The Florida panhandle is a very unique part of Florida! We’re definitely in “old Florida,” and it is a refreshing change from the traffic and congestion of the Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor areas of the gulf. Also, the scenery is different with more pine trees and less palm. Susan, my sister-in-law, highly recommended a trip to Wakulla Springs, 14 miles south of Tallahassee. It was a great tip! We stayed at the county campground of Newport, which was only a twenty minute drive away. Other than ultra low water pressure, our stay at this campground was adequate. But, we came for the Springs.

The Springs themselves are the deepest springs in the U.S. At least 185′ deep to the surface, once inside the caves, it is said to be well over 300′. It is a first magnitude spring producing millions of gallons of water a day into the Wakulla River and next to the St. Marks River and finally 14 miles later out into the Gulf.

Since the land was purchased back in the early 1930’s by Edward Ball with the intent to conserve it, after his death it became a state park. The river for a good part of its length is pristine and untouched. All habitat is natural. The only way to appreciate it is with a narrated boat tour that lasts about an hour.

There’s a lodge in the park that dates back to the late 30’s and is still in use today. We ate an excellent lunch there and Ken was introduced to two great things: 1) Apalachicola raw oysters and 2) beer that he really likes: Lazy Magnolia, Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale (roasted with pecans). 

He raved about the sweetness of the oysters. This area is known for them.

The Lodge has 27 guestrooms plus a formal restaurant and a snack bar

This is the boat we toured in. The “captain” was a guide and was not USCG required to have his Masters license because it’s a closed body of water! He did know his animals and where exactly they would be hiding just before we would get there.

Listening intently to every word!

A slide show of just all the alligators we saw:

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And, some of the turtles, birds and ducks!

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On the day we were here, it was warm enough for families with kids to enjoy the warm water from the Spring.
Our next post will be on our side trip to St. Mark’s Lighthouse just to the south of Newport through the Wildlife Refuge.