Gainesville, FL

Today our travels took us to Gainesville, FL. We had heard of the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park and thought it would be interesting to see. We were pretty sure we could find some other cool things to do, too. 😀

Located in northern Gainesville, this is one of the smaller state parks we’ve been to. Although the park is small, it is quite lovely and the staff was kind and courteous. One of the volunteers was so sweet and gave Juliana an adorable stuffed animal she had made. 🧸 I’ve got to tell you, I was seriously wondering about how the park got the name. Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure exactly what a millhopper was. A bit of research later I learned a millhopper is a funnel-shaped container that holds the grain before it gets released into the mill stones. That makes sense, but why Devil’s Millhopper??? I mean that’s a creepy name, right? Well, according to Wikipedia, “The sinkhole got its name from its similar appearance to the hopper of a mill, along with the bones found at the bottom, suggesting animals entered it on the way to meeting the devil.” Yep, still creepy! 😉

We toured the Welcome Center and made our way to the sinkhole. This National Natural Landmark is 120 feet deep and 500 feet across. Walking down the 232 step stairway took us to the bottom where we could view the unique vegetation. 🌱 There were small waterfalls and streams going down the sides of the sinkhole. According to floridastateparks.org, “The climate, geology and plant life of this area have created an incredible ecosystem rarely found elsewhere in the world.” 🌎

We climbed back up the steps and enjoyed the half mile nature trail around the rim. It was quiet and peaceful with plenty of flora and fauna to view on the way. 🌿

After we left the park, we went to the Morningside Nature Center. I wish we would have made it there earlier, because they were having their Living History Saturday–and we do love some history!!! 🤩 From September through May, they host a costumed Living History Saturday on the first Saturday of the month. It’s really interesting to watch them act out life from the 1800’s. They have re-enactment guides that cook on a wood stove and blacksmiths displaying their craft. There is also a wood shop where you can try your hand at using the old fashioned tools. ⚒ It was a really cool educational event that we all would have loved spending more time enjoying. 😊

We had a great time watching the blacksmith make a hook. 🔨 Luke is interested in welding, so he really appreciated watching Erica show us how they used to use the hammer and anvil to make various implements.

You can find a video of Erica making a metal hook here: Erica’s Blacksmith Skills

It was pretty neat to see the old woodshop tools, too! We weren’t there long enough to get to make a craft since we arrived pretty late, but we loved watching them show us how to use the tools. 🔨

One of our favorite parts of the day was listening to Bobby Scharping and Lindsey McConnell sing and play The Sweet Potato Song! 🍠

You can find a sample here: Sweet Potato Song (clip)

For the whole song, you can find that here: Sweet Potato Song (in full)

The animals are also a fun part of the Nature Center. There were cows, pigs, sheep and chickens which were the breeds that would have been accurate for a farm in Florida in the 1800’s. 🐮🐷🐑🐔 Now, if you had told me that I would have been licked by a cow that morning, I wouldn’t have believed you, but it happened! 😳 These sweet ladies loved eating the hay we fed them and licked all of our hands. It was pretty cool! The tongues felt like cat tongues, but a lot bigger!!! We were able to pet them behind their ears and appreciated their affectionate nature. Their gentle eyes were so beautiful. 🥰

A super cool upcoming event is their annual Cane Boil & Fiddle Fest. The Morningside Nature Center is a real working farm and they grow their own sugar cane which they turn into cane syrup. 🤤 The event is free, but you can purchase the syrup if you would like! If you’re in the Gainesville area on November 23, 2024, be sure to stop by for an old-time experience with games, music, crafts and fun! 😄 You can find out more about the Morningside Nature Center here: https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Morningside-Nature-Center

All in all, we had a great time exploring Gainesville! There was so much to see and do and I’m sure we’ll head this way again. 😃

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