~~~Florida State Parks Series #2 - Lafayette Blue Springs~~~

Recently on our trip to North Florida we visited many of our State Parks... We do not always stay in them but we do take day trips to check them out. Whenever we travel no matter where, we visit as many State Parks, National Parks and Corp of Engineer Parks that we can. We keep several travel notebooks with maps and information on each park under the state name for future reference.

Lafayette Blue Springs State Park is an inviting source of cool, clear water which people have enjoyed for many years. The spring produces up to 168 million gallons of water daily, making it one of Florida's 33 first magnitude springs.

Swimming, diving, fishing, boating, picnicking are some of the most popular recreation at this park. You can enter the park by boat from the Suwannee River as well as by car from US 27. There is a beautiful shaded picnic area for you to enjoy a quiet lunch at. White-tailed deer, gray squirrels, red-shouldered hawks, pileated woodpeckers, and barred owls are some of the animals that can be found in the park. There is tent camping available but nothing for a RV. They also have new cabins that are available for rental. During rainy seasons sometimes the dark river water backs up into the springs making the springs appear to be black in color. When this occurs, swimming and diving is prohibited.

Lafayette Blue Spring is located 7 miles northwest of Mayo on the west side of the Suwannee River. From Mayo, drive northwest on US 27 for 4.3 miles Turn right on CR 292 and continue for 2.1 miles. Turn east on Blue Springs Road and go 0.2 miles to the park entrance. See red push pin in map for location.

Until later