I tried in vain to reserve a week at Payne’s Prairie State Park—knowing that our friends John and Judy, who were visiting from Oregon, would enjoy hiking the trails and experiencing the abundant wildlife that inhabits the park. It’s also a good location for visiting Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park, the cute little town of Micanopy, and Gainesville. We figured that Judy and John could either camp with us (we travel with a tent for guests) or stay in a B & B in Micanopy. But with no spaces available at Paynes’s Prairie, I had to cast a wider net in my search for accommodations. There’s not much available in the area. But then, I found the fish camp.
Twin Lakes Fish Camp
Twin Lakes Fish Camp has campsites and cabins, and the location couldn’t possibly have been better. The fish camp is actually on Cross Creek, just down the road from the homestead of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who wrote about Florida Cracker life.
Mind you, this is a rustic, funky, old Florida fish camp. A contingent of about a dozen permanent residents in an assortment of aging RV’s occupies the front of the park, a handful of overnight sites are scattered throughout, and there are three quaint cabins with fishing gear/ruffled pillow/doily décor.
Judy and John on Cross Creek
Judy and John’s cabin
We paid a visit to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ home, kayaked on Cross Creek, explored Gainesville and Payne’s Prairie, and enjoyed dinners on the screened porch of Judy and John’s cabin. It was just perfect.
Our campsite at Twin Lakes
I would say the Fish Camp is a real Florida find! Once again, your photos are beautiful!!
Not being able to get reservations at the State Parks definitely encourages me to be more “creative” — and it worked out great. Glad you’re enjoying the photos!
Great choice! I’m really surprised that Payne’s Prairie was totally full. In years past, I’ve had no trouble getting a week or two. Hope it’s just this cold cold winter and not a sign of things to come.
As always, your pictures are professional quality. LOVE LOVE the one of the “could pass for a cowboy hat” and the screen door. That’s some cowgirl for sure and central Florida is the place for all things cow.
Your pictures of Rawlings’ house put mine to shame. Do you give lessons???
I was really surprised that we couldn’t get reservations at Payne’s Prairie, too — but it all turned out for the best. I’m glad you’re enjoying the photos — let’s get together while you’re at St. George and we can have fun doing some photography!
Don’t you love it when plan B turns out better than plan A? I’m really bad about making reservations as I like to keep my options open for change. So that’s one of my major concerns about visiting FL. I’ll need to do better planning instead of winging it.
Looks like you found a fun spot!
We’re discovering that as long as we’re not too attached to staying in State Parks, we can always find a place to stay. And as you said, oftentimes plan B turns out to be better than plan A. It’s a good exercise in creativity and flexibility. :-)
Your pictures are so vivid!
FL state parks so popular and well managed. So much so that I was only able to make reservations to two parks, nine months ago. With your size you are fortunate to squeeze in to a Fish Camp. The best part is you are in the Real Florida and enjoying the rustic life.
Florida State Parks must be getting more and more popular. ;( We sometimes wish we had a bigger trailer, but like you said, the smaller size has also enabled us to squeeze into places that would otherwise be impossible.
Isn’t it great to discover little gems when our initial plans don’t work out? This looks like a lovely little place and your photos, as always, are wonderful.
I know you speak from experience, LuAnn. You always seem to find beauty wherever you are. It’s a good spiritual practice!
[…] we’ll save that tour for another time. Anyway, the choices we make can be modest, as in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings home, or more elaborate, as in the Maclay house, but the effect of carefully chosen objects is both […]