~~~Florida State Parks Series - Suwannee River State Park~~~

Hello friends I am back home again and will try to get some post on our week away... You all know how much I like to party and have fun and boy did I have fun... Until then I am posting one of the Florida State Parks that we visited several weeks ago.

Now that it is slowing down for a while I want to share a few of the

Florida State Parks we visited have visited....

The first one I want to highlight is the Suwannee River State Park...

Suwannee River was among the first parks to become part of the Florida State Park system. An original 300 acres was purchased in 1936. The park now has more than 1800 acres in three counties: Suwannee, Madison, and Hamilton. The river hums with echoes of history - of the booming days of plantations and logging empires, of the high times of paddle-wheel boats steaming up and down the river, of the long disorientation after the Civil War, and of the quiet persistence of strong pioneers who lived off this land and profited from the rivers. About a quarter mile past the ranger station, a high bluff overlooks the spot where the Withlacoochee River joins the Suwannee River on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. South of the junction of the rivers, an earthworks was constructed by the Confederates during the Civil War. Its main purpose was to protect the railroad bridge across the Suwannee. Essential supplies, such as the beef, salt, and sugar needed to feed the Confederate armies, were shipped by rail to Georgia. Union troops dispatched from Jacksonville to capture the bridge were turned back near Olustee in a hard fought battle on February 20, 1864. Other remnants from the past include one of the state´s oldest cemeteries, and a paddle-wheel shaft from a 19th century steamboat. Five trails, ranging from a quarter mile to 18 miles, loop through surrounding woodlands and provide panoramic views of the rivers. Other activities include fishing, picnicking, and canoeing;

for overnight stays, the park has a full-facility campground and cabins.

Located 13 miles west of Live Oak, off U.S. 90.

Entrance to Park & Road above the Suwannee River

Campsites & Boardwalk through the park

Suwannee River & Turtles basking in the sun

Swift River & the spot where the Withlacoochee River joins the Suwannee River

I hope you enjoyed the first park in the series of Florida State Parks

Next Big LagoonState Park in Pensacola

Until Later