17. Natural Bridge Battlefield - November 9, 2009

Just across the way from Wakulla Springs is another small park (the smallest one we have been to yet) that is a battlefield from the Civil War. The state park system appears to only own a few acres here, so there is not much to do. Never fear though, there are picnic tables so we made sure to utilize them. If you are coming from Wakulla, one street past the turn off for Natural Bridge there is a Subway. Perfect picnicing food. There is an entrance fee of $3, but it is a drop box and I have a feeling people do not always contribute.

So, needless to say we really went here to fulfill our mission, not really thinking we would find anything enjoyable about this park. However, come to find out, this was a very interesting battle site during the Civil War, and it even tied to the last place we visited, San Marcos de Apalache (see blog post below). You see, Tallahassee was the only Confederate capital to not fall during the Civil War. Never really having the story explained to me, I did not give it much thought; honestly, I thought the Union was not interested in Tallahassee, and that is why it did not fall.

However, come to find out, a group of Confederates were stationed at San Marcos de Apalache, guarding the only way Union troops could get to Tallahassee by boat. The Union held a blockade so no supplies could get through either river (the St. Marks or the Wakulla) but the Confederates held strong. So, the Union decided to attack the fort by land, hoping an attack from both sides would cause the fort to fall. Well, the Confederates got wind of this and sent a messenger running to Tallahassee. Now, mind you, all of the able-bodied men from the age of 16 to 60 had already been sent off to fight in Atlanta or somewhere else. But, when the messenger reached Tallahassee, the men there knew something had to be done to protect their city.

So, the young boys and the old men gathered up what guns and ammo they could and went to defend Tallahassee. They met the Union soldiers about 15 minutes (by car) outside the fort -- a 20 minute drive from Tallahassee in today's standards. They met at a spot that was naturally raised in the middle -- a natural bridge. There, the standoff took place, with the Union soliders eventually backing down - Tallahassee was saved! To the right is a list of those who died in battle or from their injuries - as you can see the Confederate list is much shorter than the Union list.

This little plot of land may not seem like much, but it is one more relic of the Old South, just like Scarlett O'Hara dreams about. There is a battle reanactment once a year, and I would love to try and get up and see it sometime. If you have time, I would suggest stopping by here. A great place to teach children a little about Florida history.

Til next time,

The camping bug

16. San Marcos Apalache Historic State Park - November 9th, 2009

Like Wakulla Springs, this park is about 30 minutes outside of Tallahassee, Florida. If you are visiting Wakulla, it is worth the drive as it is only about 10 minutes away. The fort is a $2 donation to look at the exhibits, to walk around the grounds and see the ruins of the fort is free. This spot is also where the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers meet, making it an extremely desirable plot of land when boat travel was the only way to travel.

When you first walk into the museum, there are different pieces of ceramic, coins, etc., that have been found on excavations throughout the years. In the second room, there are interpretive displays that show the lifetime of the fort. The plot of land the fort sits on was first used in 1528 when Spanish explorers, impressed by the meeting of the rivers, built and launched the first ships of the New World. The original fort was built in 1679, but there are no remains because it was completly made of wood. Construction on a stone fort was started by the Spanish, but due to a land change after the war, the English received control of the fort -- it was the first of many times the fort would change hands. The picture is of what the fort looked like during its use.

The fort went back and forth between the Spanish and the English for many years, finally being captured by General (and future President) Andrew Jackson, because the Americans in Georgia were constantly being attacked by Indians and wanted to protect themselves. Florida was then ceceded to the United States in 1821. One final conflict happened on the site, during the Civil War when the fort was occupied by the Confederates. The Union had been blockading the meeting of the rivers, stopping the supply of goods to Tallahassee. However, they were not able to get past the fort to seize Tallahassee. Union soldiers attempted to attack the fort from behind, in hopes to have it surrounded and force out the Confederates. However, the Union forces never made it that far, because of the Battle at Natural Bridge. Please see the above post for a description of what went on there. The picture is of the meeting of the headwaters, a place full of conflict for many centuries.

The museum did provide a pamphlet with a walking tour to look at all the different sites. There is a memorial and small graveyard as well. Many park staff were on site that day, because a hurricane was suppose to come through the next day. The picture I thought was interesting to show what happens to state parks when a hurricane comes through. As you can see, the picnic tables are tied to the tree.

Til next time,

The camping bug

15. Wakulla Springs - November 7th - 9th, 2009

For my 23rd birthday, Tom and I stayed two nights at Wakulla Springs, which is a Spanish-style hotel that was built in the 1930's and kept time-period specific. The hotel is 30 minutes outside Tallahassee and a great place to stay the night if you don't mind being a little ways from town. All of the rooms have furniture from the 1930's, most of which matched and appeared to be original to the hotel. When the cleaning ladies had all the doors opened we happened to be walking around and they let us see all the rooms. The rooms are all the same price: $105 a night on the weekend and 95$ on weeknights. The two suites are always $105. Some overlook the water, some have one queen bed while others have two fulls, or two fulls and a twin, but they are first-come first-serve with no price differences, which is a trademark of the state park system.

One of the first things we noticed when we walked in the hotel, and something that kept us entertained the entire time, was an original elevator. We had to manually pull open the door and push a button for it to close. I had never seen anything like it. We rode the elevator every chance we got. Sometimes I think Tom would think of things we needed upstairs just to ride the elevator.

The last owner of this property, Edward Ball, bought the spring and the 2 miles of river it connects to and made it a wildlife preserve in the 1930's. He went as far as putting a fence up so that boaters could not get past. He was a millionare and had a lot of pull, so the fence stayed, with the ruling that the river was deemed impassible because it deadended in Ball's property. Because of this, the animals for generations have not been disturbed by people. To this day, they do not allow kayakers and canoers in the water.

The only way to go down the river is on the cute boats they send out once an hour. Tom and I actually went on the very first boat ride of the morning at 9:30 a.m. I suggest this because it appeared as though the others after ours were slammed full, while ours was only about 1/4 full. We saw many alligators, anahingas, turtles, manatees, etc. It was a very nice way to start the morning.

We did hike several of the trails, which were not anything special, but enjoyable nonetheless. The other part of the trip we really enjoyed was the food. We had a special package where for $135 you got your hotel room for one night, two boat tickets, and a three course meal and drink in the dining room. It was very fancy. For dinner, I had prime rib and Tom had New York strip steak. Both of got a yummy chocolate explosion cake for dessert. We also ate in the dining hall for breakfast, but I found that it probably would have been a good way to save money if we would have just brough bagels or Pop-Tarts. We paid about $7 each for French toast and eggs, which was not really worth it.

There is also a real live soda fountain on site. I thought it would be like in the pictures I have seen, but really all that is left of the soda fountain is the bar, which is made of marble. Tom got a mint chocolate chip shake (his favorite), while I got the house special - a ginger yip. It was basically a vanilla shake with a small can of ginger ale. I recommend it.

One of the nights we were there we watched "Creature from the Black Lagoon" on the only TV in the hotel, which was downstairs. The movie was filmed at Wakulla Springs, and if you ask they will play it for you. Of course, this means I asked. I found the movie quite enjoyable, and not scary at all. The Tarzan from the 1940's was also filmed there. The tree in the picture is the tree which Tarzan swung from. It had since died and will soon sink into the river.

I could go on and on for pages, but I guess I will stop here. Wakulla Springs is an unusual state park -- an example of the park system not only saving a piece of natural Florida, but also a hotel from yester year.

Til next time,

The camping bug