Family Getaways 2008 - (Page 19) family tive camping spots. Bluffs tower above the Suwannee at this point, where you can also spot remains of a Confederate earthworks from the water. More springs gush into the Suwannee and its tributary, the Santa Fe River, at the threshold to the Lower Suwannee. Ginnie Springs is known the world over for its cave diving. At both Ginnie Springs and nearby Ichetucknee Springs State Park, tubing constitutes another popular form of recreation. Other area springs are privately owned or county parks and often they allow swimming and diving, as well. Many offer equipment rentals and other concessions. Couple walking on the Suwannee River Hiking Trail. getaways and tie up to the docks. Traveling downriver, they come to two firstmagnitude springs at Fanning Springs and Manatee Springs state parks. The latter is the southernmost of the springs that gush into the Suwannee and also the most productive, pumping out an average of 181 cubic feet of water per second. Where the river flushes out into the Gulf at a part of Florida known as “The Big Bend,” the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge preserves the deep past with 53,000 acres of thick and primordial magnolia, pine and cypress forest decorated with tinsels of Spanish moss and clumps of mistletoe. Primitive wildcat sounds are heard in the early morning fog. Houseboating this part of the river, boaters often go for hours without signs of civilization. By land, I followed the refuge’s River Trail through cypress and water oaks to Suwannee’s undeveloped shores the last time I made my river pilgrimage – in the summer, when it’s prettiest. A third of a mile long, the trail took me over boardwalks and leaf-strewn pathways and had me ducking the delicate weaving of golden orb spiders and listening for my old friend’s quiet voice. Here, in the vicinity of where I had first met the river, something tugged at me when I got to that Suwannee shore. The ancient voice I’d once listened to on those early houseboating mornings still whispered of something entirely bigger than me, of respect and peace, of magic and wonder enough to inspire music. Of time eternal. a Stephen Foster Museum and carillon tower that tolls out his famous compositions. Paddlers who put in at the Big Shoals launch can float through the park and try to time a concert, scheduled daily at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Local legend says the Suwannee got its name from the Creek word for “echo.” You’ll hear why. Also in White Springs, American Canoe Adventures outfits and shuttles for excursions along the Upper Suwannee. The trip from Big Shoals to Stephen Foster, where there is a campground with cabins, takes about four hours and offers a bit of challenge to experienced paddlers at several shoals. Along the way, springs with a consistent temperature of 72 degrees provide a perfect way to cool down. A product of northern Florida’s honeycombed limestone foundation and hydrostatic pressure, their lush, clear beauty and chill are baptismally cleansing. Downriver, white sand beaches beckon. Paddling in these parts is calmer than above, easy enough for beginners. You can get outfitting from Suwannee Canoe Outpost at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground, near Suwannee Springs, where cabins also are available. Suwannee River State Park marks the transition between Upper and Middle Suwannee, at the juncture where the Withlacoochee River branches off. Twin Rivers State Forest overlooks both waterways and furnishes primi- River adventurers looking for a little luxury with their fishing and paddling excursions along the Lower Suwannee will find it at The Cottages of Suwannee Preserve, outside of Bell, where I recently reacquainted myself with the river. On the warm winter afternoon we spent cruising the river aboard the resort’s 20-foot pontoon, we spied swooping great blue herons, cooter turtles sunning in ranks on a log, hawks, a sandhill crane, a trio of manatees and one bobbing river otter. Wildlife here is close by – white-tailed deer and wild turkeys from the river’s forested banks often drop in. Florida panther sightings in the vicinity have been officially confirmed. Guests, who often come with their boats, put them in on the resort’s ramp WHEN YOU GO American Canoe Adventures, 800-624-8081, www.aca1.com Big Shoals State Park, 386-397-4331, www.floridastateparks.org/bigshoals Canoe Outpost, 800-428-4147, www.canoeoutpost.com The Cottages of Suwannee Preserve, 352-463-9140, www.TheCottagesOfSuwanneePreserve.com Fanning Springs State Park, 352-463-3420, www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings Ginnie Springs Outdoor Camp & Dive Resort, 386-454-7188, www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com Ichetucknee Springs State Park, 386-497-2511, www.floridastateparks.org/ichetuckneesprings Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, 352-493-0238, www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee Manatee Springs State Park, 352-493-6072, www.floridastateparks.org/manateesprings Miller’s Marina of Suwannee, 800-458-2628, www.suwanneehouseboats.com Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground, 386-364-1683, www.musicliveshere.com State of Florida’s Nature & Heritage Tourism Center, 386-397-4461, www.floridastateparks.org/natureheritage Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park 386-397-2733, www.floridastateparks. org/stephenfoster Suwannee River State Park, 386-362-2746, www.floridastateparks.org/suwanneeriver Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, 800-868-9914, www.floridastateparks.org/wilderness Twin Rivers State Forest, 386-208-1462, www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/twin_rivers.html Family Getaways 19 http://www.aca1.com http://www.floridastateparks.org/manateesprings http://www.floridastateparks.org/bigshoals http://www.suwanneehouseboats.com http://www.canoeoutpost.com http://www.musicliveshere.com http://www.TheCottagesOfSuwanneePreserve.com http://www.floridastateparks.org/natureheritage http://www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings http://www.floridastateparks.org/stephenfoster http://www.floridastateparks.org/stephenfoster http://www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com http://www.floridastateparks.org/suwanneeriver http://www.floridastateparks.org/ichetuckneesprings http://www.floridastateparks.org/wilderness http://www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/twin_rivers.html
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