Fall is upon us meaning another chance to join the parents (grandparents) on a camping adventure. This trip took us South and began at Paynes Prairie State Preserve in Micanopy, Florida.

Paynes Prairie State Preserve is located just South of Gainesville, Florida and encompasses over 20,000 acres of prairies and wetlands. We arrived on Sunday and were immediately taken aback by the size of the park. We checked in and drove deep into the park to find the Puc Puggy Campground where we stayed for 4 nights. The campground was extremely shaded with almost perfectly level sites and swarms of mosquitoes!!!

After getting the camper set up and resting for a bit we drove deeper into the park to the visitor center. Here we found informational displays about the area wildlife and life on the prairie. We spent some time in the center learning about the area and then went to look for wildlife. Exiting the visitor center we took a paved path a short distance to a high observation tower where we immediately saw 6 wild horses roaming a couple hundred yards out.

After dinner on the first night it was off for more exploration! This trip took us the opposite direction from the campground to a public use area on Lake Wauberg within the park. Here we took in birds, armadillos, squirrels and one AMAZING sunset!!!

ALACHUA SINK AND THE LA CHUA TRAIL

The majority of the preserve is comprised of marshy prairie but the park is also home to wetlands. On the North side of the park (Gainesville entrance) we found the La Chua Trail and a boardwalk leading into the Alachua Sink. Here we were treated with large varieties of birds, rabbits, snakes and ALLIGATORS!!!! We visited this section of the park 3 times during our stay and each time we saw different animals.

Baby alligators, LARGE alligators, cranes eating snakes and everything in between. This boardwalk is a definite stop for anyone visiting the preserve even if you only have an hour. The trail is fairly short and the boardwalk provides a couple shaded rest stops along the way. Make sure you have your camera at the ready!!!

HOMOSASSA SPRINGS WILDLIFE STATE PARK

A little over an hour from Paynes Prairie lies the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. This park is a refuge for animals that cannot be released back into the wild. They have a variety of species including several resident manatee on site with all being native to the State of Florida……….YES even Lu the Hippo!

The story behind Lu the Hippo is the park was once a private zoo. When the State of Florida took over the park all the animals were required to be native to the state. The local residents didn’t want to see Lu leave the park so they started a petition to have him remain a permanent resident. Governor Chiles agreed with the residents and officially made Lu a Florida resident meaning he could remain in the park for the rest of his life!

Obviously I’m big into the birds but the entire park was wonderful. The animals and exhibits were informative and the volunteers were all ready and willing to provide information and tell stories about the park and the residents. I would definitely recommend a visit here if you are passing through.

All totaled we spent 4 nights camping at Paynes Prairie and visited 2 parks before moving on to our next stop along our trip. (Check out our Campground Review) Both parks were enjoyable and had many interesting highlights. Be sure you’re subscribed here and on our YouTube channel for more along this adventure. Until next time…….