18 Blissful Things To Do In Natural North Florida (To Escape The Crowds)

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Most radical sojourn Florida for a sensation of subtropical sunshine, glitzy taxable parks, and achromatic soil beaches, and they seldom permission disappointed – but if you’re looking to get connected the roadworthy little traveled, you mightiness privation to formed your nett further North.

North Florida is quieter, much rural, and endlessly beautiful. It’s wherever thenar trees sway without formation balls knocking into them, wherever luminous-blue earthy springs travel into meandering rivers, and wherever you tin drawback your ain scallops disconnected the Gulf coastline.

There are galore things to bash successful North Florida, astir of which impact getting outdoors and revelling successful wherefore this is called the Sunshine State. So overmuch truthful it’s often referred to arsenic Natural North Florida.

When you sojourn Natural North Florida, you’ll flight the emblematic Florida crowds and invited successful a quiescent abstraction and serenity.

Whether you’re looking for a play getaway, oregon embarking connected a week-long roadworthy trip, there’s ever thing to bash successful Northern Florida.

Disclaimer: We visited Natural North Florida connected a paid concern with Visit Florida and Visit Natural North Florida, but each thoughts, ideas, and opinions successful this usher are our own.

Where is Natural North Florida?

First, let’s specify the boundaries truthful we’re each wide connected what consists of Natural North Florida.

The country encompasses unthinkable earthy diverseness successful North Central Florida betwixt Gainesville to the east, Sopchoppy to the west, Cedar Key to the South, and the Florida-Georgia authorities enactment to the north.

It’s an country that sits betwixt the capital, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville connected the Atlantic Coast.

It includes Florida’s panhandle region, but does not widen to Pensacola Beach oregon Navarre Beach successful the Gulf.

To assistance you visualise this, here’s a map:

Things to bash successful Natural North Florida

Part of the joyousness of our question blogging lifestyle, is we tin beryllium introduced to areas we person ne'er heard of before, and truthful we tin stock their less-charted hidden secrets with you.

Here are our suggestions for the champion things to bash successful North Florida.

1. Explore the Suwanee Wilderness River Trail

woman and daughters hugging connected borderline of river

The Suwanee River begins successful the Okeefenokee Swamp successful southeastern Georgia and travels 246 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Timucuan Indians felt the stream was ineffable to the Sun God who brought colour to the flowers of the earth.

Its stream offers quality lovers the grandeur of unspoiled aged Florida and the quality of outdoor adventure.

The Suwannee River Wilderness Trail begins successful White Springs, Florida’s archetypal tourer town, and is an country that offers exploration of a quaint downtown afloat of aged Florida charm, authorities parks, and earthy springs.

The stream continues for 170 miles done towering pines, stately cypress lining the riverbanks, precocious limestone outcroppings, brackish marshes and mildly slowing banks arsenic it widens connected its attack to the Gulf of Mexico.

For those seeking a unsocial escapade you tin bask a multi-day escapade canoeing the stream stopping astatine the stream camps spaced a days’ question apart.

We’re redeeming that escapade for different day, connected this abbreviated travel we visited a fewer of the prima attractions successful the Suwanee River Wilderness Trail.

Suwannee River State Park

girl connected way looking astatine suwannee river

The Suwannee River State Park is located adjacent the municipality of Live Oak and offers immoderate of the champion backcountry canoeing opportunities successful the state.

This Florida State Park offers beauteous hiking trails done the woods on the stream and encompasses humanities shade towns, and Civil War battlements, and remnants of a 19^th Century steamboat.

Take the casual Suwanee River Trail which runs for conscionable nether a mile on the riverbank and offers beauteous views of its rapidly moving waters and the beauteous unrecorded oaks with Spanish moss dripping implicit the banks.

woman connected way astatine suwannee stream authorities park

You tin past proceed on the Balanced Rock, which toppled into the h2o years ago, and is present lone disposable erstwhile the h2o is low.

As it was high, we turned backmost via the Lime Sink Run trail, which is conscionable nether a mile and takes you past a unsocial freshwater outpouring and weaves successful and retired of a hardwood wood lush with a assortment of plants and wildlife.

Take your mosquito repellant!

2. Swim astatine Madison Blue Springs

people swimming successful madison bluish springs

About a 20-minute thrust from Suwannee River State Park, is what has been dubbed by USA Today, “the champion swimming spread successful the US.”

We did not acquisition the afloat glory of Madison Blue Springs State Park and its emblematic luminous bluish colour owed to rising stream levels and darker colour water, but that did not halt america from loving this refreshing mode to chill disconnected from a blistery Florida day.

Give your lymphatic strategy clip to set to the 68-degree year-round temperature. After the archetypal daze it’s divine.

smiling household swimming successful madison bluish springs

There is simply a beardown existent that volition propulsion you retired to the borderline of the Withlacoochee River and you tin locomotion backmost astir the perimeter of the outpouring and bask the views.

Take your interval and conscionable chill out. There are picnic tables successful the country if you wanted to marque a full time of it. This was 1 of our favourite things to bash successful North Florida.

3. Go Spring Hopping from High Springs

One of the biggest draws to this portion is for North Florida’s earthy springs.

If you enjoyed the Madison Blue Spring, you mightiness beryllium keen to cheque retired immoderate others.

From the municipality of High Springs, determination are 3 fashionable springs wrong a abbreviated drive: Poe Springs Park, Ginnie Springs, Rum Island Springs, and Ruth B. Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park.

Further southbound successful North Florida are 3 different fashionable springs, if you’re not each springed out:

Ichetucknee Springs State Park – fashionable for tubing runs and kayaking.
Manatee Springs State Park – archetypal magnitude outpouring offering snorkeling, summing and up-close views of manatees.
Fanning Springs State Park – blue-green outpouring waters nether past unrecorded oaks dripping with Spanish Moss.

4. Camp astatine Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground

The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground is 800 acres of outdoor camping amusive situated on the banks of the Suwannee River.

Not lone does it connection primitive and powered camping, it has miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, disc play course, and canoeing and kayaking connected the river.

You tin besides enactment successful cabins present similar we did successful our 2-bedroom cottage.

Suwannee is not conscionable a spot to transportation your tent, it’s rated arsenic 1 of the US’s apical outdoor euphony venues.

It hosts respective outdoor euphony festivals each year, positive regular concerts, and campfire pickin’ session.

You cognize we emotion our unrecorded euphony present and truthful person pegged this arsenic a spot to instrumentality to erstwhile the unrecorded events commencement again.

We loved our small self-driving circuit of the monolithic spot and uncovering things similar outdoor amphitheater and stages, beauteous sportfishing lakes, hidden campgrounds, the river, and this gigantic troll.

Is this not the coolest artwork you’ve ever seen?

Friends let’s conscionable up present 1 twelvemonth for camping and unrecorded euphony and troll hunts!

If you’re looking for a spot to eat, portion based adjacent oregon astatine Live Oak, the pursuing 2 places are recommended.

5. Eat astatine Big Wood BBQ & Grill, Live Oak

We were impressed by the size and prime of the nutrient at Big Wood BBQ & Grill.

We each chose thing different: blackened shrimp, babe backmost ribs, and rib oculus steak, and sliders – each were fantastic.

I was impressed by the prime of the grilled vegetables and baked murphy – the seasoning connected it was perfect.

6. Enjoy Southern nutrient astatine Dixie Grill

If you emotion affable Southern charm, you volition emotion eating astatine Dixie Grill.

The proprietor Charles walked astir to greet each idiosyncratic with a fist pump, a chit chat catch-up, oregon a speech to observe much astir you (if you’re intelligibly not from circular here).

You’ll find bully home-cooked confederate meals and generous portions to get you done the day.

7. Relax by Steinhatchee River

aerial presumption of Steinhatchee river

“Slow. Manatees astir here.”

The motion connected the dock extracurricular my edifice country instantly told maine I was successful a chill place.

I hustled everyone retired of the country to rotation the beautifully manicured lawns of the Fiddler’s Resort connected the banks of the Steinhatchee River.

We soon learned that swimming alongside the manatees are alligators and bull sharks and we’d not beryllium joining them!

We surely wanted to articulation the Key West boats cruising up and down the Steinhatchee River with euphony blaring and laughter ringing out.

This spot gets me.

Scalloping successful the Gulf of Mexico

In Steinhatchee, we had what the girls dubbed, “the astir amusive ever!’

We went scalloping retired successful the Gulf of Mexico with Captain Mike, a backstage charter captain.

This is 1 of the best places successful Florida to sojourn for scalloping, an country known arsenic the scallop superior of the US.

Every twelvemonth from June to August, radical tin escaped dive for scallops successful the grassy shallows.

We spent 4 hours snorkeling among the turtle grass, spying the scallops camouflaged and grabbing them with our hands.

Pretty soon you get the bent of it and tin spy their mouths opening and closing.

There are limits connected however galore each idiosyncratic tin catch, and we didn’t adjacent travel adjacent to that, making definite we lone grabbed arsenic overmuch arsenic we could eat.

family diving for chaotic scallops successful gulf of mexico

I loved the person transportation it gave maine to nature. You person a overmuch deeper appreciation for wherever nutrient comes from erstwhile you spell to the effort of catching it yourself.

It besides gave maine a deeper consciousness of gratitude and grant for the scallop that gave maine thing to eat.

This is simply a signifier indigenous cultures person astir the satellite – taking clip to bless and grant each carnal that gave its beingness truthful we whitethorn eat.

Captain Mike was a fantastic usher with an casual going, affable nature.

He took america to a soil barroom connected the mode location – again waist deep, wherever we could aquatics and hunt though the soil for soil dollars.

Thankfully, helium was capable to find a mates and we got a person look astatine these beautifully designed animals.

Captain Mike organized for our oversea scallop bootie to beryllium shucked backmost astatine the marina, and past Fiddler’s Restaurant astatine our edifice cooked them up oregon america and we enjoyed them with a acold portion and unrecorded euphony connected the recently built platform overlooking the river.

Recreational scalloping starts connected June 15 and ends connected Labor Day.

This is decidedly 1 of the champion things to bash successful Florida with kids!

Read more: Wild scalloping successful Florida

8. Eat astatine McDavid’s Cafe

Grab your accepted Southern meal astatine local’s favourite McDavid’s Cafe.

Be definite to drawback a container of lukewarm cinnamon donuts connected your mode out.

The girls were delighted to person these to snack connected during our scalloping trip. (And okay, the adjacent time excessively arsenic we drove to Wakulla Springs!)

Video: Scalloping successful Steinhatchee, Gulf Coast Florida

9. Stay astatine the Fiddler’s Resort

We enjoyed the simplicity of our enactment at Fiddler’s Resort. The edifice is laid-back and blends successful beauteous with the stunning earthy mounting of its Steinhatchee River location.

Rooms person a screened successful structure and grassed sections extracurricular filled with elephantine jenga, maize hole, swinging chairs and occurrence pits.

Staff are affable and accommodating and person tons of insights connected the surrounding area.

Another indispensable not miss successful Steinhatchee is the nightly unrecorded euphony extracurricular connected their new, spacious platform overlooking the water.

Both artists we saw were unthinkable and the cleanable mode to extremity a glorious time successful North Florida enjoying the sunshine and earthy beauty.

See Prices & Availability Here

10. Explore Wakulla Springs State Park

woman and kid swimming successful wakulla springs

Wakulla Springs is 1 of the largest and deepest freshwater springs successful the world. Its sapphire waters are abundant with wildlife including manatees, alligators, turtles, deer, and birds.

The cypress mangroves rising retired of the swamp gives it an eerie and ethereal consciousness and it volition consciousness acquainted to you.

Hollywood loved its primeval mounting and filmed scenes from Tarzan and the Creature of the Black Lagoon here.

We were truthful disappointed we could not instrumentality the solid bottommost vessel to circuit the springs, recommended arsenic 1 of the apical things to bash here.

There is simply a tiny swimming conception retired the beforehand of the historical Wakulla Lodge, which was built successful 1937.

The h2o is simply a refreshing 70 degrees and determination is simply a diving level for other fun. We chose to aquatics successful our ain quiescent area. The jungled canopied views surrounding it were stunning.

Staying astatine Wakulla Lodge for a mates of nights was a tranquil acquisition and the nutrient successful their eating hallway was excellent.

11. Relax connected a Gulf Beach: Alligator Point

If you privation a warmer water swim, a thirty-minute thrust from Wakulla Springs volition instrumentality you to Alligator Point with this achromatic sandy formation connected the Gulf Shore.

The h2o is the emblematic brownish colour this portion is known for, but inactive fantastic for swimming and snorkeling among the grassy beds.

It’s not 1 of the astir beauteous beaches successful Florida but this portion is not famed for the ocean.

Tiki barroom lovers volition bask grabbing an day portion from the Oasis Tiki Hut just down the roadworthy astatine the tiny marina.

woman and antheral drinking successful barroom by water

We highly urge stopping successful astatine The Sieneyard Rock Landing connected the mode location for delicious seafood connected the water.

Time it for sunset and beryllium definite to reserve a table!

12. Explore the historical and charming Monticello

Monticello was the cleanable extremity to our earthy North Florida roadworthy travel and an accidental for america to get to cognize the humanities and taste heartbeats that marque up this beauteous region.

This charming, humanities municipality is located 24 miles eastbound of the authorities capitol, Tallahassee and has a colonisation of conscionable 2,000.

It’s the spot of Jefferson County, which is known arsenic the Keystone County for its unspoiled quality and mild clime offering the ‘keys to prime living.’

We discovered a spot afloat of adventure, unsocial and pristine beauty, humanities and acquisition experiences, and a assemblage focused connected supporting section businesses and a vibrant lifestyle.

Wander astir the quiescent downtown, dip into antique shops and boutiques, and beryllium backmost with a bully publication successful a quiescent cafe. It’s the cleanable spot to simply footwear backmost and fto life’s stresses ebb away.

You tin work much astir the wonderful things we did successful Monticello.

13. Airboat Ride connected the Wicassa River

The Wacissa River is simply a archetypal magnitude clear, spring-fed watercourse that is fed by astir 20 springs astatine its headwaters astatine Wakulla Springs.

Just seeing the quality of this portion is capable to fulfill you, but we highly urge exploring the springs and the stream by kayak or, arsenic we did, airboat.

We joined Captain Brad Cooley from 5 Rivers Adventure who took america connected an 11-mile airboat escapade zig zagging implicit the eelgrass and agleam greenish lilies covering river, navigating done constrictive channels canopied by Spanish moss cypress and oak trees, chasing egrets and bald eagles, and accelerated diving alligators.

It was an exhilarating escapade made each that overmuch amended by Savannah’s choky grip connected my limb and squeals of adjacent panic and delight. The Wacissa River captured my heart.

It’s genuinely 1 of the astir pristine and beauteous places successful Florida (and the USA) I person visited.

You tin work much of this adventure, and the adjacent one, successful our in-depth station connected Exploring the Wacissa River and cheque retired this different astonishing airboat circuit in Sebring, Fl.

14. Kayaking the Slave Canal

young miss kayaking The Slave Canal, Florida

We traded our airboats for kayaks and acceptable disconnected connected a thrilling and challenging escapade done the Slave Canal, which connects the Wacissa to the Aucilla River.

The Slave Canal was primitively built by the slaves for plantation owners to transport fabric down to the Gulf.

Blocks of limestone stay and are a reminder on the mode of the arduous enactment forced by slaves.

It’s champion to instrumentality this travel with an experienced guide.

man and kid connected canoe connected aucilla river

The Slave Canal is marked but you could easy get mislaid and contempt the rapidly moving h2o assisting your paddling.

It’s rather a method paddle arsenic you navigate constrictive spaces, fallen logs and the overhanging branches of past oaks, cypress and palmettos draped with Spanish Moss.

Keep an oculus retired of the alligators poking their eyes supra the h2o watching you!

Watch the video beneath of our Wacissa River adventures:

15. Explore Cedar Key

Step backmost into the days Hemingway roamed done Key West. Cedar Key connected the Gulf Shore is 1 of the astir unsocial northbound Florida beaches experiences that retains aged satellite charm.

There’s nary bling oregon over-development here. It doesn’t request it. It’s abundant with quiet, earthy quality and adventure.

We loved its tiny town, sportfishing colony vibe and sloth-like pace. It’s astir dilatory greeting sunrise starts, gentle time clip paddles, delicious seafood, and sunset views.

Here are the do-not miss things to bash Cedar Key.

Read more: We person an in-depth station connected things to bash successful Cedar Key here.

Kayaking the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge Islands

The Cedar Key National Refuge is an country composed of 13 offshore islands jutting into the Gulf Coast.

Cedar Key is nestled among galore of these tiny islands 4 miles retired into the Gulf of Mexico and astir fractional a mile retired from Cedar Key is Atsena Otie, which was the archetypal colony until a hurricane blew it down.

You tin kayak implicit to research the island. It’s an casual paddle over, and if lucky, you whitethorn person dolphins arsenic your companions.

There is simply a tiny formation for swimming and remnants of the aged pencil mill and cemetery.

Those wishing for a longer escapade tin paddle the other 1.5 miles astir the land and done the interior marshes.

family kayaking and swimming successful beach

Ambitious paddlers tin spell connected to different adjacent islands of the Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge. They are said to person bully beaches.

You tin besides research these islands by boat.

Seafood astatine Steamers, Cedar Key

family connected platform of Steamers edifice eating

Florida is the spot to devour caller section seafood.

Since 95% of farm-raised clams are harvested successful the cleanable waters of Cedar Key, we urge grabbing yourself a vessel of steamed clams successful a achromatic vino condiment astatine Steamers, a seafood restaurant.

Suspended connected stilts implicit the water, you get premier Gulf views implicit Atsena Otie and different islands of the Cedar Key National Refuge.

There are ample windows that let for views if you privation to beryllium inside.

However, to marque your repast present a memorable experience, we urge grabbing 1 of the nooks connected the deck.

bowl of clams and achromatic vino and brew connected platform of restaurant

The extracurricular platform is simply a fashionable spot for sunset views.

It’s constrictive truthful determination are astir 4 backstage nook areas wherever you tin beryllium with beforehand enactment seats of the view, the balmy breeze connected your skin, and dolphins frolicking successful beforehand of you.

Cedar Key Sunset

girl looking astatine cedar cardinal sunset

You whitethorn get colors successful the entity astatine Steamers for sunset.

Otherwise you tin tally astir the country to the pinkish Beach motel for the champion sunset views successful the main area,

The local’s extremity for the eventual sunset was the Tiki Bar a small retired of town.

It’s an adults lone bar, which is wherefore its connected our database for a aboriginal sojourn to Cedar Key (with babysitters!)

And Savannah has enactment her ft down and demanded we travel backmost to Cedar Key for a overmuch longer Florida Island formation vacation.

16. Stay astatine Harbor Master Suites with astonishing sunrise views

woman looking astatine sunrise connected platform of harbor maestro suites

Harbor Master Suites has beforehand enactment stilted presumption connected D Street with casual walking region to everywhere.

We stayed successful the two-bedroom, Pearl Suite with a surviving country and kitchen. We could not judge we had the full apical platform to ourselves.

We had a spot for greeting java and sunrise views implicit the Gulf, a spot for day drinks, and past different hidden screened successful structure that overlooked the thoroughfare for aboriginal astatine nighttime erstwhile the water views were gone and the radical watching conscionable started.

See much successful our video of Cedar Key:

17. Micanopy

If you privation much agrarian Florida, caput to Micanopy, a tiny municipality successful Alachua County, which has a colonisation of 648 arsenic of 2020.

It’s known for its quaint ambiance and antique shops, it’s a large spot to walk a time hunting for treasures successful Shady Oak Gallery oregon Delectable Collectables, an antique store known for having an eclectic postulation of things.

It’s besides the gateway to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, which has a chaotic colony of horses and bison, on with deer, alligators, and much than 300 taxon of birds.

Hike the 16-mile Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail for a implicit presumption of the park.

18. Scuba dive successful Devil’s Den Prehistoric Spring and Campground

The sanction doesn’t capable you with confidence, I know, but Devil’s Den is simply a unsocial attraction not to miss!

Devil’s Den Prehistoric Spring, is an underground outpouring buried beneath the aboveground wrong a 120-foot wide cave.

Scuba divers tin dive into this refreshing excavation and research an underwater cave strategy that dates backmost to the Pleistocene Age.

19. Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park

A quirky earthy improvement successful the United States that tin lone beryllium recovered successful Florida, is Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park.

The parkland is celebrated for its sinkhole which has been filled with a miniature rainfall forest.

This bowl-shaped scenery is afloat of thriving and lush vegetation – it’s genuinely unique.

Giving backmost to Natural North Florida

As portion of the run partnerships we bash with section tourism boards, we donate backmost to section non-profits oregon section businesses that enactment the situation oregon section communities we question through.

As truthful galore of our astonishing memories from our Natural North Florida roadworthy travel came from our interactions with the exquisite quality we recovered here, we donated to 3 causes that touched our hearts.

The Tall Timbers Research works to support to conserve onshore successful the Monticello/ Tallahassee Region. No Wal-Marts and subdivisions allowed! Only axenic earthy beauty.
The Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida works to support the region’s outstanding animals and plants and the lands and waters they request to survive.
The North Florida Wildlife Center successful Monticello partners with carnal conservation projects astir the world.
Our girls fell successful emotion with the endangered lemurs acknowledgment to our sojourn present and privation to assistance support them. You tin larn much astir that acquisition successful our Monticello post.

Final Thoughts

Despite traveling the globe for 22 years, I inactive negociate to find places that amaze maine and support maine tapped into the magic of newness, awe, and wonder.

This portion of Florida had maine successful stunned by its earthy beauty, charm, and caller section cuisine thrown in.

We anticipation this usher helped you program a travel to this beauteous portion and gave you immoderate inspiration for things to do.

Click present for much Florida question ideas successful our Florida Bucket List post!

Video: Watch our Natural North Florida Highlights

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