Michael Huntley, Author at Traveling Huntleys

White Springs, Florida: The Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center, Carillons & Early Spring Blooms Along the Suwannee

March 7, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

The Suwannee River runs through the northern Florida interior with quiet authority, draining the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia and making its slow, dark-watered way to the Gulf of Mexico some 240 miles away. “Way down upon the Suwannee River” — the opening line of Stephen Foster’s 1851 song “Old Folks at Home” — made this otherwise obscure waterway the most recognized river name in American popular music. We’d already visited Suwannee River State Park at the river’s confluence with the Withlacoochee; now, heading back south through the Florida Panhandle, we stopped in White Springs — a small town the river bends around — and found more than we expected.

Suwannee River Resort, White Springs, Florida

RV travel through north Florida, route to White Springs

Blackwater River State Park, Florida: One of America’s Purest Rivers, Tea-Dark Water & Trails of Appalachian Sand

March 3, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: March 3, 2017

From Bella Terra we headed back into Florida and into one of its lesser-known gems. Blackwater River State Park opened in 1968 and covers about 600 acres in the Florida Panhandle — a destination built around one of the purest sand-bottom rivers in the United States. We came looking forward to canoeing, got rained out of the trails, and still left thoroughly impressed.

The dark tannin-stained water of Blackwater River flowing through Blackwater River State Park, Florida

Bella Terra RV Resort, Gulf Shores, Alabama: Lakeside Recovery, Magnolia Springs & the Best Mushroom Risotto in the South

February 25, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: February 25, 2017

After weeks of state parks — beautiful, quiet, and trail-filled as they were — we were ready for a different kind of stop. Bella Terra of Gulf Shores is an upscale Class A motorhome resort in southern Alabama, and we chose it deliberately: we needed to receive mail and packages, catch up on bills and phone calls, and give Michael’s still-healing ribs and wrist a few days without a hiking agenda. It also has a pool and spa, which after the state park circuit felt like pure luxury.

Lake view and fountain at Bella Terra RV Resort in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Gulf State Park, Alabama: White Sand Beach, 496 Campsites & the Herons Who Figured Out the Fish Cleaning Station

February 24, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: February 24, 2017

We only had a couple of days at Gulf State Park, and it rained for most of them — so this isn’t an exhaustive account. But even a rainy short stay at one of Alabama’s largest state parks gives you a sense of the scale. Gulf State Park covers 11.5 square miles of Alabama’s Gulf Coast, with 2.5 miles of white sand beach, a 1,540-foot fishing pier, miles of paved trails, and enough campsites to house a small city.

White sand beach and Gulf of Mexico at Gulf State Park, Alabama

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida: Fort Pickens, Geronimo’s Captivity & Sunsets Lit by Controlled Burns

February 21, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: February 21, 2017

Gulf Islands National Seashore stretches from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi, protecting the natural and historic resources of a chain of Gulf Coast barrier islands that have seen an extraordinary amount of American history. The protected area spans mainland sections and parts of seven islands — and the ground here has been fought over, abandoned, reclaimed, and fought over again for more than 500 years.

White sand beach and clear emerald water at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Florida: Top 1% Camping, Rare Coastal Dune Lakes & a Wine Bar in Destin

February 18, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: February 18, 2017

Trailer Life and Woodall’s rank Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in the top 1% of campgrounds in the nation. That’s a bold claim for a Florida state park, but after a few days here it’s hard to argue. The park has over three miles of pristine white sandy beach fronting emerald Gulf water, coastal cypress domes, freshwater lakes, and wet prairies — and the camping infrastructure to match.