Although we have spent the majority of our life journey together living outside of Florida, as natives we've seen quite a bit of the "sunshine state" through the years. Surprisingly, one area fairly close to where we grew up, that neither one of us had spent hardly any time enjoying as children, or as a couple, was the area known as Florida's Nature Coast. Tuesday morning, we set off from Anna Maria Island for a four-night adventure to check out a few of the highlights of this area.
According to Wikipedia, Florida's Nature Coast is an eight-county region (Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus, Hernando and Pasco) on Florida's west (Gulf) coast. The name "Nature Coast" isn't an official designation. It originated in 1991 as a marketing campaign in hopes of drawing visitors from the theme parks around Orlando and the better-known beaches of the lower west coast and east coast. The campaign certainly worked because more than 30 years later the name "Nature Coast" is prominent throughout the region. While the growth has been slower than in many areas of the state, tourism and the economy of the nature coast area are doing quite nicely while maintaining an "old Florida" feel.
Tourism in the Nature Coast region isn't for families looking for a white sandy beach, a particular mouse, or stomach-churning thrill rides. There are a few beaches, but most of the coastal area is protected marsh land. Mickey Mouse lives close to two hours away and there are no screams coming from massive roller coasters. Folks are drawn to the Nature Coast to experience a more laid-back area of Florida. Fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling, diving in spring fed rivers, and hiking and biking numerous trails through protected lands is what this area is all about. Time can also be spent enjoying roaming around small towns with locally owned shops and restaurants. Winter in the Nature Coast is popular with both humans and a certain animal. When the gulf water temperatures drop, thousands of manatees migrate to the warmer waters of the spring fed Crystal River and Homosassa Rivers.
We chose to stay in Crystal River, which is located in Citrus County, and is close to the mid-point of the Nature Coast region. Exploring eight counties in four days certainly wasn't in the plans, but we did have somewhat of an idea of what we wanted to see and do in the southern most four counties. Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor and Dixie counties will have to be for another visit.
Day 1-Weeki Wachee Springs and Fort Island Beach
The name Weeki Wachee was given to the springs by the Seminole Indians who inhabited the area in the 1700's. Archeological evidence recovered from around the springs indicate that it has existed for thousands of years. Everyday close to 150 million gallons of 72-74 degree water flows from the springs, (which are the deepest naturally occurring springs in the United States), and down the short (approximately 10 miles), winding river to the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1947 a retired Navy officer named Newt Perry set out to develop an underwater show based on breathing techniques he had learned while in the military. The first underwater theater he built held a whopping 18 people. Word of the underwater show featuring mermaids doing tricks such as turning flips, eating an apple and drinking a coke while breathing through an air hose that closely resembled a standard garden hose spread quickly, and soon a larger theater was built. The attraction became so popular that at one point it was owned by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).
In addition to the mermaid show, there is a short boat ride, ranger talks, and Buccaneer Bay which features a sandy beach, water slides and swimming area where you can swim in the same chilly water as the mermaids. We opted to pass on swimming, but certainly enjoyed the several hours we spent at Weeki Wachee Springs before heading northward thirty miles to our hotel in Crystal River.
The end of a great first day on Florida's Nature Coast
One place in the Nature Coast that we had visited previously was Cedar Key. The sun has risen and set a few times since our last visit, which was a day trip while we were in college.
Cedar Key is an island city with less than 1,000 residents. It is located in Levy County and is listed as Florida's second oldest city (St. Augustine is the oldest). It was about an hour drive from our hotel in Crystal River. The tagline for the city is "Out of the way, and better for it". I certainly couldn't agree more!
First of all, to get to Cedar Key you have to be trying to get there or really lost. It can be found at the end of Sate Road 24, 21 miles west of the flashing light at the intersection of State Road 24 and Highway 98. The closest interstate highway (I-75) is still another 30+ miles away in Gainesville.
Arriving in Cedar Key instantly brought a smile to my face. First of all it reminded me of visiting there with Beth so many years ago, and how grateful I am for this crazy life journey we've had together. Second, it was evident that while there had been some change in Cedar Key over the past forty plus years, the change had been minimal, especially compared to most of Florida. The three weather worn restaurants along A Street are still there and looking even more weather worn. There are a few other locally owned shops, restaurants and galleries, but for the most part it remains much as I remember it way back in the day.
We parked the car on 2nd street, made a brief stop in the library and visitors center and spent most of our time exploring Cedar Key the way it should be explored, if possible, on foot. As you would imagine, everything in Cedar Key is casual.
For lunch we chose Tony's Restaurant on 2nd street so we could enjoy their clam chowder. Unbeknownst to us before doing a little research, Tony's won three consecutive clam chowder world championships and was inducted into the Clam Chowder Hall of Fame in 2011. Heck, we didn't even know there was a Clam Chowder Hall of Fame! There's so much to learn out there!
There really aren't any particular "must see" sights, the whole island city is a must see for anyone looking for that location that's getting harder to find...... small, quaint and not over developed. It was great to get back to Cedar Key. Hopefully they'll keep resisting change, and hopefully it won't take us another forty years before we pay it another visit.
Day 3-Homosassa Springs.........Lu, living large at the wildlife park!
The Florida Aquifer is a layer of underground porous rock that serves as a reservoir that feeds water to more than 1000 springs in Florida. The great majority of these springs lie from Tampa, northward. A large concentration of these springs can be found in the nature coast, especially in the Crystal River area. Homosassa Springs is the name of a particular set of springs, and also the name of the community just a few miles from Crystal River.
The springs are located within the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The springs feed into the Homosassa River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. As with the springs at the headwater of Crystal River, they are a gathering point for manatees once the gulf water temperature begins to drop. In addition to the migrating manatees, the wildlife park serves as a rehabilitation center for injured manatees and other animals, as well as a permanent home for some native animals that can't be reintroduced into the wild.
There is a small admission fee for the wildlife park, but it's well worth the price. We enjoyed the boat ride down the river to the main entrance, as well as strolling around the shaded 196 acre park. Of course we enjoyed seeing Lu. However, at his age he doesn't move around too much these days!
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park
With it's close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, there are numerous boating opportunities including charter fishing, sightseeing and airboat rides. There is also a commercial fishing fleet based out of Homosassa Springs, so there is plenty of fresh seafood available. Thanks to a little research by Beth, we enjoyed a great lunch at a small food trailer (Wild Sassa) along the waterfront. I assume that the amazing fish tacos came from one of the boats docked just a few steps away.
Smoked Mullet and Boiled Peanuts sold from the same trailer. One more reason to visit the Nature Coast!
In keeping with the casual seafood/food trailer/waterfront theme, we enjoyed a shrimp dinner at Shrimp Landing Seafood in Crystal River. The food there was also amazing, and the ambiance was right up our alley. It was outdoors overlooking the water. We watched the charter fishing boats return with their clients, all of whom seemed quite pleased with their days adventure. Shrimp Landing was just a few miles from Fort Island Beach, so after a huge meal of shrimp we headed out for another sunset at the nice beach that we discovered on day one of this adventure.
Day 4-Crystal River...........Three Sisters and a Kings Bay Cruise
Although we had seen bits and pieces of Crystal River over the three previous days, we dedicated our last full day to Crystal River. First up was a visit to Three Sisters Springs, which is part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. As you can probably guess, there are three main springs within the spring area, which is located on the east side of Crystal Rivers Kings Bay. It, too, is a popular gathering place for manatees during the winter months.
There is a small entrance fee to get into the Three Sisters Springs by land. Parking at the site is limited to just a few handicapped spaces, however you can walk in, bike in or take the shuttle from the visitor's center that is located just a few blocks away. The springs has an affiliation with the national park service, so if you have a national park pass you can get a small discount off the admission price. The admission price fluctuates by season and is higher in the winter when the manatees are present. Although a few manatees call the area home year round, most have left now that the gulf water temperature has risen a few degrees, so the offseason rates have gone into effect. There is a nicely shaded boardwalk around the perimeter of the springs and a few trails through the 57 acre park that we enjoyed.
Once "manatee season" is over you can also paddle into the springs in a canoe or kayak, or swim into the area. Although it was a weekday, there were quite a few folks who had opted to enter the springs by paddling or swimming. A couple of things to note, if you paddle or swim in, you cannot exit the water within the springs area. If you come in by land, you cannot enter the water from within the springs area.
After spending time with the Three Sisters, we finished up the day with a one hour narrated cruise on Kings Bay. More than 70 springs feed close to 600 million gallons of water per day into Kings Bay. This cool, clear water then flows into the Crystal River and out to the Gulf of Mexico. Initially we had thought that we would kayak some, but ended up opting to take the easy way out, relaxing on a pontoon boat. We're used to seeing manatees around Anna Maria Island (AMI) and we had already seen a few scattered about over the three previous days. Shortly after leaving the dock, we came upon a small pod of 10-15 that were lazily enjoying a Friday afternoon floating around, munching on grass (they're vegetarians) and not paying any attention to the passengers on the boat that were ecstatic at the sighting. Narration along the journey was provided by an entertaining young man who had grown up in the area. He had some great information about all things Crystal River, as well as stories of the celebrities such as Elvis, John Travolta and Tom Petty who, like us, had spent some time enjoying Florida's Nature Coast!
Day 5................Busch Gardens and Kansas!
Our time on the Nature Coast had come to an end, but the adventure didn't end there. We have annual passes to Busch Gardens in Tampa, which was conveniently located along the short (2 hour) drive from Crystal River back to AMI. It was there, we were passing by, so why not? Especially since there were a couple of special events taking place.
On weekends from March 11-May 22 Busch Gardens is having their annual Food and Wine Festival. For a small fee, we were able to sample a number of different foods and drinks in a designated area of the park. We bought two passes that gave us the opportunity to select 10 different samples of food and drink which was plenty for us to enjoy throughout the day.
Lest you think we overconsumed on adult beverages and thought we were in Kansas, that's not the case. As the sun was setting, we enjoyed a concert by Kansas. They've been encouraging us to "Carry on Wayward Son" while reminding us that we're simply "Dust in the Wind" for fifty years. It was a real joy to watch these old rockers put on a great show. It was equally fun watching a bunch of old rockers in the audience enjoying listening to them.
We're now back on AMI, savoring the fact that most of the spring breakers and winter residents have left, and the summer crowds are still around six weeks away. Our next adventure is going to be a good one. It involves our favorite daughter coming cross country for a few days to visit with us, while Joey graciously holds down the fort with the kids in California!
