Friend Sandra - Explorers Guide North Florida & the Panhandle ()

Copyright 2018 by The Countryman Press
Copyright 2012, 2007 by Sandra Friend and Kathy Wolf
Photographs 2018 by Sandra Friend and John Keatley
Maps by Erin Greb Cartography The Countryman Press

All rights reserved

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Series book design by Chris Welch
Production manager: Devon Zahn
Series cover design by Steve Attardo
Cover photograph Fallbrook / Getty Images / iStockphoto

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978-1-68268-134-3 (pbk.)

978-1-68268-135-0 (e-book)

To the fellow globetrotters in our family, Jim Keatley and Sally White
keep sharing the memories, and keep making more!
Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow. Anita Desai

EXPLORE WITH US!

Welcome to the third edition of Explorers Guide North & the Panhandle , the original comprehensive travel guide to this diverse region. No paid advertisers are included in this guide. All attractions, accommodations, restaurants, and shopping have been included by your authors on the basis of merit and personal experience. The following points will help you understand how the guide is organized.

WHATS WHERE The book starts out with a thumbnail sketch of the most important things to know about traveling in Florida, from where the waterfalls are (yes, waterfalls!) to which beaches you should head to first. Weve included important contact information for state agencies and advice on what to do when youre on the road.

LODGING All selections for accommodations in this guide are based on merit. Most of them were inspected personally or by a reliable source known to us. No businesses were charged for inclusion in this guide. Many bed and breakfasts do not accept pets or children, so if there is not a specific mention in their entry, ask about their policy before you book a room. Some places have a minimum-stay requirement, especially on weekends. Vacation rentals are mentioned where relevant (see ).

ONE OF TWO SUSPENSION BRIDGES ACROSS THE RAVINE AT RAVINE GARDENS STATE PARK, PALATKA

RATES Rates quoted for lodgings are for double occupancy, one night, before taxes, and only include resort fees when noted. When a range of rates is given, it runs the gamut from the lowest of the low season (which varies around the region) to the highest of the high season. Rates for hotels and motels are subject to further discount, with programs offered through organizations such as AAA and AARP, and may be negotiable depending on occupancy. Most private campgrounds offer discounts to members of certain affiliate clubs, like Good Sam or Thousand Trails. Local, state, and federal campgrounds may offer active military, senior, resident, and veterans discounts as well.

DINING Restaurants in Florida are more casual than anywhere else in the United Statesyoull find folks in T-shirts and shorts walking into the dressiest of steak houses. If a restaurant has a dress code, its noted. Destinations farther from the beach tend to have dressier clientele, especially in city centers. Smoking is not permitted within restaurants in Florida if the bulk of the businesss transactions are in food rather than drink. Many restaurants now provide an outdoor patio for smokers.

Your feedback is appreciated for subsequent editions of this guide. Feel free to write us via Countryman Press, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 or reach us online at trailsandtravel.com.

CONTENTS

MAPS

F or assisting with our research on this edition, wed like to thank Kaitlin Harris, Hayworth PR; Barbara Golden, Floridas Historic Coast; John Pricher, Visit Gainesville; Laurie Rowe and Ruth Sykes Birch, Laurie Rowe Communications; Dan Rowe, Jayna Leach, and Catie Feeney, Visit Panama City Beach; and members of Riverway South, including Program Manager Betty Webb, Christy Andreasen with Jackson County, Ashley Pettis with Holmes County, Heather Lopez of Visit Washington County, and Janice McClean with Walton County. Weve been fortunate to attend two recent Florida Outdoor Writers Association conferences in this region, with thanks to Floridas Suwannee River Valley/Columbia County and Flagler County for granting attendees special access to attractions and tours worth writing about.

We couldnt have explored such a large regionseven hours driving end to endwithout help, so many thanks to friends who pitched in with extended lodgings, personal recommendations, research, and/or good meals, including Linda and Jerry Benton, Dawn Brown, Don and Kathy Ford, Laura Hallem and Robert Seidler, Debi Lander, Linda Patton, Mary McKinley, and Sally and Randal White. Thanks, too, to our friends Tim and Ami Seener for coming to the rescue when the car battery died during a research trip.