White Springs Celebrates Gateway Community Designation
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Friday, February 23, the town of White Springs and the Florida Trail Association come together with our numerous partners, business leaders, and volunteers to celebrate designation of the very first Florida Trail Gateway Community. Join us at 11 AM at the State of Florida Nature & Heritage Tourism Center, corner of US 41 and SR 136, for the official unveiling of the road sign, featured speakers, refreshments, and a guided hike along the beautiful Suwannee River at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park.
White Springs, a focal point in Florida folk culture, has been a destination for Florida Trail hikers for nearly 40 years. The Florida Trail runs right through downtown. Long distance hikers stop in at American Canoe Adventures to pose for a Polaroid that’s posted on the wall and to sign the trail register. Add the opening of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail – of which the Florida Trail provides a land-based component – and expansion of the Suwannee Bicycle Association’s network of singletrack, and White Springs is truly a destination for outdoor recreation in North Florida.
Florida Trail Gateway Communities provide destinations around which you can plan your outdoor recreation. Head to a Gateway Community for a weekend or more and set up your base camp at a local campground, or enjoy creature comforts at a motel or bed and breakfast. You’ll find hometown restaurants, shops, and other in-town amenities to complement your outdoor forays on the Florida Trail and other trails—hiking, biking, paddling, birding, and equestrian. Get to know the backroads and byways and genuine friendliness of small town Florida—visit a Florida Trail Gateway Community!
The Florida Trail is Florida’s own National Scenic Trail, a 1,400-mile footpath across Florida in partnership between the nonprofit Florida Trail Association and its volunteers; the federal manager, the USDA Forest Service; and land management agencies throughout the state.
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FTA Staff @ February 19, 2007