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.

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.

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!!

Great time. Great service. We caught 15 different species in one morning.read more

We went out with Tyler three times on our recent trip to Jacksonville. We were staying on the St…read moreJohn's River and had access to a boat, so we wanted someone to show us where and how to fish. Tyler explained that the SJR is hard fishing, with the brackish water. Fishing will be better there in a couple of months when the shrimp come in and the big fish follow, and fishing would be better out of St Augustine, but we had the boat on SJR, so he obliged. The first day we went out on Tyler's boat. He was so helpful, explaining the right tackle, spots, what to look for and how to do it and caught fish. Next day we went out on our own and realized that we needed more help, so we hired Tyler a 2nd time as 'mate'. He went on our boat with us, and supplied all of the tackle and bait. We caught several fish, reds, trout, flounder, catfish. After this 2nd lesson we were successful on our own. At the end of the week we went out of St. Augustine oh his charter and much better fishing - constant action and we brought home trout, redfish, flounder and had an awesome time. My husband has PPA, and Tyler was so very good with him - helping him to catch the big ones. Our group highly recommends Tyler and Last Call Fishing Charter. He grew up in this area and knows his stuff. He is a hard and fast worker, making sure you have fresh bait, the right spots, and every possible chance to catch the big ones. Great fishing skills and people skills! Awesome boat and gear. Go with him and his recommendations, or he will customize a trip for you on his boat or your boat as captain or mate.

Bienville is not worth the prices they are asking,especially for bass fishing. You can fish…read morecenteral Florida for half the price and catch a much better quality of fish.

The fishing experience at Bienville Outdoors leaves much to be desired. I spent 3days and 4 nights…read moreat the lodge, staying in one of their cabins. the cabins were clean and quite nice. The food was generally good but breakfast was a cold bacon & egg biscuit sandwich delivered to the cabin the day beforehand. We were expected to heat these up in the microwave in the am before fishing. The fishing itself was a big disappointment. First of all, the guide we were assigned showed up in the worst guide owned fishing boat I have ever seen. Seats were torn, the motor would not run above idle speed, the depth finder was broken, etc. In addition, the guide had not been on the lakes in years. The fishing itself was quite poor. This place is advertised as a "big fish factory". It's anything but. We caught no fish over 2 lbs and the majority were considerably less than that. Save your money. This is a very expensive trip which is definitely not worth the money.

Don't expect a big beach or anything but a cute coastal, quiet fishing town. Most places were off…read moreseason closed when I visited but it is a quaint place. Also it is a short trip from my Dad's house in Ocala. We took a boat ride to visit the neighboring by boat only islands. It is such an interesting place with an intriguing, dark history. The whole bird and snake island mystery was a bit freaky. So the pier is very lovely. I did not go fishing since I just wanted a day trip to the water, but you should. I had a nice walk up and down the pier. It has a bathroom and a great view. Lots of people out enjoying the nice weather trying to catch some fish. The pier is up against a bunch of shops and eateries. Take a walk around town too. My soul craves the water.

This is such a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. Cedar Key is a little Florida treasure. Located…read morein the armpit of Florida this tiny place is like a mini Key West. Filled with some nice mom and pop shops and restaurants. Simply magical.

Came here expecting a hiking trail and was sorely disappointed. The description sets the…read moreexpectation of a beautiful hidden gem of a nature preserve with boating facilities and a nature trail. The closest to "boating facilities" was a small dock where you could drop a kayak into the black muddy water. The "trail" was a strip of dirt and pine needles that stretched roughly 200 meters along the side of the water until you could no longer walk through the brush. Very disappointed! The two people fishing in the brown water looked miserable.

This is a nice multi-purpose hideaway preserve and park in northern Duval County. Good for…read moreboating, hiking, fishing, and more. It is right on Thomas Creek and has a boat dock, fishing pier, covered picnic area, bathroom facilities (though not very clean), water fountains, and hydrants among other amenities. There are pristine views of the creek, landscape, and preserve. Truly a near hidden gem.

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!