Travelers Campground

Florida’s Alachua county is where nature thrives. Adventure-junkies have five state parks and six popular swimming holes all less than a half-hour’s drive away. Kayak the pristine Ichetucknee River (half an hour’s drive), float on the turquoise waters of Ginnie Springs (25 minutes), or (hopefully) see wild-roaming bison and gigantic alligators at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (half an hour). Poe Springs Park (15 minutes) has lots of family-friendly facilities like fishing, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, swimming and hiking, as well as ball courts and nature trails. There are brilliant birding opportunities at San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park (10 minutes), as well as off-road biking and hiking trails through hardwood forest to impressive limestone outcrops. In Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park (20 minutes), follow out-and-back trails to a miniature rain forest and a steep-sided limestone sinkhole, while a day spent in Newnans Lake State Forest (half an hour) may reward with sightings of bald eagles, wild turkeys and gopher tortoises.