Alachua

Alachua sits just south of US 441 as it heads under Interstate 75 on its way into High Springs to the west. This means a lot of people get off the interstate here, but they don’t necessarily find the little downtown with its brick storefronts, or go looking for natural lands.

The northern end of San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park touches the south end of town, and it’s here that mountain bikers will find an extensive trail system. Beneath the town are natural tunnels through the Floridan Aquifer that cave divers have followed for miles.

To the north is Mill Creek Preserve with its unusual karst features and northern decidious forest, plus other natural lands in the Santa Fe River basin. Mill Creek Farms is a rescue and retirement center for horses, where admission is a bag of carrots.

Don’t miss Florida’s largest live oak, which has its own park in this rural corner of the county.