Category: Places

Jackson County Senior Center is locate at 2931 Optimist Drive. The phone number is 850-482-5028. They also have a Facebook page, to follow them and get updates be sure to click the like button. They have a monthly calendar as seen in the photo attached. They do movie days, art classes, games, bingo, exercise classes, and health checks to name a few activities. They also offer in home services and you need to call for that information and the number for that is 800-963-5337. The hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.

The mission at Jackson County Senior Citizens is to provide an opportunity for the senior citizen population to participate in various functions offered on a regular basis. They are a non-profit organization that promotes and provides activities, entertainment, trips, and special workshops that are planned specifically with seniors in mind. It was founded in 1975. They also have a location in Graceville located at 5400 Cliff Street.

Williford Springs is open for weekends only this summer. The spring run itself is still closed due to fallen trees from Hurricane Michael. If you are planning to go to a body of water this summer be sure to check before you go to make sure it is open. With all the damage from the hurricane it may be years before all of the water areas are back up and running. Canoe and kayak rentals are available at the Econfina Creek Canoe Livery which is next door to the Williford Springs. Open from dawn to dusk, they do not allow alcoholic beverages or ATV’s.

Williford Springs is a swimming basin located in Washington County on Porter Pond Road in Youngstown. Located about 1.5 miles north of State Road 20. This spring is one of the most popular recreation sites managed by The Northwest Florida Water Management District(NFWMD)who reopened the Williford Springs in July for weekend use only until repairs are complete. This gives them the week days to continue repairing the site. It has been closed since the hurricane since it sustained extensive damages. Only the parking lot, picnic pavilions, general recreation area of the spring, and the restrooms will be open. The boardwalk and walking trails remain closed.

Williford Spring is classified as a second magnitude spring. It is one of 11 springs or spring groups along Econfina Creek, which also features as many as 39 individual spring vents. Flow from Williford Spring and the other springs along the Eonfina Creek ultimately discharge into Deer Point Lake, which is the primary source of drinking water for residents in Bay County. The NFWMD manages 41,224.18 acres of public lands in the Econfina Creek area.

This park isn’t secluded but it sure feels like it. Blue Pond Park is located south of I-10 in Chipley which is in Washington County. It is also known as Blue Lake Earl Gilbert Landing. This cute park is located on this beautiful lake. They have a playground, gazebo, bridge, pavilion, and ducks! The ducks are not shy and will waddle right up to you. They do have restrooms that are locked at sunset. When you get off I-10 head south and it is located on the east side of the road. It looks like a little park or rest area. It is right on the road but is so quiet. They are doing construction but it isn’t too dirty or loud. This would be a great place for a romantic picnic or a lunch by the river with your family.

Bonsai by Dori is located in Cottondale and was established in 1997. As you drive along I-10 you probably have seen a sign advertising for this tree shop. They are open during the summer from 8:30am to 5pm, 7 days a week. The founder Dori Hayes discovered her love of Bonsai while working in a nursery in Seattle many years ago. Bonsai trees can live to be 100’s of years old. The oldest tree she owns is 107. They have a few that may be older but they don’t know for sure. They display about 100 trees in the shop however they have thousands. They have a nursery facility and also greenhouses that they use. The shop also sells other types of trees including maples. For the past 20 years, visitors have stopped by to check out these trees. Southern Living did a write up in their magazine about Bonsai by Dori.

Bonsai are trees made into dwarfs by careful root and stem pruning coupled with root restriction. A well shaped bonsai will resemble a very old tree or grove of trees. A few steps to caring for your bonsai: ~Consistency is key ~regular watering is job number 1~ interior bonsai need very little fertilizer to thrive~ a little trim is better (don’t cut too much off)~ every 2-3 years repot your bonsai.

Call 850-352-4390 for more information.

Falling Waters State Park is located 3 miles south of Chipley. It was established in 1962 and is 171 acres in Washington County. The park contains a 73-foot waterfall, the highest in the state of Florida. The hours are 8am to sundown, 365 days a year. With it being only a few miles south of I-10, the park provides travelers with a quiet, serene stop on your journey. You can see beautiful native and migrating butterflies in the butterfly garden, take a dip in the lake, or have a picnic with family or friends. Hikers can experience the verdant, gently sloping landscape of North Florida. Park Rangers host interpretive programs in the amphitheater and they have a full facility campsite. The more it rains the fuller and stronger the waterfall flows.

The park serves many purposes but the primary function is to protect a series of sinkholes, particularly the chimney sinkhole that Florida’s highest waterfall cascades into before disappearing into the park’s network of terrestrial caves. The park also highlights the historical legacy of the region due to its ideal location and resources while providing resource-based recreation and preserving the unique natural features.

You can go hiking(3 short nature trails), geo-seeking(all you need is your hand-held GPS device), fishing(2 acre lake, just take fishing gear and a Florida Freshwater License), swimming(white sand beach and a place to shower to rinse off afterward), picnicking(they have picnic tables next to the bathrooms), camping(on one of the highest hills in Florida), bird watching(over 100 birds currently listed as viewed in the park), family reunions(2 pavilions can be reserved),wildlife viewing(you may see deer, fox, squirrels, lizards, turtles, and snakes), and a playground.

Domestic pets are permitted in designated day-use areas in most Florida State Parks. Pets must be kept on a hand held lease 6 feet or shorter at all times and be well-behaved.  As always please remember to put your trash in the provided cans and also pick up after your pets.It is just $5 a car to get in and they do except credit cards.

Call 850-638-6130 for more information and availability.

Publix was opened by George Jenkins. His first store was opened in Winter Haven on Sept. 6, 1930, he opened his 2nd store in 1935 across town. He closed his first 2 stores to open his dream store Publix Super Market on Nov. 8, 1940. The name came from a chain of theaters which were operating throughout Florida at the time, Jenkins liked the name. Publix is an employee-owned, American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and past employees and members of the Jenkins family.  When Jenkins opened his first super market the store featured several features that were rare at that time to customers. Air conditioning, automatic doors, fluorescent lighting, terrazzo floors, and a scale at the front.

The scale has been a large part of the Publix history. At the time they opened very few people owned scales at home. Several stores offered to weigh you for a price. However Jenkins insisted his scales be free to guests. The company still has the original scale in the offices in Lakeland and it still works! You will not find scales in Publix locations outside of Florida, except a few just over the Georgia border. The scales were manufactured by Mettler Toledo and they stopped producing them in 2015. Publix bought up as many as it could and houses them in a warehouse in Lakeland. Technicians maintain a couple dozen backup scales in the warehouse. Whenever a scale breaks or needs repair at a Florida store, they replace it. The technicians use a Publix People Weigher Repair handbook when they need help repairing one. The scales will stay in the stores as long as the technicians can keep them operational.

The chicken is another thing Publix is famous for. It dates back to the 1950’s when it was cooked on a Rotiss-O-Mat. Fried chicken followed in the 70’s, with the final recipe being introduced in 1992. Chicken tenders are so loved they even have a twitter account for customers to see if the chicken tender sub is on sale.

Pub subs were introduced in 1992 as well. Custom-made sandwiches remain rare among grocery chains in the south. Both the subs and chicken were introduced first in the Atlanta market.

Kids love they get a free cookie in the bakery just for walking up and asking. Nobody seems to know for sure when this tradition started but it could date back to 1957 when the chain opened. By the way, those first bakeries were not located inside Publix stores but were in separate buildings.

Tipping associates is forbidden.

Publix has 1,147 (with over 30 in the Panhandle) stores and operates in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. They employee approximately 188.00 employees

Spanish Trail Farms is located at 7202 Old Spanish Trail in Grand Ridge. The phone number is 850-209-8321. Be sure to follow them on FB for up to date availability. They do a weekly fill your freezer Friday contest on FB as well. They do recommend you bring an ice chest to transport your produce. They have frozen, fresh, and cold food from the farm for you to choose from. Prices are listed as you walk in the large open shopping area. This is a local farm that sells what they grow. Recently they have had creamed field corn, squash, peas, butter beans, watermelon, bell peppers, cantaloupe, sweet corn, okra, squash, and peaches. Looking forward to what they have next!

Alligator Point is located in the eastern most corner of Franklin County. It is a sparsely populated rural beach community that the locals refer to as “The Point.” It boasts some of the most pristine beaches in Florida. Alligator Point got it’s name because from the air the land is shaped like an alligator’s tail. They are a hotspot for both on and off shore fishing. The community’s protected bay, the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve, encompasses 14,366 acres. This community offers fishing, wildlife viewing, biking, hiking, swimming, star gazing, canoeing, and basically any outdoor activity that you enjoy. All of the 9.5 miles of beach is closed to dogs to protect the sea turtles and shore birds that nest there. However they do have vacation rentals that are pet friendly. If you are looking for uncrowded beaches, fabulous fishing, and incredible wildlife viewing Alligator Point is something you should check out.

 

Florida State Caverns sustained sever damage when Hurricane Michael came through as a category 5 hurricane on October 10, 2018. Approximately 90% of the trees of the park’s thick forest fell. The day after the hurricane, park staff from around the state arrived to help with chainsaw’s and heavy equipment. The community has rallied around the State Cavern’s and volunteers continue to help clean up. Assistant Park Manager, Billy Bailey, has said that he has noticed changes to the wildlife and there has been changes to the forest canopy and other ecological shifts have begun to attract new species. He has seen a northern harrier, a rare barn owl, and has noticed more wading birds, turkeys, and fox squirrels. Florida Caverns located at 3345 Caverns Road in Marianna is the only State Park in Florida where visitors can take a guided tour through a large cave system and see some spectacular examples of cave formations including stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstone.

They are planning to re-open with limited use Monday, July 1, 2019. Flashlight cave tours will be available from 9am to 4pm. Park fees will apply. For more information please contact Florida Caverns State Park at (850) 482-1228.