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06-25-2006, 09:05 PM
Location:
Florida Caverns State Park
3345 Caverns Road
Marianna FL 32446
Florida Caverns State Park is on the north side of Marianna off of State Road 166. Interstate 10 passes by to the south.
Weather:
Typically hot and humid in the summer, can reach freezing tempatures in the winter.
Campground Condition:
Frommer's has named Florida Caverns State Park #1 in the state in a majority of it's rating categories, and it's easy to see why.
Florida Caverns State Park is the only Florida state park to offer cave tours to the public. Honest, Florida really does have caves! It also offers swimming in a natural spring, fishing, picnicking, canoeing, boating, hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding. Once in while a gator likes to share the swimming area, as well as a myriad of fish and turtles.
There are two camping areas. Blue Hole Family Camp offers 32 well kept spaces. The sites are spacious and moderatly private. Lesser used is the Horse Camp area. The park offers stables and three sites for equestrian campers, with three well hidden tent only sites nearby. These offer some of the best tent camping in the state, so don't let anyone else know about it. It will be our secret. The three sites are on a small bluff overlooking the Blue Hole spring, with running water at each site. An excellent restroom/shower facility serves these sites, and is rarely used.
Bathroom/Shower Facilities:
The Horse Camp facilities are clean, modern, and rarely used. The shower stalls offer dual spray heads and a bench to relax on while showering.
Campground Road Conditions:
Good condition overall. Like many state parks, they've been paved and repaved and are patchy. The roads in the camp areas are hard-packed dirt.
Personnel/Host/Ranger Attitude:
The campground host does a very good job. The rangers are mostly nice people, but on one occasion my companion was feeding bread to the fish in the spring and was accused of fishing. "The FWC officer isn't as nice as me, you better stop right now!" Which can be true- the state wildlife officers have been known to run speed traps in the parks, and aren't quite as forgiving as the park rangers. We never could figure out how she though we were fishing without poles, though.
Area Attractions:
The Florida panhandle doesn't offer a lot other than beautiful beaches and relative quiet. Tallahassee, the state capitol, is about an hour to the east, while Panama City Beach is about an hour south. Both offer plenty of attractions and shopping. Mariannia should have most everything you'll need while camping, though.
Area Riding:
If you're from Florida, you'll be thrilled to find there are hills and twisties in the state. Florida's highest point isn't too far away. If you're from any other state, you may be underwhelmed.
Additional Information: http://www.floridastateparks.org/floridacaverns/default.cfm
Florida Caverns State Park
3345 Caverns Road
Marianna FL 32446
Florida Caverns State Park is on the north side of Marianna off of State Road 166. Interstate 10 passes by to the south.
Weather:
Typically hot and humid in the summer, can reach freezing tempatures in the winter.
Campground Condition:
Frommer's has named Florida Caverns State Park #1 in the state in a majority of it's rating categories, and it's easy to see why.
Florida Caverns State Park is the only Florida state park to offer cave tours to the public. Honest, Florida really does have caves! It also offers swimming in a natural spring, fishing, picnicking, canoeing, boating, hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding. Once in while a gator likes to share the swimming area, as well as a myriad of fish and turtles.
There are two camping areas. Blue Hole Family Camp offers 32 well kept spaces. The sites are spacious and moderatly private. Lesser used is the Horse Camp area. The park offers stables and three sites for equestrian campers, with three well hidden tent only sites nearby. These offer some of the best tent camping in the state, so don't let anyone else know about it. It will be our secret. The three sites are on a small bluff overlooking the Blue Hole spring, with running water at each site. An excellent restroom/shower facility serves these sites, and is rarely used.
Bathroom/Shower Facilities:
The Horse Camp facilities are clean, modern, and rarely used. The shower stalls offer dual spray heads and a bench to relax on while showering.
Campground Road Conditions:
Good condition overall. Like many state parks, they've been paved and repaved and are patchy. The roads in the camp areas are hard-packed dirt.
Personnel/Host/Ranger Attitude:
The campground host does a very good job. The rangers are mostly nice people, but on one occasion my companion was feeding bread to the fish in the spring and was accused of fishing. "The FWC officer isn't as nice as me, you better stop right now!" Which can be true- the state wildlife officers have been known to run speed traps in the parks, and aren't quite as forgiving as the park rangers. We never could figure out how she though we were fishing without poles, though.
Area Attractions:
The Florida panhandle doesn't offer a lot other than beautiful beaches and relative quiet. Tallahassee, the state capitol, is about an hour to the east, while Panama City Beach is about an hour south. Both offer plenty of attractions and shopping. Mariannia should have most everything you'll need while camping, though.
Area Riding:
If you're from Florida, you'll be thrilled to find there are hills and twisties in the state. Florida's highest point isn't too far away. If you're from any other state, you may be underwhelmed.
Additional Information: http://www.floridastateparks.org/floridacaverns/default.cfm