Florida Caverns State Park- Marianna, Florida

October 25, 2008 We picked up our Motor Home from Camping World in Midway, Florida and decided to head to Florida Caverns State Park. It was just a short run west on I-10. The park is only about 8 miles off the interstate and an easy run from camping world. We had some repairs done on our generator and rear a/c. Fortunately the repairs were covered by the very expensive RV insurance we bought through National Insurance when we purchased the motor home. It was the first time we had to use it and were hoping for the best. After a little prodding they agreed to cover all the repairs. We are happy with them so far. The cost to us would have been over $1500. We has reserved site # 8 and stayed 3 nights. It was a nice site, private, easy to get into, across from the bathhouse, private and very large. All Florida campsites have to be reserved through Reserve America. The best site was #16 but all of the sites on the outer loop were nice and would work for a larger RV. The rates were $17 per night which is reasonable. The road around the campground was quite muddy when we arrived due to some 4 inches of rain the day before but all the sites appeared to be high and dry. It got very cold the first, down to 41 and the next night into the low 30's. Hey, we are ex Floridians and not used to this kind of weather, especially in October! We ran the furnace and stayed warm. It warmed up nice during the day as long as you were out of the wind. We didn't have our kayaks with us which is just as well due to the temperature. The park is on 1300 acres has many wonderful hiking, biking and equestrian trails which wind though forests pines and limestone bluffs. There are many small caves along the trails but the entrances are blocked off to protect people and the caves. There is a guided tour of the main cave $8 per person. The cave is beautiful and well worth the money. There is a visitor center with a history of the area, and a movie showing the cave as well as the history. We had toured the cave a few years ago and decided to go hiking instead. The following is just one of the many cave entrances we encountered on the trail. There is a separate equestrian are with several campsites and also stalls to keep horses. It is away from the other campground and looked quite nice. The trails would be great for horseback riding. The following is a picture which actually is several campsites in the foreground and the stalls/barn in the background.

Torreya State Park

Torreya State Park is in the Northwest portion of Florida, near the city of Bristol. There is not much to do in the area but if you are looking to relax and stay at the campground then this is a beautiful place. It is a 13,000 acre campground with 30 campsites and one YURT (year-round universal tent). The YURT is $30 and the campsites are $12. The campground sits high on a bluff and boasts a "scenic overlook" comparable to the north Georgia mountains. It is quite unique for a Florida campground. We have yet to make it there during the fall colors but it is supposed to be extremely colorful, sometime probably in November. You can reserve your campsite through Reserve America. There is a short trail to a waterfall and a longer 7 mile loop. It is quite hilly so you need to be in decent shape. The trails are very popular and not the usual flat trails in most Florida parks. You get the feeling of being in the mountains of North Georgia. The campsites do not overlook the river but the park grounds are on a high bluff overlooking the Apalachicola River. All the campsites are nice and with easy access.There are no bad sites.