We’ve been cruising around Crystal River for the last few weekends–enjoying the weather and the view. Most state parks in Florida allow dogs so this past Saturday we decided to check out some of those parks and took Maggie along.
First stop, Churchhouse Hammock Boardwalk which is right across the street from the Crystal River Mall. We walked on a really wide boardwalk that’s about 1/3 mile in length and goes through the forest. Maggie was quite sure that something scary was in the woods and wanted to go back the entire time so Terry ended up carrying her. Won’t be taking the pooch back to that trail!
The Crystal River Archeological Park was our main destination. There’s a lot of Native Americans buried here. I don’t have a lot of details because we couldn’t go in the visitor center but I have to confess that we’ve lived her over 10 years and have no excuse for not visiting this local treasure before this. But we’ll be back! The grounds were very well maintained and there are areas for grilling and picnicking. Fishing is allowed plus it’s part of the Great Florida Birding Trail.
Our final stop was at the Crystal River Preserve State Park Visitor Center.
Another beautiful spot on the Crystal River. And, once again, we couldn’t go in but we were happy to walk the grounds and love the river.
There’s a native plant garden. Not sure what this tree is, but it was this one was real PURTY!
So, in conclusion, there are a lot of places for us still to discover in the state park system in Citrus County. Like sunset boat rides and ecological tours and many more trails. We’ll be back. But maybe not with Maggie, we have some small people in our family that might appreciate it a little bit more than the pooch!
That looks like an acacia tree. They grow in AZ everywhere, and can be really pretty – but thorny and messy.