This music park is my favorite festival venue I have ever been to. The place is beautiful and clean. I love the Spanish moss and the sun shining through the trees. The lake is scenic and there are many things to do and see around the park. One of the best features is the ability to camp wherever you want, unlike most festivals where you have to camp in line with everyone where they tell you to. Camping under the trees feels like a true camping experience and you can even have fires here. Water spigots are plentiful so getting water is a breeze. In the venue there's even a regular bathroom with flush toilets which is a really nice touch. I've been here for two events: tipper and friends as well as Hulaween. I love this place so much I can't wait to come back again read more

Suwannee River Jam - Just hangin out - Festivals Near Me - Live Oak, Florida

See all

A most magical place! The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park & Campground is an insanely unique music venue that hosts 4 or 5 large-scale fests a year, as well as a beautiful and idyllic North Florida campground on regular, non-festival days. Located in Live Oak, way down upon the Suwannee river, the crown gem of this park has to be their natural amphitheater stage built right into the woods. It's a sight you have to see to truly believe, but since I'm writing a review, I'll try to paint you a picture. Imagine you're standing in a forest that starts to dip low, like shallow bowl. Follow wooden steps down to the center, through the trees, to a clearing where hundreds of people are gathered, waiting. Suddenly.. LIGHTS! MUSIC! Yellow, purple, blue and red shoot out and spread wide, illuminating the dark woods and filling the crowd with excitement as the music starts bouncing off the trees, reverberating back to the crowd and out to the furthest corner of the park. It's a concert like no other, and all who have experienced it become united by the memory. Festivals here go all night as attendees run around like kids on the loose until 5 am and later. Hop from stage to stage and see who's making sweet music, or romp around the campsites to see friends old and new. It's an adult playground made of nature; a blessing to enjoy. During the day, you can hang on the beach and swim in the river. If you're feeling brave go for the rope swing; just hold on to your tops ladies! :) I've never had the pleasure of camping at SOS on a non-festival weekend, but I can't imagine a place more peaceful. After attending six festivals here, I have to say I'm a lifelong fan. This is a must-see in the wild and wonderful state of Florida. read more

See all

Lovely area , like the park and facilities for events. Great eateries, bar , stages indoors and out! Plus many other RV parks close by. Fishing too! read more

Best live festival venue I've ever been to. The environment is like nothing I've ever seen. Id come camping here even if there weren't kick ass festivals. Pros: solid general store with everything you would ever need at FAIR prices. Good luck finding that anywhere else. Lots of cools trees to set up a hammock and watch good tunes, Spanish moss. read more

See all

Best camping/music park in America, hands down! Between the boundless amounts of laughter and music at the multiple bond fires, one might have a hard time fitting in time for swimming in the river or pool, disk golf, biking/hiking/equestrian trails etc... The amount of things to do is only limited by ones amount of time, energy and imagination. If you're more of a quiet or Back To Nature person, call ahead and make sure there's not a big Festival going on first. If you like big festivals, little festivals, bluegrass (ever Saturday)or perhaps a classic camper show , then this is the place! There truly is something here for everyone. read more

Suwannee River Jam - Festivals Near Me - Live Oak, Florida

If you are a canoe fanatic and you love camping in the wild, this is definitely for you! If you like to camp and like to canoe a bit, this is still a good trip, you can plan distances and camp on the beaches, but it's hit or miss if there's anyone already on the beaches, when the water level is low enough you get better options for beaches and was the case when we went, however, it also makes for more difficulty passing through the lowest points in the river causing you to get out and pull the boat through. That wasn't much fun but it only happened twice and for not very long distances. The beaches are scary though - alligators, raccoons, hogs, deer, coyotes, anything can get to you and unless you have a hatchet in one hand and a fire in the other, they may not stay away. Luckily we went in colder times and the animals are less likely to stalk and eat you. The river was black, that turned me off immediately and made for a very scary first night and I didn't sleep a wink, there was lots of commotion in the water - swear it was a huge sturgeon.... After the first night, I calmed down a bit, but on the 2nd day, looking for a nice beach to spend the night we found alligator remains.....OMG - we went to another destination which was quite nice and we didn't find many animal tracks on that beach. We found plenty of wood, had to hunt for some at one beach, but not too far or difficult and every night we had fire til almost dawn and started a fire each morning for warmth. All in all it turned out to be a good trip, the weather was awesome, the low level of water was better than having high levels and we made it back safe and sound but I probably wouldn't do it again. I'd rather car camp in northern GA or TN or NC between Labor Day and Memorial Day. :) read more

Many love it but I feel it is expensive and prohibitive for families. Artists are always great and venue is beautiful but bring your wallet even for a primitive camp experience. Also a Great source of revenue for local law enforcement as they protect us from intoxicated drivers and people using illicit substances. read more

A group of us got a "cabin" at this place last weekend and were shocked when we got there. 1. The "Cabins" are actually small single wide trailers circa 1987? And while they are not totally run down, they are not in great shape. The 12" TV and non-working tape deck were among the highlights it had to offer. 2. At check in the woman at the front desk had some kind of affliction (like poison oak?) over her whole body, including her eyes which were almost swollen shut, and she kept rubbing them and then handling my credit card and paperwork. 3. The camp ground was 50% hippies, 25% rednecks, 25% retired folks, which was an interesting mix and we met some nice people. 4. The bugs were pretty thick, which you expect fro FLA, but still it needs to be said. 5. We kept reading about the "Bubba Slide" and when we got there they said it was closed 6. The pool was so nasty from lack of maintenance that after the first swim when we pulled literally 30 strands of 7"+ hairs out of it that were stuck to us we didn't go back in. 7. The whole time we were there we kept running into to really sad looking 5-7 year old kids whose parents apparently worked at the place that were basically running around on their own looking for something to do. 8. I stood in the restaurant for 5 minutes before walking into the kitchen and then the back area and never found anyone working, so I poured some coffee and left money on the counter. 8. People were partying and driving golf carts at all hours of the day and night, so that it was actually louder than our house in the city. I could go on and on, but I guess the bottom line is that if you go to this place for a show it sounds pretty cool, but if you are looking for a nice quiet spot to rent a cabin, this is not it. read more

Suwannee River Jam - Sums up the quality of the single wide trailer.. I mean "Cabin" that we stayed in - Festivals Near Me - Live Oak, Florida

See all

As the pre-act electronic intro music played, a giant LED equipped hula hoop came flying at my head. I ducked behind a lady's brightly flashing jelly fish style (Christmas lights for legs either swinging akimbo, or undulating depending on the beat at the time) totem/umbrella. There would be a collision involving me and some form of hippy nun-chuka or spinning rave equipment eventually; of that, I was certain. I was at the Amphitheater Stage to see LOGIC the rapper. When he looked out on the crowd, he must have been momentarily confused by the hallucinogen lit underpants clad Electronic Dance Music crowd mixed in with the tie dyed bedecked jam banders. This mixture of revelers converged as the multiple DJ robot stages and the generically famous jam band anchoring the event, The String Cheese Incident, were all on break. If one had the need to squeeze out the last bit of bounce from the Molly or whatever other goofballs were coursing through the blood of the collective, LOGIC was the only show around for the next hour. Logic was kind of preachy and definitely out of his element. "Before I get started," he said "I want you to know I stand for one thing, "Peace, love, and unity." And I'm spinning in circles like: that's three things AMIRITE? But not one person around me cared. Logic continued. "Now look to your left, and look to your right. For this show you are family." I looked forward, because I hate bossy MC's; the fellow on my left was not having it. He had on glitter and a g-string and tapped my shoulder to offer me some of his drugs to smoke. I walked away to stand by a tree. Later LOGIC went to great lengths to get one side of the audience to "out yell" the another side, which I found to be quite a divisive thing for a unity type performer to do. My side of the crowd was not as loud as the other side. That always makes me feel kind of low. Yet, I was going to stay. Then he started preaching. His message: "Money is not the root of all happiness." That has a few problems. First this is straw-man argument. There is something in the bible about the love of money being the root all evil. I think it is from Jesus and it is still a broad statement in itself; you can find support for that position if you take out the "all." But no one, who I am aware of, who has any relevance, says "money is the ROOT OF ALL HAPPINESS in the first place." Maybe in some sub-set of the hip hop genre there is a "make money at all costs because it is the best thing ever" message that Logic feels he needs to speak to. Those folks were not at this festival. I felt like he was just mailing it in. Also, he walked a very slippery slope stating that he raps for love and not the money. You can't really say that without offering some refund checks to the folks who paid around $300.00 for a weekend ticket. I walked away a little early. This is my review. read more

I think I'd have to come to a music festival here to fully "get" this place. I went camping here with a group of people this past weekend- the camping area was nice, so I have no complaints about that. However, if I went camping in the summer, it wouldn't be here for one single reason: the river is brown. I mean, literally tea colored. Gross. If I was camping during summer, I'd go by a lake or river that I was comfortable getting into, and this isn't it! read more

I came here during "Hulaween" A Halloween celebration music festival. The place was extremely beautiful you're very far away from city lights so the stars really show well! Lots of Spanish moss trees you camp around give it a nice cool feel. Set up for the festival was fantastic the lighting was done perfect to make the woods come to life! Seeing everyone having fun in their costumes and it was pet friendly just gave it a good vibe. I would come back. read more

Spirit of Suwannee is to be loved on a multitude of levels. Camping, music, Christmas Lights, food campfires, swimming just to name a few. We have been coming here for over 15 years. We typically travel from the East coast of Florida to the Alabama - Mobile Bay Area. This is a great midway point to set up our RV or primitive camp site. The Christmas light drive and walk through can easily take an hour offering awe and pure delight! The miss covered trees add romance and charm to the campsites as does the tall grasses in the field. Always nice to wander the property and then head to the music hall for some fantastic tunes! Camp store- Bear Necessities is ok for bare necessities., if you need something best to stop at the Busy Bee on your way in. *** If you want to crash just got a quick overnight.. And it's a holiday or festival weekend, call first. Their rates go up and $55 is a ridiculous amount to pay for a tent site for less than a 12 hr stay. And of course there is the brown river... Charming, great place to take a dip, jump from a rope or paddle... Although we have not YET paddled:) read more

See all

Probably one of the best venues for live music I've been to. In New England, you get a lot of festivals with stages set up in large fields with no shade, which is ... great, but unoriginal and can be HOT. Spirit of Suwannee had the COOLEST amphitheater ever, under the canopy of probably two or three dozen huge trees, dripping with spanish moss. Hammocks were set up everywhere and one could just put up residency in one, chill out and listen to a bunch of really great music for the afternoon. Their smaller stage was on the porch of a barn and their big act stage was, as in New England, in a field, but with plenty of trees offering shade and tents set up. Not that I'll likely have an opportunity to go again, but given the chance, I would totally go down to party with these folks again!!! Great people, great music, great place. read more

Beautiful campground and fantastic music venue. Sites range from full electric/water hook ups to primitive. There are bathroom/shower buildings scattered throughout the park as well as porta johns. The park can go from very peaceful and quiet to more than 20,000 people depending on the weekend and what event is taking place (check their schedule if you're just looking for a quiet weekend getaway). Down at the river there is a fairly large sandy beach area for sun bathing and swimming and a canoe livery to rent a boat or put in your own. There is an excellent 18 hole disc golf course with cement tee pads and 2 levels of tees (red/blue). There is a large general store, a bar/restaurant, and arts and crafts type shops. There is a bat house where you can go watch thousands of bats take flight at dusk and thank them personally for eating up a lot of the mosquitoes. There seems to be a resident owl that we always hear on quiet nights. You can also rent golf carts, and cruising the park with decorated golf carts blaring southern rock seems to be a popular pastime of the regulars. As previously mentioned, the amphitheater stage is really beautiful with large trees dripping Spanish moss and plenty of room to hang your hammock or set up a comfortable chair in the shade. Beautiful one of a kind setting that hosts some really fabulous music festivals. read more

I love Christmas and the magic of the season. We happened on this Festival of Lights by accident. Weather in stone mountain cut our trip short so we decided to stop here camp for the night, and check out the festivities. The cost is $6.00 per person, but if you are staying on the premises you get a coupon. Of course the employees were awesome. Very friendly and polite. When you first drive up all you see is a cascade of clear lights. That was so pretty. However, as we kept driving the displays became tacky. At one point Santa was on a John Deere tractor and right next to him was a figure crouched down wearing a sombrero. Maybe I read too much into that, but I think you see where I'm going with this without putting it in writing. In a few displays there were mannikins that were so creepy I thought they were left over from Halloween. Driving by Santa's workshop one could see Santa's big red rear end and a clown doing flips. The clown was creepy. However, with all that aside the end was beautiful with more cascades of clear lights and trees wrapped in solid colored lights. The red trees were our favorites. When we completed the drive through we could have taken the walking tour, but the rain caught up to us so that was not an option. read more

See all

I love the venue and have said many times that it is my favorite place to experience a festival, but it has a serious flaw. The camp grounds are federal property so unwarranted searches of private camp sites are allowed. This allows for what would normally be illegal search and seizures. The police arrest a certain amount of people every festival to harvest money for the county in many cases ruining the opportunities of college students that would otherwise go on to be successful members of society and not develop drug problems. It is no secret that music festivals are were people go to party. This fact is being abused. There were people sitting around their campfire near someone smoking and being arrested as well with no evidence they were smoking. There were people being searched on suspicion the arrested with miniscule amounts of pot or LSD. These people are victims of a corrupt system. A officer admitted to me that he "loved cocaine but didn't do it while in uniform." This isn't justice it's hurting non violent citizens. The police need stronger regulation put upon them. When I was arrested in my friend's van I was out of sight with the only suspicious activity being that there was a light on in the van. I was ripped out of the van with my friends searched and arrested. I lost my house, the truck I was about to buy and my business. For going to a festival to have a good time and party safely. If you go here planning to party in a way not understood by society at large, be careful to only speak in code, do everything in your tent, be at the music when the music is going on, do not camp near the lake, run, keep an eye out always, protect the people that help you to have a good time. read more

Warning. Unsafe. People will steal your stuff here. I've been to a number of campgrounds and festivals but have never been a victim of theft like I was here. Had a small primitive campground side and hung a tapestry outside the tent. Someone came by and stole the tapestry. It was a peace sign. Really. Sad. It's an ok place but NEVER think that your personal belonging are safe here. You should pack up everything, everyday, before going out on a day trip if you value your belongings. read more

Music lives here! I truly enjoy the multiple music festivals to choose from, the great campground, and multiple festivities to keep everyone happy. It is relaxing in Suwannee! It doesn't matter what kind of music you like... they have a festival for it. The campground offers cabins for rent. Plenty of primitive camping and clean restrooms. I have yet to meet a stranger in this place! read more

Wannee music festival was more fun than I can say. We will be going back again every year for the festival. A really great venue and a really great show. read more

OK so we went back to camp again hoping that out experience would be better but it wasn't it was worse....the bathrooms are still disgusting in the men's bathroom the urinal is right next to the sink...the so called life guard that was there down at the beach was overweight so how r they gonna run down the hill to save anyone if their help was needed.....does no good to rent a golf cart because u can't drive down to the beach parking lot u have to park away from it and walk.....and u can't just pay for one night of camping u have to pay for two nights. read more

I'll start by saying we enjoy Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park for its festivals, primitive camping, and "sweet tea" river, as it's fondly referenced. However, I do NOT recommend the cabins. We've been coming to the park for several years now for festivals and decided to enjoy Easter weekend with a group of friends, following their wedding at Suwannee State Park. What a rip off! I'll start with the price. For 4 people to stay in a, "smaller-than-a-single-wide" trailer, it cost $140! It would have been $110, but they charge $10 for each additional guest. Sheesh! I've payed less to stay the night at a Bed & Breakfast. Disappointment #2 came with the conditions of the "cabin." We stayed in cabin C, where we did have a nice view of the woods from the small living room. The furniture was minimal with a couch that looked like something from a last chance pile on the side of the road. (Normally, I'm down with comfy thrift couches, but not for $140 a night.) The bathroom was clean and the shower looked like it had been recently tiled, which was the only positive of the entire "cabin." However, the bathroom door barely shut and didn't include a lock. The tipping point for me was the lack of a door on the bedroom. Really guys??? The pocket where there should have been a door, was empty. Lastly, the communication wires among staff members seemed crossed. When we checked with the man at the entrance about having guests visit the cabin he said it would be fine and that all he needed me to do was let them know where we were staying, so that they could tell him. They arrived and did as they were told. However, when they pulled into the park they were scolded by a lady, who I guess manages the cabins??? Our friends informed her that they were our guests to which she stated wasn't allowed for clearance. That information would have been useful at the front gate folks. She went ahead and allowed them back only if they could bring one of us to the gate to verify they knew us- which was understandable, but warned that they needed to be out by 11:30pm. (I would understand this type of scolding geared towards young high school or sassy college-aged kids, but we are adults ranging from 30-60.) In short, Suwannee Music Park needs to work on their customer service, cabin quality, and communication. Next time, we will be staying at Suwannee State Park, where we can pay $100 for large 6-8 person cabins with porches and DOORS ON BEDROOMS! read more

This place is unbelievable! It's a place of power on Mother Earth nestled in the woods of North Florida. The park has a spiritual connection to all that is magical, free, and amazing! The cabin was the size of a hotel room, but had amenities beyond a hotel (deck, privacy, living area, etc); the river is brown, not from being dirty-those who want to learn about nature will understand that it is a natural occurence from the tannins secreted by the cypress trees in the Okeefenokee Swamp- It is a one-of-a-kind Blackwater river that is unique and wonderful and only seen in a few places on this Earth; the Park has been undergoing improvements and it shows, beautiful landscaping, consolidated playground area, cabin renovations, additional music festivals. The owners should be applauded for sharing this fabulously unique outdoor awesomeness with everyone. I for one say Thank you and keep up the great work. I will be back! read more