When I heard that Florida had caverns a few years ago, I was in disbelief. I knew right away I had to see that with my own eyes, I just wasn’t sure when I would find the time to get up to the top of the state. I was thrilled when I found out the caverns were in Florida Caverns State Parks because I knew I had to get there to see them before my year was up.
I was on my second trip to the Panhandle to see the state parks. My first trip was shortened because of massive rain and my complete frustration from being wet for days. I booked a couple of nights to camp at the caverns because I heard it was a very nice state park to stay in with a lot of amenities.
The first thing I did when I arrived at the park was go straight to the shop to figure out what it was going to take to get a ticket to tour the cave. I found out some important details – the tour was $9, it lasted about an hour, and Casey was not allowed to go with me. My research was complete so I went in search of my campsite. It took me a really long time to find it because the road that led to it was hidden. The tent camping was back behind the swimming hole and past the equestrian camp. I set up my isolated camp while being attacked by a million bugs but got it all together in no time.
Casey and I set out to explore the park. We hiked a few of the trails, walked around the swimming hole, and found a really cool waterway to sit by. We went back to the campsite and enjoyed a quiet evening. A friend of mine gave me a really cool tent like net that went over the picnic area and my sleeping tent so I could sit outside without getting eaten alive. I did a little coloring and some reading and then got some sleep for my adventures the following day.
I did a little more hiking on our second day. There were a couple of more trails I wanted to explore. The parks was really fascinating to walk around. Hidden caverns were everywhere.
Later that afternoon I took my tour of the caverns. The tour guide was funny and informative. The cave was awesome. It is not as big as some of the caves I have been to in other states but it was still very pretty and I really enjoyed the my cave expedition.
After the tour I noticed the sky was getting very dark, I knew what that meant, rain. I refused to camp another night in the rain when I could just get in my car and sleep in my own bed, eventually. I went back to my site and packed up. The radio said there was a very bad storm system was coming from Alabama which confirmed my suspensions. I packed up my camp faster than it went up and began my five hour journey home feeling satisfied about my second journey to the Panhandle.
Before you visit, make sure you check out the parks website for all of the up-to-date park information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/index.php/parks-and-trails/florida-caverns-state-park
