Weeks had gone by since I had stepped foot in a state park. My life could feel the effect of this and not in a positive way. My mood was altered and if I didn’t get my state park fix, my world would not be good or right.
I woke up super early and headed north to Fanning Springs. It was about a two and a half hour drive and I wanted to be there when it opened. I would have never thought that Florida parks would have a season but it seemed the closer north I got the more that became apparent. Even though the spring stays 72 degrees all year long, the air does not. The morning I was there was pretty cold. There was no way I was getting in that crystal clear water.
When I walked around the swimming hole I noticed a man teaching a scuba diving class, each student was dressed appropriately with their wetsuits on. I thought that was a great way to utilize the spring while the park had little to no visitors. On the other side of the swim area were a few manatee floating around the water, enjoying the peace from not having a lot of people in the water with them.
I followed the boardwalk through the cypress forest, enjoying the silence of the crisp morning. The boardwalk ended with a great look at the Suwannee River. The water was as still as could be. There was nothing stirring around me. It was as if nature had not awaken for the day yet. It was such a magical moment and I enjoyed it for a long time. As I made my way back down the boardwalk I thought about how lucky I was to be witness to such beauty and how I was so thankful that the universe put me on the path of discovery I was on.
Before you visit, make sure you check out the parks website for all of the up-to-date park information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/fanning-springs-state-park
