Needing a campsite for tonight, we pulled into Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center near White Springs, Florida. We found much more here than just a very nice campground! This little jewel of a state park may not be as popular as some of the other parks in Florida, but it certainly ranks high on our list of things to do and see.
Let me start by telling you about this nifty 45 site campground. The roads throughout this park are all paved and the campsites are gravel, level, and nicely arranged so you're not right on top of your neighbor. The towering oak trees are decked out with copious amounts of Spanish Moss, providing a cool and shady relief from Florida's sun. The electric and water hook ups are conveniently
located on each site. They offer many back-in sites and several pull through sites, and all sites include a picnic table and fire ring.
We had our awning out but really didn't need it for shade. The surrounding trees provided plenty of shade.
This park was built as a memorial to Stephen Foster in 1950. Stephen Foster was a composer who became famous around the world when he wrote the song "Old Folks at Home" making the Suwannee River a household name. He was born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1826, and had composed over 200 songs before his death in 1864.
This museum houses exhibits depicting scenes from some of Foster's most popular songs.
The Carillon Tower plays daily concerts of Foster's songs.
This is a side view of Cousin Thelma Boltin's Gift Shop showing a quilt pattern painted on the building. The Craft Square has various craft demonstrations that will peak the interest of any visitor, and includes homemade crafts by local artists, woodworking, pottery, jewelry, fabric arts, and stained glass.
Since we were only here for a short one night stand, we did not get to see the entire park. The park offers horseback riding trails, hiking and bicycle trails, and the tree-lined Suwannee River not only provides a scenic view, but also has canoeing, fishing, kayaking, and cabin rentals. But, this is definitely a place we will return to when we can spend a few days to enjoy all of it's offerings.
We head west in the morning and will be stopping on the western end of Florida's pan handle to enjoy another of Florida's interesting state parks.
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