Ichetucknee Springs State Park
The Ichetucknee River, located in North central Florida, flows six miles through shaded hammocks and wetlands before it joins the Santa Fe River. From the end of May until early September, tubing down the river is the main activity in the area.
Tubing on the Ichetucknee
In addition to tubing, visitors can enjoy picnicking, snorkeling,
Snorkeling on the Ichetucknee
canoeing swimming, hiking, and wildlife viewing. . White-tailed deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, wood ducks and great blue herons are just some of the wildlife that can be seen from the river.
Spectacular views like the one seen below can be found at the head spring on the north side of the park.
Spectacular view from Ichetucknee springs
One of the best memories from my visit was the fun conversation I had with some local guys from nearby Fort White.
Local guys from Fort White hanging out at Ichetucknee
In addition to the delicious all-you-can-eat country buffet Mio and I later went to, they clued us into some very interesting facts about the itchetucknee river like how the water temperature always stays at 72 degrees fahrenheit, so it really cools you down in the summer and keeps you warm in the winter. These guys all belong to the same soccer team and often drop by the springs for a refreshing swim after a tough practice.If Robert or Justin or any of the others read this, once again many thanks for the cool chat and useful tips. By the way I'm sure our soccer enthusiasts back here in Japan would love to see one of your dynamic bicycle kick photos if you happen to have one to upload.
Well, all in all our time at Ichetucknee was time well spent as we left there completely reinvigorated and deeply touched by the quiet, beautiful and pristine surroundings.
Reenergizing in the nature