanish explorers first surveyed the island of Key West in 1513. After the Florida territory was transferred to the U.S., the Navy established a small depot here in 1822 to rid the area of pirates. Fishing, salvaging wrecked ships and cigar manufacturing became the driving economic forces behind the island’s growth making Key West the […]
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park is a half-mile stretch of white sand on a sunny Florida beach. During World War II, it was the birthplace and training ground for U.S. Navy Frogmen, forerunners of today’s Navy Seals. It was here that many of the 140,000 personnel stationed in the area practiced for the D-Day invasion […]
Fanning Springs State Park
About 14,000 years ago Paleo-Indian people first began to filter into the Fanning Springs area as confirmed by the several aboriginal sites found at the park. Over the next 2,000 years with the warming climate the natives learned to rely on the area’s animals, fish, shellfish and wild plants to survive. In 1838 during the […]
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
Humans have occupied the lands around Wakulla Springs for nearly 15,000 years. It is thought to be named for the Timucuan Indian word meaning ‘mysterious waters’. Archaeological evidence shows intermittent habitation from Paleo-Indian times through European contact in 1513. Later periods are also represented, particularly the Spanish Mission, Creek and Seminole. Home of one of […]