Palm trees. Pelicans. Alligators. Beautiful sandy beaches. Walt Disney World. Universal Studios. The Everglades. Yeah sure, that is what we all think of when we think of the Sunshine State. However, Florida has a lot more to offer than that. How many people know that Florida has one of the largest and most diverse horse industries in the United States in the central part of the state, specifically in Ocala/Marion County? This industry is so large that the county has been designated as the Horse Capital of the World. And in conjunction with that – how many people know that Florida has a 22,000 acre prairie, Florida’s first State Preserve, established in 1971 and a National Natural Landmark, located south of Gainesville in Micanopy, Florida. Located about 95 miles from Lake Louisa State Park, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park was our next destination.

So with a huge horse industry in Ocala, of course, it would make sense that there would be horses grazing on the prairie at Paynes Prairie Preserve. However, we didn’t know the horses at Paynes Prairie are Cracker horses, descendants of horses brought to Florida by the Spanish beginning in the 1500s and quite different from the breeding, racing and show horse thoroughbreds found in Ocala. Important to cattlemen in the 18th and 19th centuries, the smaller Cracker horses were used to work cattle and move herds across the open Florida landscape.

At least they did until the 1930’s when Florida ranchers started to use larger Quarter Horses to work the cattle and move herds, putting the survival of the Cracker Horses in jeopardy. Sadly by 1989, there were only 31 registered Cracker horses in existence! Because of that decline in population, the Florida Cracker Horse Association was formed with the goal of preserving the breed and establishing breed standards. Fortunately, today there are more than 1000 Cracker Horses registered.

Anyway, back to our journey – before heading out, we drove into Clermont to have breakfast at Cheeser’s Palace Cafe where we both had the Caprese Benny ($13) – grilled tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, topped with hollandaise sauce and balsamic vinegar reduction, served with home fries (moi) or grits (Rob). Yum!

It was an uneventful drive along the Florida Turnpike and I-75N. Over the years we had tried to reserve a site at this state park but had never been successful. Guess this was our lucky year! Payne’s Prairie Preserve offers 60 campsites (water and electric only) at a daily rate of $18 plus the usual $7 daily utility fee as well as a $6.70 one time reservation fee. With our Senior Pass which gives us a 50% discount our nightly rate was only $9 plus the other fees.

For our three night stay we had reserved site #47, which turned out to be a less than ideal back in site with water and electric hookups. Why less than ideal? Although it was big enough for our rig, it was right on a curve with another campsite diagonally across from it, site #50. Luckily when we arrived, the people occupying that site weren’t there so even though we had the curve and trees to deal with, at least we didn’t have to maneuver around their pick up truck. Within a short time of settling into our site, our neighbors arrived back to their site so we chatted with them for a bit. Nice people! It turned out they had a reservation at Gunter Hill campground in Montgomery around the same time we did later in the month.

In addition to the campground, there are more than 30 miles of trails providing options for walking, hiking, biking and horseback riding. With more than 420 vertebrate species documented, including nearly 300 species of birds, visitors can enjoy wildlife viewing from not only the trails but multiple observation platforms, wildlife-viewing areas as well as a 50-foot observation tower.

Open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, the park also offers a Visitor Center which has Interactive exhibits, displays about the prairie ecosystem, cultural and historical information, an audiovisual program, large windows overlooking the prairie and a back porch where visitors might be able to catch a glimpse of the wild Cracker horses.

By the time we settled into our site and finished our conversation with our neighbors, it was after 4:00 p.m. so we didn’t have a lot of time to explore! Although we knew that the Visitor Center was closed, we drove there anyway where we parked the car and headed towards the prairie and the Wacahoota Trail and the observation tower which gave us a flavor of things to come! After a short walk, we returned to the Jeep and drove back to our campsite. Relaxing around a campfire was on our agenda for the evening.

The next morning we took a charming step back in time by visiting the 200+ year old historic town of Micanopy, located about 12 miles south of Gainesville. Micanopy is named for an important Seminole leader during a turbulent period in Florida history. You can read a detailed history of the town here.

After parking the car, we strolled along Cholokka Boulevard, the main street which is lined with old storefronts, antique shops, art galleries and small eateries beneath mature live oaks. We passed by the impressive Herlong Mansion which dates back to 1845 and today is a bed and breakfast. The Micanopy Banking Company building, established in 1906, appeared as the Grady National Bank in the 1991 movie, Doc Hollywood. Today it is the home of Delectable Collectables, a fine jewelry and antiques shop.  

Back in 2015, we discovered a delicious, very authentic, Chinese restaurant in Gainesville – Gator Sukiyaki, which appears to no longer exist. Close to that former restaurant’s location was a different restaurant, Sohao Restaurant. I had the Kong Pao Lunch; Rob had Hot Spicy Ginger & Garlic Chicken. Both were $14.95 and served with fried rice ($1.00 extra), Spring Roll and Crab Rangoon. Excellent!

Driving back on Route 441S, although it wasn’t the prettiest of days, we stopped at the Ecopassage Observation Boardwalk. Here we learned that the boardwalk is part of an important wildlife-conservation project. Before the ecopassage was built beneath U.S. Highway 441 in the year 2000, reptiles and other animals crossing the road were frequently killed by traffic plus visitors were at risk of encounters with the wildlife. The elevated highway and concrete passages now allow wildlife to travel beneath the road. Woo hoo we were in luck – off in a distance were four buffalo grazing. Wish they were closer but it was pretty cool anyway!

On the day before we were leaving, we returned to the Visitor Center. Wow, great displays and exhibits.

After our brains were tired from information overload, we needed a little exercise to clear our heads! So off to the observation tower we went. Climbing to the top of the 50 foot tower provided us with a panoramic view of the prairie. And we were in luck – there were several Cracker horses peacefully grazing!

The next morning we would say goodbye to Paynes Prairie Preserve, heading to our next destination for another three night stay on site #72 at Madison RV & Golf Resort in Madison, FL. Except for catching up on laundry and other miscellaneous chores, not much to report.