Unexplored Adventures with Dawn by Dawn Perez  We travel all over the Southeast United States, writing about all kinds of amazing adventures we are fortunate to experience. However, when we had the opportunity to experience some adventures in our own backyard, we were excited to play “tourist” in our county for a few days in Steinhatchee. Steinhatchee is a small coastal community located along Florida’s Big Bend. Taylor County is my home and Steinhatchee is a town I’ve spent a great deal of time in, but I wanted the full tourist experience. I wanted to visit as if I’d never been there. W ..read more

Rapids where the Suwannee River runs wild and free Hamilton County is full of historic places, scenic rivers, and undiscovered trails. Hamilton calls itself “Florida’s Front Porch.” Notice you can hear the quiet. And the beautiful, diverse landscape. You’ll enjoy sitting on the porch. The county has over 32,000 acres of public lands. Hamilton is encircled by the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers and split in half by the Alapaha. Driving into White Springs from Live Oak, I think I crossed county lines three times in about a mile. Sometimes you are in a county, and when you cross the street (or ..read more

Falling Creek Falls Columbia County is rural and filled with natural freshwater springs, rivers, and friendly people. Lake City, once called Alligator, is the county seat and was the first home of the University of Florida—bet you didn’t know that! Fort White is the other large town in Columbia County. At this point, I’m starting to feel like the proud parent of a baker’s dozen. And you’ve just asked me who my favorite is! All these counties are my “favorite”—it just depends on what day you ask! Suppose you want to be outside in the Florida sun, breathing in the freshest air in the South, with ..read more

Rapids where the Suwannee River runs wild and free Hamilton County is rural, filled with rivers, historic places, and undiscovered trails. Hamilton County calls itself “Florida’s Front Porch.” You will notice the quiet here. And the diverse landscape of the area. The county has over 32,000 acres of public lands. Hamilton is surrounded by the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers, and split in half by the Alapaha. 1. Big Shoals State Park Big Shoals has been a place of recreation, hunting, fishing, and shelter for thousands of years. This extraordinary place still attracts people with its mineral ..read more

Columbia County is rural, filled with springs, rivers, and friendly people. Lake City is the county seat, and Ft. White is the other large town. And Columbia County is home to the tallest waterfall in Florida. How about that!? 1. Rum 138 Rum 138 is the go-to spot for kayaking, paddleboarding or canoeing the Santa Fe River. They will sell you equipment, or just rent it to you for the day. They will even shuttle you to the river (and back again!) 2. Your Place On the “Other River” 3. Sugar, Sugar! I happened upon the Sugar Dessert Shoppe by accident. Like Bob Ross says, it was a “happy little a ..read more

Live Oak – and Suwannee County Courthouse Suwannee probably comes from an Indian word, “Sawani,” meaning “echo river.” Since the Suwannee River creates the northern, southern, and western borders, the county is almost an island! It is actually in the shape of half a heart (aawwww…) Even more water flows through Suwannee County; both the Ichetucknee River and the Santa Fe River make their way through the county. Suwannee County was officially formed in 1858. 1. A Historic Town Live Oak, the county seat, embraces the past. The old buildings haven’t been demolished to make way for more modern str ..read more

Sunsets over the Steinhatchee River are breathtaking Taylor County is in the Big Bend of Florida—where the state curves and wraps around the Gulf of Mexico. The county has picturesque fishing villages and towns, such as Steinhatchee and Keaton Beach. And for Heaven’s sake, call it STEEN-hatch-ee. If you say it like a German beer STEIN, you’ll be marked an outsider and snickered at (did I just say that?!) With its undeveloped coastline (the longest in the entire state!) Taylor County is the best place for outdoor and eco-tourism adventures. Founded in 1856, Taylor County was named in honor of Z ..read more

Lake Frances, Madison, Florida Madison County is 716 square miles crammed full of small towns, forests, rivers, lakes, and rolling hills. All of these give you countless opportunities to get outdoors and, as they say here, “move at the speed of nature.” Madison County, like Jefferson County, was named to honor a president—the fourth United States President, James Madison, another Virginian. Madison County was chartered in 1827, 18 years before Florida became a state. Madison was the largest county in Florida but contributed land to form three new counties: Taylor, Lafayette, and Dixie. The cou ..read more

@JoGoesEverywhere uses the “selfie frame” at the Monticello Courthouse There is one county in Florida that doesn’t have a single stoplight—Jefferson—my kind of place! By Florida standards, this historic county is quite old. When it was chartered in 1827, Florida was still a territory. The county was named for the country’s third president, Thomas Jefferson. The county seat, in honor of his Virginia home, Monticello (but townspeople are quick to tell you it is not pronounced that way!) The people are friendly, and the pace is easy with small-town values. Monticello is a lovely town with restore ..read more

Sunrise over the Suwannee River – from the Suwannee River Rendezvous The Suwannee River runs through South Georgia into Florida and down to the Gulf of Mexico. The Suwannee is a 235-mile black-water river that hides artifacts and fossils. Although the river became well-known because of Stephen Foster’s “Old Folks at Home,” it remains well-known because of the wildness it discloses. You can travel for miles along the Suwannee and not see signs of civilization. The river borders the longest side of Lafayette County, and the Steinhatchee River has its beginnings in the county, so it should come a ..read more