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Florida road trip: 10 ways ways to find the real Florida 10 minutes off I-75

You don’t have to drive hours into Florida’s remote rural enclaves to experience the state’s natural beauty and funky history. If you’re traveling the length of Florida on I-75 on a Florida road trip, you can find treasures minutes off the interstate.

I-75 in Florida: This scene, of oak trees in Micanopy, is within 10 minutes of I-75 exit.. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)
I-75 in Florida: This scene, of oak trees in Micanopy, is within 10 minutes of I-75 exit.. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Here are 10 favorite stops along I-75.  Several are perfect places for a picnic. One is an authentic Old Florida restaurant. Some are even free. All of them are the sorts of places that make a memorable Florida road trip. 

If you stop at all of these, it will take you days to get from one end of Florida to other! But you’ll have a blast.

Our Florida road trip starts from Naples and heads north.

10 minutes off I-75 in Florida: Koreshan State Historic Site, Estero

Koreshan historic building: The Planetary Court., within 10 minutes of I-75 in Florida. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)
Koreshan historic building: The Planetary Court., within 10 minutes of I-75 in Florida. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Florida’s wackiness goes back to its first settlers, and Koreshan State Historic Site introduces us to one of our earliest eccentrics – Dr. Cyrus R. Teed, founder in 1894 of a utopian community here. Teed and his followers believed the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere and that Teed was the messiah. Thanks to this cult leader, though, a lovely wooded site on the Estero River was preserved through the years for us to enjoy.

Admission is $5 per vehicle; guided tours are $2 an adult.

How to find it: Six minutes off the Interstate just north of Naples. Take Exit 123 off of I-75 on Corkscrew Road/SR 850. Drive two miles west.

How much time will it take: You can get a taste of the place and absorb its strange story in a visit of 60 to 90 minutes. There are nice trails and the opportunity to rent kayaks or canoes for those with more time.

More on Koreshan State Historic Site.

10 minutes off I-75 in Florida: Six Mile Cypress Slough, Fort Myers

I-75 in Florida six mile slough family hike Florida road trip: 10 ways ways to find the real Florida 10 minutes off I-75
A family explores Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Fort Myers. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

This is a perfect break on a Floirda road trip.  Not only does it have clean restrooms and shaded picnic tables, but the 1.2 mile boardwalk travels through an unspoiled cypress swamp that is as pretty as any you’ll find deep in the wilderness.  The only fee is a $1 an hour for parking.

How to find it: Just south of Fort Myers, take  I-75 Exit 131 (SR 876, Daniels Parkway.) Drive 2.7 miles west on SR 876 and turn right (north) on SR 865 (Six Miles Cypress Parkway.) Entrance is about two miles on right.

How much time it will take:  You can stroll the boardwalk in as little as 30 minutes, though we spent two hours here, lingering to soak up the beauty, look for birds and visit the nature center.

More on Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.

Five minutes off I-75 in Florida: Orange River/Manatee Park in Fort Myers

The manatees at Manatee Park in Fort Myers loll about in the warm water discharged from an FPL plant. If your Florida road trip is on a chilly winter day, you're likely to see manatees here.
The manatees at Manatee Park in Fort Myers loll about in the warm water discharged from an FPL plant. If your Florida road trip is on a chilly winter day, you’re likely to see manatees here, five minutes off I-75 in Florida. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

If your Florida road trip is on chilly winter day, this is a must-stop because there’s an excellent chance you’ll see dozens of manatees in the warm-water discharge of a power plant.

The area has other amenities, including a  butterfly gardens, educational exhibits, playgrounds and restrooms. There are videos about manatees and seasonal talks by manatee experts.

Even without manatees (which is likely from April to November), the Orange River is a beautiful kayak trail through Old Florida scenery and you can rent kayaks here.  The only fee is for parking at $2 an hour.

How to find it: Manatee Park is five minutes off I-75. Take Exit 141 SR 80 east five miles.

How much time it will take: You can make this stop in 20 minutes, though manatees have a magnetic power that might keep you around for longer.

More on Manatee Park.

Five minutes off I-75 in Florida: Peace River Seafood, Punta Gorda

Peace River Seafood in Punta Gorda
Peace River Seafood in Punta Gorda is located in a Cracker cabin under spreading oak trees. It’s a perfect lunch stop on I-75 in Florida. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Stop here if you are hungry and love seafood. Peace River Seafood in Punta Gorda is a true Florida crab shack; they don’t come more authentic than this.

From its 1927 Cracker cabin to the buckets of fresh blue crabs, it’s a little piece of old Florida. Peace River Seafood serves fresh local shrimp, stone crabs, crab cakes, clams, grouper and mahi mahi as well as fresh fish from outside the area, such as salmon and lobster. But crabs are king here.

How to find it: Two miles off I-75. Take Exit 164 east two miles.

How much time it will take:  If it’s crowded, a meal might take 45 minutes to an hour. NOTE: Closed Sundays and Mondays and after 7 p.m.

More on Peace River Seafood.

Seven minutes off I-75: The Celery Fields in Sarasota

Outside Sarasota, just off the Fruitville Road exit from I-75, a storm-water collection zone and former agricultural area has become an excellent habitat for birds and wildlife in the winter.

While the preserve is more than 300 acres, the most convenient place for wildlife viewing are the two boardwalk. One is on the south side of south side of Palmer Boulevard and the other on Raymond Road.

I-75 in Florida sarasota celery fields boardwalk Florida road trip: 10 ways ways to find the real Florida 10 minutes off I-75
Florida wildlife is often spotted at the Celery Fields outside Sarasota. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

On a February day, we found lots to see from the boardwalk on Palmer Boulevard: roseate spoonbills, blue-winged teals, an alligator actively swimming through a group of birds. The longer we stayed, the more birds we spotted, and the friendly birders nearby were helpful in pointing out and identifying species. In the water, we saw fish (big tilapia, not a native species) and soft-shell turtles.

On the north side of Palmer Boulevard there are restrooms, water, picnic tables, more trails and fun-to-watch purple martin birdhouses.

The area was indeed used for growing celery from the 1920s until the county acquired it in 1995.

Admission is free.

How to find it: From I-75, take Exit 210, Fruitville Road. Go east and make a right at the Lakewood Ranch Boulevard light, then right at traffic circle onto Apex Road. Follow Apex for one mile and make a left onto Palmer Boulevard. After .3 mile turn left into parking lot which also has restrooms.

How much time will it take: Across from the parking lot is a terrific boardwalk observation area, which you could visit for as little as 20 or 30 minutes. If you have time, drive the perimeter to a second vantage point on the south side of Palmer Boulevard and Raymond Road. Parking here is on the side of the road.

The Celery Fields
6799 Palmer Boulevard, Sarasota, FL 34240
(941) 861-5000

Five minutes off I-75 in Florida: Gamble Mansion, Ellenton

Gamble Mansion in Ellenton, Florida, near Sarasota
Gamble Mansion in Ellenton, Florida, is five minutes off I-75 in Florida (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

The Gamble Mansion has white columns to rival Tara and it’s the only antebellum mansion left in South Florida. The story that makes the Gamble Mansion famous is its role in 1865 just after the Confederate surrender, when the secretary of state for the Confederacy escaped the country via the Gamble Mansion. It’s just one of the interesting stories you learn here.

There is no fee to enter the park or visitors center. To go inside the house, you must take a guided tour, offered for $6 at 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m., 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. from Thursdays to Mondays.

How to find it: Located near Sarasota, less than two miles off I-75, minutes south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to St. Petersburg. Take Exit 224 west.

How much time it will take:  You can tour the house and museum in an hour. NOTE: Buildings and museum are closed Tuesday and Wednesday but the grounds are open. 

More on Gamble Plantation Historic State Park

10 minutes off I-75 in Florida: Dade Battlefield, Bushnell

Marker in peaceful Dade Battlefield Historic State Park.
Marker in peaceful Dade Battlefield Historic State Park., 10 minutes off I-75 in Florida (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

This is the place where the fellow after whom Miami-Dade County is named died a hero. The peaceful park shaded by magnificent live oaks is a good spot  to soak up some Florida history and take a walk or have a picnic.  The battlefield tells a dramatic and thought-provoking story – I suspect you’ll learn a few things.

There’s a lovely half-mile trail through pine flatwoods, where you have a good chance of spotting gopher tortoises, woodpeckers, songbirds and hawks. The park has a playground plus a picnic area with covered shelters. Entry is $3 per vehicle.

How to find it: Ten minutes off-75. Take Exit 314 east on SR 48. Go five miles east and turn right on County Road 603. This road dead ends in the park in two miles.

How much time it will take:  You can tour the museum and site in 45 minutes. Add time if you want to take a walk or picnic.

More on Dade Battlefield Historic State Park.

Five minutes off I-75 in Florida: Micanopy

Cafe in "downtown" Micanopy.
Cafe in “downtown” Micanopy, an atmospheric stop on a Florida road trip, right off I-75 in Florida. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Micanopy is right off I-75 near Gainesville, but it feels far away — like a small town in a Florida long gone.  There are no major attractions here. If visiting Micanopy is for you, you’ll enjoy browsing antique and gift shops, sipping a beverage at an oak-shaded café, strolling side streets and perhaps visiting the historic cemetery. There are two popular spots to get lunch, both on Cholokka Boulevard, the main street.

How to find it: Micanopy pretty much starts at Exit 374/County Road 234. Go east and turn right into town.

How much time it will take:  You can see Micanopy in 15 minutes by car, but it’s better to slow down, stroll and browse. There’s a great B&B in town, the Herlong Mansion, if you are looking for an overnight stop.

More on Micanopy.

Five minutes off I-75 in Florida: Paynes Prairie, Gainesville

Trail to the observation tower on the south end of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park near Gainesville.
Trail to the observation tower on the south end of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park near Gainesville, minutes from an exit off I-75 in Florida. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

This Gainesville area state park is a vast playground for hikers and bikers, but also for bison, wild horses and, sometimes, thousands of sandhill cranes. It’s a huge park and the southern entrance is the one right off I-75. As we drove into the park, we saw flocks of turkeys and a buck with a full rack of antlers. If you are lucky, you might spot some of the resident bison here.

A good stop is the 50-foot-high observation tower overlooking the prairie, which you reach after a short walk through a forest thick with drapes of Spanish moss. There are a half dozen trails to explore and an impressive visitor center. Admission is $6 per vehicle.

How to find it:  The southern entrance to the park is two miles off I-75, using the same exit as Micanopy — Exit 374. Travel east on CR 234 for 1.4 miles until it intersects with US 441. Turn left onto 441 and go about 0.6 miles to the entrance to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park on the right.

How much time it will take:  A leg-stretching walk and a climb up the observation tower could be done in 45 minutes, but it’s a great place to explore on a longer hike.

More on Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park.

7 minutes off I-75: Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Gainesville

This 68-acre garden has 24 major collections you view from a 1.5 mile paved walkway. Kanapahaha has the largest public display of bamboos in Florida (the sound of the wind in the large bamboo forests is other-worldly) and the largest herb garden in the Southeast.

If you visit in late summer or early fall, don’t miss the Giant Victoria Water Lilies that can reach six feet in diameter during their brief growing season. (The lilies die when the weather turns cold.)

How to find it: Less than seven minutes off I-75, take Exit 384 toward FL-24 West. Turn right onto SW 58th Drive. Watch for the signage on the right and travel a half mile to the entrance.

How much time it will take: You can see the gardens in an hour, but nature lovers may linger for two hours or more.

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens website
Summer House, 4700 SW 58th Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608
(352) 372-4981
Adult admission: $10
Here’s a Florida Rambler story on Florida botanical gardens, including Kanapaha.

10 minutes off I-75 in Florida: Stephen Foster Culture Center State Park & White Springs

I do not think it is a coincidence that the Stephen Foster Museum at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park looks like a class Southern plantation.
I do not think it is a coincidence that the Stephen Foster Museum at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park looks like a classic Southern plantation. It’s 10 minutes from an exit on I-75 in Florida. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

The best thing about this state park is the Suwanee River, and there are some beautiful views available here along the Florida Trail that adjoins the river as it passes through the park. The park also has a classic funky-Florida throwback to the 1950s – the museum devoted to the composer Stephen Foster, who in 1851 wrote “Old Folks at Home (aka Swanee River)” without ever visiting Florida. It became Florida’s state song in 1935.

The museum tells Stephen Foster’s interesting life story, and there’s no question, he was a genius songwriter. The museum’s dated perspective makes it a very curious spot.  Admission is $5 per vehicle.

How to find it: Seven minutes off I-75 Exit 439 to S.R. 136. Travel east on S.R. 136 for three miles. Turn left on U.S. 41. Park entrance is on the left.

How much time it will take: It’s worth it to stop for 30 or 45 minutes to walk and enjoy the scenery along the river. It would be easy to spend several hours or even days here exploring and hiking. The adjoining town of White Springs is also an evocative historic spot.

More about Stephen Foster Culture Center State Park and White Springs

More stops long I-75 in Florida


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