Brooksville Blueberry Festival: Canceled for 2024

The 2024 Brooksville Blueberry Festival, whose dates had been previously announced, has been canceled.

As Florida’s strawberry harvest winds down, the packing houses turn their attention to home-grown blueberries.

You may not think of Florida as blueberry country, but the state is now eighth in the nation in blueberry production. (Twenty years ago, there was no blueberry production, but University of Florida developed the ‘Southern Highbush’ varieties that requires very few hours of chill for growth.)

You can pick your own blueberries as at many u-pick farms in Central Florida.

Brooksville is the center of 15 Florida counties that grow blueberries.

The Brooksville Blueberry Festival is the blue cousin to Plant City’s very large Florida Strawberry festival, although much smaller.

Here’s the The Brooksville Blueberry Festival official website.

The Brooksville Blueberry Festival takes place under the shade of the gnarly oak trees on the courthouse lawn in Brooksville’s downtown square.

Brooksville area’s natural beauty

Even without the blueberry, Brooksville/Hernando County is the center of one of Florida’s greatest unspoiled natural regions.

Nearby is the Withlacoochee State Forest, named by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the “10 Coolest Places in North America You’ve Never Seen.”

The forest is home to what many argue is Florida’s prettiest river for kayaking and canoes (the Withlacoochee River) AND what may be its best paved bike trail (the 46-mile Withlacoochee Bike Trail.)

Also nearby are great mountain bike trails, Weeki Wachee Springs with great kayaking on the spring-fed Weeki Wachee River.

Things to do near Brooksville

• Paddle the Withlacoochee River
• Bike the Withlacoochee Bike Trail, one of the best rail trails in the state.
• Visit Chinsegut Hill, one of Florida’s most fascinating historical sites.
• Visit Weeki Wachee Springs for the mermaid show and/or to paddle the beautiful river.
• Hike in the Withlacoochee State Forest. There are more than 100 miles of trails through these beautiful woods.
• Visit the lovely, evocative Dade Battlefield Historic State Park.
• Dine at the Florida Cracker Kitchen, 966 E. Jefferson St. in Brooksville. It is well worth a stop, even if all you get is the Smoked Mullet Dip. It’s open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday and serves outstanding dinners Friday and Saturday night. The menu is themed around Old Florida, from the Bokeelia Shrimp Omelette to the Apalachicola Po’ Boys (choice of oysters, shrimip, gator tail or fresh fish.) The 10,000 Island Shrimp and Grits is excellent, packed with flavor.

Places to stay near Brooksville

Hotels.com: Hotels in Brooksville

There are a few inexpensive mom-and-pop motels in Brooksville, but there are several modern moderate-priced hotels are at the I-75 intersection about five miles away.

Campsites are available in the Withlacoochee State Forest. The forest’s 131 campsites are available on a first-come, first-served bases. See posted information about camping fees. The rate is $20 per night from April through October for sites with electric hookups. Sites in Crooked River, with water only, are $15. Fees are collected on the honor system at the campground entrances.

• Buttgenbach Mine Campground in the Croom Motorcycle Area: 51 sites with electricity, water, picnic tables and fire rings. Dump station in campground. Warning: It can get noisy here, especially on weekends, because of the motorcycles and off-road vehicles.
• Silver Lake Campground in the Silver Lake Recreation Area: 23 sites with electric, water, picnic tables and fire ring. Dump station in campground.
• Cypress Glen Campground in the Silver Lake Recreation Area: 34 campsites with electric, water, picnic table and fire ring. Also features kayak launch, nature trail and boardwalk.
• Crooked River Campground in the Silver Lake Recreation Area: 26 primitive sites (tents only) with water, picnic table and fire ring. restrooms and showers.
• For more information on Withlacoochee State Forest Camping, contact the Florida Forest Service office in Brooksville at 352-754-6896.

These campgrounds are in the forest, accessible only on dirt roads, and most are shaded well by the forest canopy. If it weren’t for the electric and water hookups, you would think they were primitive. Well worth camping here for an authentic Florida experience, especially if you are in a tent.

Odds and Ends

The Florida National Cemetery, the state’s newest resting ground for American soldiers, is located in nearby Bushnell. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs web site.