Rolling Down the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor
As all good roadtrippers know, the scenic byway sign is always the right way to go.
The Visit Florida website led me to Florida Scenic Highways, so I found myself in Palatka, heading south along the St. Johns River. Here is the beautiful Ravine Gardens State Park, where a stroll through lush ravines past spring-fed creeks is always a treat, but more so during azalea season, Jan.-March. I made a note to return on Jan. 12 for the Florida Mushroom Festival for mushroom workshops, ranger-led walks, music, mushroom vendors and other fun guys. Mycophiles, take note – this is billed as earth’s first bioluminescent mushroom festival.
Back on Hwy. 17, I headed south, passing small communities like Satsuma, where a short detour on Hwy. 309 will take you to Log Cabin Farm and Winery, Pomona Park and charming Crescent City, home to many turn-of-the-century homes, and the Catfish Festival in April. A few miles further is Pierson, the Fern Capital of the World. The River of Lakes guide suggests Pierson Family Restaurant for a country breakfast of grits and French toast or the M & E BBQ stand. Head a few more miles south and stop at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement, a collection of historically important buildings, moved onto the property and organized around the ca. 1919 Central School of Barberville. There’s square dancing and a sugarcane boil at the Fall Country Jamboree the first weekend of Nov., and Second Saturdays feature living history demonstrations and workshops in traditional arts, crafts and trades.
Flapjacks
DeLeon Springs is the next town on the trail, and the state park is a good stop for a hike, a swim in the springs, canoeing or kayaking, and make-your-own pancakes at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill. DeLand comes next, bustling with Stetson University students. Downtown is alive with great little restaurants, the Athens Theatre, breweries and the Artisan Alley Farmers Market on Friday evenings. The Stetson Mansion, home of legendary hatmaker John Stetson, has been beautifully restored and is open for tours.
Heading back toward the St. Johns River, I turned west on Highbanks Road in DeBary, and took the end of the road to St. Johns River Eco Tours. A two-hour tour reveals Florida’s natural side – alligators on the banks, owls, turtles and birdlife amid dense foliage. At the Swamphouse Riverfront Grill try gator tacos and a catfish BLT and a cold beer on the big deck overlooking the river.
A few minutes away, I discovered the hamlet of Enterprise, once home to the Brock House Hotel, the state’s most famous hotel when the era of Florida tourism began after the Civil War. Grover Cleveland was a guest at the 100-room hotel built by Jacob Brock, who ran steamships from Jacksonville to Lake Monroe. After the advent of railroads and a citrus freeze in the late 1800s, the town dwindled. The hotel was eventually torn down. Today, Enterprise is an enchanting oasis of huge oak trees, palms and cypress, with wooden homes, a beautiful church, Green Springs Park and the Enterprise Heritage Center and Museum, surrounding by expressways, housing developments and urban sprawl.
Leisurely Drive
Driving around Lake Monroe, I stopped in Sanford. The downtown was bustling with restaurants and galleries, including the Jeanine Taylor Folk Art gallery; Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Restaurant, the venerable German restaurant; the Sanford Brewing Company and the Smiling Bison.
My final destination was Oak Hill and Goodrich Seafood & Oyster House Restaurant, so I headed east on the Osteen Maytown Road. This is when you need to have confidence in your GPS. The little-used road passes through miles of dense trees and wetlands and not much else until it finally ends at US 1. A few more turns and I was at Goodrich Seafood on the Mosquito Lagoon, ending my river-to-lake journey with an ice-cold beer and fried oysters. Despite the urban sprawl, it’s not hard to find the Florida of a hundred years ago, when steamboats cruised the rivers and life was lived at a leisurely pace.
Blacksmithing
At the Barberville Pioneer Settlement, one way they keep pioneer arts and trades alive is by offering blacksmithing classes. They cover fire safety and management, hammer control and how not to hurt yourself, how to use the anvil, and other blacksmithing essentials. Students generally leave with three items. To register call 386-749-2959 or email blacksmith@pioneersettlement.org.
