US Airways - April 2013 - (Page 44)

Adventure 44 APRIL 2013 usairwaysmag.com PHOTO BY PAT CANOVA/ALAMY Andersen’s year-round trips range from two to four hours and cover the Native American history of the area, as well as its surprisingly fascinating natural history: Just beneath the ground, the region is riddled with caves and freshwater springs that bubble up to the surface, pumping out hundreds of millions of gallons of water each day. He’ll also tell you about swallets, the opposite of springs, where water gurgles back into underground streams. In warm weather, Andersen leads paddling trips that pause for swimming and snorkeling excursions at up to a dozen springs. (What about the aforementioned gators? “I do trips all over Florida, and I see fewer gators here than any other river. Most people are good with that,” Andersen quips.) For a longer paddle, venture all the THE GREAT OUTDOORS RESTAURANT IS way to the Santa Fe’s tributary, the A RENOVATED 1895 OPERA HOUSE FROM Ichetucknee River, a popular tubing THE TOWN’S BOOM TIME. spot in summer that returns to tranquillity the rest of the year. which winds along the river before “The water is crystal clear. You can space, book Skeet’s Cottage, a twoplunging into woods dotted with transee ﬁsh in the meadows of eelgrass bedroom Victorian home adjacent to quil, spring-fed ponds. Deer and armabelow your boat. It’s like paddling on the inn.) Stop to chat with owners dillos dart through the forest where the an aquarium,” Andersen notes. Lucie and Paul Regensdorf — attortrees ring with the hammering of wood- neys who traded Miami’s bustle for Those who prefer to admire the peckers and barred owls calling, “Who river from dry land can head to High Springs’s Southern charm — O’Leno State Park, where the Santa Fe cooks, who cooks, who cooks for you?” while relaxing in a swing or rocker Don’t miss a walk over the wooden performs a hydrological magic trick, on the inviting front porch. suspension bridge, built by the Civildiving into a subterranean cave and In the evening, head for the Great ian Conservation Corps ﬂowing underground for Outdoors Restaurant, a renovated 1895 in 1938, and a stop at the more than three miles opera house from the town’s boom CCC museum near the before it resurfaces at the time. Dine on local catﬁsh and smoky GETTING THERE park’s historic, rustic cabadjacent and aptly named Gouda grits in the tin-ceilinged splenUS Airways ﬂies to Gainesville, ins. Those who want to River Rise Preserve State dor of the main dining room, or step about a 30-minute wake up close to nature can outside to the Springhouse Tavern to Park. drive from High book a stay in one, but if For a short ramble, take catch a live band and nosh on conch Springs. For more information, go to you prefer creature comO’Leno’s 1.4-mile River fritters, burgers, and fried green tomahighsprings.com. forts along with your hisTrail to the site where the toes. Wash it down with a selection tory lesson, head to the Santa Fe disappears underfrom the extensive wine list, or choose High Grady House Bed & Break- from the private-label beers, which ground. Hikers with shoe Springs # fast. The delightfully unleather to spare can follow include local favorite Tail-Gator Pil# Gainesville fussy Craftsman styling of the Sweetwater Trail down sner — just look for the local reptile this 1896 bungalow makes to River Rise and greet the on the label. it a perfect retreat after a river where it reappears. To day’s adventuring, as does see even more of O’Leno, Alisson Clark is an award-winning its location within walking bike the unpaved four-mile travel writer. She teaches at the distance of town. (For extra University of Florida. Parener’s Branch Trail, http://www.highsprings.com http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - April 2013

US Airways - April 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Ballpark Food
Hub Crawl: San Francisco International Airport
Wine & Dine: 20 Wines Under $20
Wine & Dine: True Brew: Puerto Rico Coffee
Great Tastes: Luna Red
Great Escapes: Couples Resorts
Adventure: Cape Ann, Massachusetts
Great Escapes: Fairmont San Francisco Hotel
Adventure: High Springs, Florida
Gear Up: Golf
Special Section: Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Travel Feature: Grazing in Venice, Italy
US Airways Feature: 50+ Year Employees
No Strings Attached: Brad Paisley
The Rise of Hotel Restaurants
Phoenix Flair
Celebrate New Orleans: Art. Culture. Music.
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - April 2013