The Suwannee River and the Withlacoochee River meet at Suwannee River State Park. Visitors can see the remains of a 19th-century steamboat there. The park can be explored on foot or by canoe as a place to experience history. The landscape at the confluence and a tangible trace of the past sit side by side.
Rivers, Springs and Karst
The Suwannee River has more than 170 miles of navigable waters and runs along three sides of Suwannee County. Falmouth Springs offers a different perspective on the water: as a karst window, the spring provides a view into the Floridan Aquifer below. The landscape perspective thus extends from the river down into the ground.
Little River Springs is a 125-acre county park on the Suwannee River with two trails for nature walks. Royal Springs offers a different experience: the 5-acre county park includes a spring run and short waterfalls. Their presence depends on the river level. Little River Springs has two trails for nature walks; at Royal Springs, the spring run and waterfalls, which depend on the river level, shape the landscape.
Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park adds two significant springs and an award-winning nature trail to the picture of the area’s springs. The park also has more than 30,000 feet of mapped passages in an underwater cave system. The nature trail and cave system thus represent different aspects of the park.
Trails and Getting Around
The Suwannee River Greenway offers 12.5 miles of an eight-foot-wide paved trail for walkers, joggers and cyclists. It follows a former CSX rail line. Its width, paved surface and listed uses give you a concrete idea of what to expect from this trail. The only restroom and drinking fountain along the Greenway are in Ivey Memorial Park.
The Suwannee River Greenway at Branford runs for 29 miles from the intersection of US 129 and CR 248 to the Ichetucknee River at US 27/SR 20. The named endpoints help you place this route geographically.
History and Culture
The Suwannee County Historical Museum displays fossils, archaeological artifacts and an extensive photo collection. Here, you can encounter both traces of natural history and evidence of the human past in one place. The range of collections makes the museum a cultural counterpoint to the springs, rivers and nature trails.
Suwannee Springs was a historic travel destination from the Civil War era through the 1920s. The site once included four wooden hotels, a bathhouse and numerous private cottages. This timeline clearly distinguishes its former appeal to tourists from today’s lodging options and gives the history of travel in the area a tangible context.
The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park hosts music events throughout the year. If music is part of your travel plans, check the event dates in advance.
Water Activities
Swimming, diving, snorkeling, fishing, canoeing and kayaking are possible at Royal Springs. Orange Grove Sink, in Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park, is suitable for cave, cavern and open-water diving, as well as swimming. Swimming is possible at both places; the other listed activities differ. Check the applicable restrictions before diving at Orange Grove Sink.
Discover more destinations: Live Oak, Branford, O'Brien, Okaloosa, Pinellas, Alachua, De Soto County, Liberty.
For the broader travel overview: Florida.
