Visiting North Central Florida is an adventure all by itself. There just is no other place quite like this in the world. Many times more cows than people - very rural. You can canoe or kayak literally hundreds of rivers, creeks and their tributaries. For that matter the beautiful Gulf of Mexico is wonderful canoeing and kayaking on a calm days, of which there are many. A word of warning here though - the Gulf can also be deadly in storms - enough said about that!

There are more fresh water springs in this area than anywhere else on earth. This country lies on top of a porous limestone layer that holds the water and forms what's known as the Florida Aquifer. Anytime this comes near the surface or a hole opens up a spring forms. Swimming or diving summer or winter is a comfortable, but a bit chilly compared to the summer air, 72° year round. In fact, this is the cave diving capital of the world, attracting divers from all over to experience the wonders of underwater caverns. However, another warning, this can be dangerous if you're not trained and certified for cave diving, a totally different thing from open water diving.

One of the biggest attractions in this unique part of the world is the mighty Suwannee River - Remember "Way Down Upon the Suwannee River?"

Near the headwaters, which are in the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia, is the town of White Springs which has the Nature and Heritage Tourism Center and the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. White Springs is also the beginning of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail which winds 207 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Many hardy folks have canoed or kayaked the entire trail, which has camping points approximately every 10 miles.

The area covered in what we consider North Central Florida is bounded by Gainesville, the City of Trees and home to the University of Florida (the well known Gators) on the east and Tallahassee, the state capital, a center of old south plantation country and home to Florida State University on the west. The northern border is the Georgia state line and we consider the southern border of North Florida to be around Ocala, the home of one of the oldest tourist attractions in Florida (and nature based), Silver Springs (the largest spring in the state). Try canoeing or kayaking the spring run, known as the Silver River, if you want a beautiful ride drifting downstream in a fairly swift current or a hardy paddle upstream a ways, drifting back when ready.

Check out more links here or with the button below and be ready for one of the finest adventures of your lifetime during your lifetime during your visit to North Central Florida. Hey - we live here and still find it a never ending adventure!