Wakulla Springs State Park is one of my personal favorites thus far. There's a lot of recreational activities to participate in at this gold mine just southwest of Tallahassee, Florida. Aside from an amazing swimming hole with a diving platform and floating dock, they offer river cruises that last about 45 minutes each. I have never seen so many alligators in one place. Not even at the zoo. It seems like everywhere you looked you could spot a nice size gator or two. Even if there's no alligators, you will run into a variety of birds so there's always something to keep you occupied every step of the way and at the time we were there the river tour prices were $6 per adult and $4 for children 12 and under. Unfortunately the glass bottom tours weren't running on the day that we visited so i really cant write about that as i dont know much about it but perhaps one of you can share your experiences on that.

While we were there in September of last year (2007) the swimming area was pretty crowded even for it being in the beginning of winter. Fortunately for me we showed up a bit late one evening just as the sun was setting and things were getting colder again so there wasn't a soul in the swimming area and a lovely mist floating above the water. Turned into one amazing photograph as seen above.

There's also some trails there for you hikers and cowgirls alike as well as a beautiful rustic lodge from the turn of the century. Would be an amazing place for a wedding or even a big get-together for a few photographers and a couple models.

Now i am going to get a little side tracked here and talk about some of the other places that are near this park simply because this area offers many of Florida's little treasures right there in one place. While we were there on our trip in September we stayed at a little place up the road on US 98 called "The Inn at Wildwood", WOW.. this place was awesome. Big beautiful rooms, a swimming pool, it's also located on a golf course so bring your clubs. There's a nice little restaurant next-door as well called "The Bistro at Wildwood" if i recall correctly and the food was awesome. Think Coca-Cola in stem-ware and omelets made right in front of you. Very nice.

Apart from the Wildwood Inn, the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is located just around the corner from Wakulla Springs State Park. Here you will find an abundance of wildlife in the freshwater and saltwater marshes. There's also an old lighthouse that i would suggest anyone visit at least once. It's truly a work of art.

Also located just around the corner (20 minute drive) from Wakulla Springs State Park is the San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park which we will write about at a later date but is worth a mention. and on a side note, if you happen to get hungry and you're headed out to San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park i would highly recommend stopping and eating at the Riverside Cafe if you feel hungry. We actually visited the Riverside Cafe again just a couple days ago on July 7th, 2008 and stopped by the St. Marks NWR to see the lighthouse again.

As i wrap this article up i thought that i should mention that Wakulla Springs is one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world that happens to be located right in our own back yard so go check it out and take the kids. They'll have a blast.

For more photos from Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, please visit the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park Photo Gallery