White Springs, on the banks of the Suwannee River captures the charm and grace of Florida's Riverboat era (1870-1910). Just three miles east of I-75 (Exit 439) on State Road 136 or 4 miles north of I-10 (Exit 301) in North Central Florida. White Springs is the focal point for Nature and Heritage Tourism, hiking, biking, canoeing/kayaking, and camping.

Come and enjoy a laid-back trip to the past. Stroll quiet streets with Victorian era homes, browse folk art and antique shops, visit Big Shoals State Park, tour the world famous Stephen Foster State Folk Cultural Center, and the Nature and Heritage Tourism Center.

The Suwannee River, a federally designated wild river, flows from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico. Mirror smooth black water has carved a twisting channel along high bluffs of moss covered oaks and lime rock cliffs. Visitors enjoy unique, spectacular views of primitive beauty.

The banks of the Suwannee River around White Sulphur Springs have been a place of refuge and restoration for its visitors and residents for centuries. To this day, evidence in the form of shards of pottery, hunting and cooking tools and even weapons are found in places where the early visitors to the peaceful region spent their time.

White Sulphur Springs was considered to be a sacred healing ground and warring tribes could come to bathe in and drink the mineral waters here while putting aside their disagreements.

GPS Coordinates

In 1835, Bryant and Elizabeth Sheffield bought land for a plantation in the Suwannee River valley region, including the spring and most of what is now the Town of White Springs. Mr. Sheffield's testimonials about the good effects the sulfurous spring water had on his health brought others to the ancient healing place who were in need of relief from rheumatism, kidney trouble, nervousness, and other ailments.

Sheffield built a log hotel beside the spring to provide lodging for the visitors, and Florida's first tourist destination was in business. A log spring house surrounded the spring until 1903, when Minnie Mosher Jackson built the concrete and coquina wall still standing along with a four-tiered structure that included treatment rooms, a concession area, and an elevator. See #5 on the Interactive Map for the location of the Old Spring House.

The Nature and Heritage Tourism Center is a statewide resource promoting heritage and nature base activities including sites and resources in the State of Florida.

Visitors are able to gain information, book reservations and arrange tours from the center on a statewide level. The center also serves as a central booking and activity area for regional heritage tours and recreation. These include river and trail activities, as well as, historic tours that showcase the resources of the Suwannee River Valley and the North Florida region. The center will serve as a central reservation center for park folk life programming including crafts, music, and other workshops, events and activities.

Situated on the banks of the legendary Suwannee River, the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park honors the memory of American composer Stephen Foster, who wrote "Old Folks at Home," the song that made the river famous. The museum features exhibits about Foster's most famous songs and his music can be heard emanating from the park's 97-bell carillon throughout the day. In Craft Square, visitors can watch demonstrations of quilting, blacksmithing, stain glass making, and other crafts, or visit the gift shop. Hiking, bicycling, canoeing, and wildlife viewing are popular activities. Miles of trails wind through some of the most scenic areas of North Florida. For overnight stays, visitors can camp in the full-facility campground or stay in a cabin. Every Memorial Day weekend (last weekend in May), the park hosts the Florida Folk Festival.

Website: whitesprings.org          Website: www.floridastateparks.org/stephenfoster