Nice park with a view of the lake and a few picnic tables. This is a nice place to come chill for a…read morebit.

If you are driving around the local state roads you could be completely oblivious the massive Santa…read moreFe Lake which is on the outskirts of Melrose. Santa Fe Lake Park allows free access to the lake, an area to picnic, playground, and restrooms. There is a channel that goes from the boat ramp to the lake. I highly recommend if you do access the lake to make a note of where the channel to the boat ramp is as it is easily lost due to the many cypress trees that can hide it. Parking is ample as well. The park itself does not offer a view of the lake or any water activities other than the boat launch, it is a nice place to have a picnic. I launched my kayak from the boat launch, and enjoyed the park especially since it is free.

We had a great time on this airboat ride Saturday. Captain Bill knows his hood completely! We saw…read moregators, many birds, including a roseate spoonbill, and there's even a tame egret that they feed fish to by hand. Pity their website doesn't work. :(

Exactly what we were looking for in an airboat tour. Captain Bill was great. Had alot of…read moreinformation to share with us. If you are looking for an airboat tour this is the place to go.

The Great - if you are looking for a old Florida fish camp set in a rustic natural setting, you've…read morecome to the right place. The scenery and wildlife could not be any better. Several bald eagles were observed flying around the lake as well as other Florida wildlife. The Average- we rented two cabins (buildings were duplex style) and there was nothing special about them. They are fish camp lodging and pretty much what you would expect. They had a mini kitchenette with a small oven and burners which was nice and a little larger than mini fridge/freezer. The plates/cups/silverware situation could have been better. There were 3 of us and all of us couldn't eat at the same time if we decided to use their stuff. I had brought paper plates and plastic utensils which saved us. There a little table and 2 chairs, but my cooler provided me a "pull up" seat at the table so I didn't have to stand and eat. The boat ramp is in pretty rough shape and with the lake being low, it made it that much worse to launch. You had to back up as close to the dock as you could because it was told to us that there was a giant hole on the other side and someone had broken their trailer axle loading/unloading which is not a good thing when you're in the middle of nowhere. The on site restaurant was also closed down (not sure if its a temporary or permanent close down) but we packed food as we knew our cabin had a kitchenette. The Not So Good - We had issues with management regarding parking. I was parked parallel to the cabin early that day and we were asked to move because of truck/boat traffic (even though I was 100% positive that I was not in anyone's way) and so I did. That evening after dinner I parked (this time perpendicular in a little spot) next to the cabin again on the grass (and again 100% out of the way) and went in to set my things down when the lady came out yelling for me to move my car out of the grass and that I was blocking the way (which I am 100% sure I was NOT). I AM NOT KIDDING WHEN I SAY LESS THAN 1 MINUTE later a man came out yelling and someone in our party told him to "calm down, she's putting her stuff down and moving the car, chill out!" Well, I can tell you that this did not go over well with the man and woman who started yelling back. Needless to say (on both our parts) robust (nothing bad or threatening....the worse thing we said (and only curse word from us) was something to the effect of "what is this, the f-ing Hilton?" dialogue ensued (while I was moving the car) and they wanted to kick us out. I had walked into the middle of a "verbal" storm so I went in to the bait shop where they were calling the police to have us removed. I apologized for parking on the grass and told them that I was in fact moving it, they just did not give me enough time to unload my arms, grab my keys and move my vehicle. The woman accepted my apology but the man kept running his mouth until I finally asked what else could I do besides apologize to rectify the situation. The woman was fine with it but the man (I equate it to pissing on trees to show his marked territory) kept mumbling trash talk......if it hadn't been for this altercation, it would have been a good stay. So, the moral is make sure you don't park in the grass and if you have a boat, be careful on the boat ramp and you should be fine!

This little family run diner is a hidden gem. It's not fancy, but the food is honest and the…read morequality is quite good. It sounds cliche, but you'd be surprised. My husband stops here for a meal whenever he can on cross state business trips. Finally got to join him this time. We shared a Rueben sandwich (my favorite) with fries. The pastrami was made from scratch in house (as is their BBQ pork). From the little screened in porch, theres a lovely view of the lake framed by Spanish moss swaying in the trees. As we were finishing up, our five year old son was invited by the friendly and gracious owner to select a toy from the free gift box. Go enjoy the food and the quiet charm.

Park was easy to find, didn't cost much to get in just few dollars and has nice swim area and…read morelaunch to put in kayaks..

Rum Island is a park maintained by Columbia County. It offers access to the Santa Fe River for…read morelaunching boats (canoes and kayaks are especially popular) and access to a small spring for swimming. This spring is right on the river and will "brown-out" (become overflowed by dark river water and made less-appealing for swimming) when the river rises or when the natural flow of the spring decreases. Much of the time it is clear though and because the admission to Rum Island is free, it's a popular spot in the summer. I've free-dived the spring and it's often a bit dark but you sometimes can see a lot of fish. Though the county has provided a walkway and boardwalks leading into the spring, they only furnish Port-a-Potties for restrooms and there is nowhere (aside from your car) to change clothes and no showers. That said, let's be grateful to Columbia County for providing it at all. The name comes from the fact that the actual island which is in the river (and can be reached via canoe or swimming) was used apparently during Prohibition as a bootlegger's hideaway. Because it's now a county park, you cannot drink rum or any liquor here now, alas. Several families living on the long, twisting, road to the park have dogs and cats that may be in the road, so please go slow and be careful so you don't hit someone's pet.

Great place to spend some time. Nice shady spots, excellent trails, and the owners are sweet and…read moreaccommodating. Highly recommende.

We had the pleasure of visiting Kate's Fish Camp around Thanksgiving and have to say that owners…read moreMike & Monica were open, welcoming, & helpful throughout our visit. FYI- Monica,...not "Kate", is the current "proprietress", chuckling as folks tend to still address her as "Kate". Being Nature Lovers ourselves, we fully acknowledge the rationale for not having an on-site dump station, with such close proximity to natural waterways, and such. This information is freely shared when calling or upon arrival with the additional info provided of access to dump station at local Love's Travel Center in Hawthorne. Knowing this, arrive with empty tanks in your camper unit, to give you peace of mind & extra time. The water provided is great; Wifi Access -Kudos!; and the shower facility offers a wonderful, strong, steamy, hot-water flow with the added treat of seeing the moon & night sky above! The shower area and bathroom were always kept clean, well-stocked, and well-lit for evening visits. Our stay also followed the passes of both Helene & Milton...so things may have been looking a little rough... It was truly a pleasant surprise to have such easy access to the paved Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail, of which we made frequent use for biking; hiking; and all-around wild-life strolling....while greeting local fisherman along the way. Lots & Lots of wildlife!!...Actually saw 21 wild turkeys one morning, that came out of hiding right after Thanksgiving passed!! The entrance from the main road may be a bit bumpy from the pavement change, and possible weather impact, just be alert & as always,.. take your time. There are traffic sounds heard, due to easy access to & from the campground,...however, it served as white-noise during those times when we were inside the RV. The benefit of having a taste of "Old-Time" Florida with such ease of access to Restaurants; Services; Healthcare; Parks/preserves; Entertainment/Sports/Art venues; & shopping , pretty much gives the best of both worlds. Be sure to take a stroll to the Campsite Office be fore you depart & treat yourself by picking out one ( or more) of the many hand-made soaps; lotions; balms; shampoos; & "Swamp Juice" that Monica creates!....Don't forget to pick up a few extras for gifting those worthy friends & family members!!

Jennings State Forest is a gem in NE FL. I ventured out with a group yesterday to do the Dunn's…read moreFarm trail. I've also hiked much of the Pioneer Trail. The trails are well maintained and well marked with blazes. The trails take you through a wealth of biological diversity from pine forests to uplands that hug Black Creek and other smaller creeks. I haven't camped so can't speak to the campgrounds but the camp sites are well marked. Cost to visit is $2 pass that can be purchased online. The parking lot does not have good reception so better to purchase in advance. Parts of the trail is shaded but a lot of it is in the sun so be aware if visiting during the hotter months.

Great place to hike .keep your eyes on the trail.hiking these woods you will forget there are…read morecotton mouths and rattle snakes out there.keep your eye on the trail ahead of you.

Such a great place to visit & spend time if you are looking to refresh your soul, heart, spirit,…read moreand mind! My favorite part: Little Lake Johnson! It was clean, tranquil, beautiful, and peaceful! We chose the day pass option - only $5 per vehicle (up to eight people per vehicle)! In the future, we're looking forward to renting one of the cabins!

Really well-maintained park. There are a lot of good walking areas and trails. The rec center has…read moreclean bathrooms and a playground. There's also a bunch of picnic tables. It's nice and spread out. We took our two dogs and they did really well with these trails. Definitely a nice area!