St. Marks Trail
Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail Florida's first designated state trail follows the abandoned railbed of the historic Tall
San Marcos de Apalache
Welcome to San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park The many different flags welcoming visitors to the park demonstrate the colorful
Welcome Center
The Wakulla County Welcome Center in Panacea marks the site of a turn of the Century resort community. In the early 1900s, visitors traveled fro
Apalachicola National Forest
The Apalachicola National Forest is comprised of 564,961 acres on gently rolling flat terrain, and is the largest National Forest in Florida. Lo
Wildlife Watching
The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is home to a great diversity of creatures. As you browse through its miles of unspoiled natural habitat you
Ochlockonee River State Park
Welcome to Ochlockonee River State Park This jewel of a park is a great place to get away for a weekend or a weeklong vacation. Picnic faciliti
Wakulla Springs
The source of the Wakulla River is Wakulla Springs. Because of the karst topography, the eastern part of Wakulla is filled with freshwater springs,
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
Welcome to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park Home of one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world, this park plays host to
GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LABORATORY
GULF S PECIMEN MARINE LABORATORY 222 CLARK DRIVE, PANACEA, FL 323406 PHONE: 850.984.5297 G.S.M.L. is a non-profit aquarium open to the pu
St Marks Lighthouse
Between 1828 and 1831, Congress appropriated $20,000 for building a lighthouse at St. Marks, Florida. The contract for the building was give
Wakulla River
The Wakulla River originates from Wakulla Springs, reported as the largest in Florida. The springs and first 3 miles of the Wakulla River are locate

St. Marks Trail

Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail Florida's first designated state trail follows the abandoned railbed of the historic Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad. The trail runs almost due south from Tallahassee to the town of St. Marks, which is at the confluence of the St. Marks and See more details

San Marcos de Apalache

Welcome to San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park The many different flags welcoming visitors to the park demonstrate the colorful history of this site, from the first Spanish explorers to the present day. The history of this National Landmark began in 1528 when Panfilo de Narvaez See more details

Welcome Center

The Wakulla County Welcome Center in Panacea marks the site of a turn of the Century resort community. In the early 1900s, visitors traveled from across the country, and as far away as Europe, to “take in” the healing waters of the renowned Panacea Mineral Springs. Step inside the Welcome See more details

Apalachicola National Forest

The Apalachicola National Forest is comprised of 564,961 acres on gently rolling flat terrain, and is the largest National Forest in Florida. Located located southwest of Tallahassee, it was established in 1936 on land that was in poor condition due to bad timber and turpentine producing pract See more details

Wildlife Watching

The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is home to a great diversity of creatures. As you browse through its miles of unspoiled natural habitat you can see animals and birds that aren't to be found anywhere else. As you are slowly driving the blacktop road that winds through the park, you are trea See more details

Ochlockonee River State Park

Welcome to Ochlockonee River State Park This jewel of a park is a great place to get away for a weekend or a weeklong vacation. Picnic facilities and a swimming area are located near the scenic point where the Ochlockonee and Dead rivers intersect. Ochlockonee, which means "yellow waters," is See more details

Wakulla Springs

The source of the Wakulla River is Wakulla Springs. Because of the karst topography, the eastern part of Wakulla is filled with freshwater springs, and circular groundwater fed ponds and sinkholes. Early inhabitants dubbed the springs, "strange and mysterious waters," an accurate name because in See more details

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

Welcome to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park Home of one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world, this park plays host to an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, turtles, deer, and birds. Daily guided riverboat tours provide a closer view of wildlife, and glass b See more details

GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LABORATORY

GULF S PECIMEN MARINE LABORATORY 222 CLARK DRIVE, PANACEA, FL 323406 PHONE: 850.984.5297 G.S.M.L. is a non-profit aquarium open to the public. We offer a truly one of a kind experience because we feature not only sharks and sea turtles, but also the rarely seen invertebrates and other See more details

St Marks Lighthouse

Between 1828 and 1831, Congress appropriated $20,000 for building a lighthouse at St. Marks, Florida. The contract for the building was given to Winslow Lewis of Boston who built it for $11,765. Viewed from sea, it is easy to see why a lighthouse was needed here. With a low coast and many See more details

Wakulla River

The Wakulla River originates from Wakulla Springs, reported as the largest in Florida. The springs and first 3 miles of the Wakulla River are located in the State Park. The clear, cool waters of the Wakulla River flow from Wakulla Spring nine miles to the St. Marks and offer great kayaking, canoei See more details

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Wakulla May 20th Celebration!

What is the May 20th Celebration? It is a celebration and remembrance of May 20, 1865 when it was announced in Tallahassee that slavery was over. Though it had been decreed a couple of years before, word did not reach our area until almost 2 years later. The event is in association with the Wakulla County Christian Coalition, Greater Mount Trial Primitive Baptist Church, The Wakulla Library, and The Palaver Tree Theatre Company.

WHEN: Saturday, May 19th 12-4PM
WHERE: The grounds of the Old Buckhorn School (Mt. Trial Church)

Join in the festivities: Planting of the "may Pole", cakewalks, 3-legged races, music, food, free clothing giveaway, Buckhorn Cemetery Tour, how to search your family tree, and more.

FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC!! Check Out www.palavertreetheatre.org for more information and other related events.

New Exhibit - William Augustus Bowles: Portrait of a Scoundrel?

The Wakulla Welcome Center, Panacea, will display a new exhibit. It is called “William Augustus Bowles: Portrait of a Scoundrel?”

Asked why the title questioned Bowles’ status, curator Dr. Madeleine Carr explained that some historians like to call the adventurous young man a scoundrel. Others prefer to look at him as an idealist with a sense of the struggle for empire in the Spanish borderlands.

“We tend to forget how chaotic life must have been in Florida following the 1783 Treaty of Paris,” Carr said. “The British were leaving. Florida and the entire sovereign Indian lands north to the Ohio River were once again part of Spain. Native people in these Spanish borderlands had to comprehend and negotiate with a new neighbor: the U.S.A. “

Bowles offered Indians and African Creeks a way of negotiating for trade goods that bypassed established patterns. He hoped to create an independent Indian nation in Spanish Florida centered on the Wakulla River. Along the way he traveled around the world.

“The Wakulla County Historical Society has had a dream as well: Opening its own museum in the former county jail in Crawfordville,” Carr said. “This exhibit will be part of this new museum once the second floor can be opened to the public. This will take a long time because of a lack of funds to build an elevator to access that area.”

Funds from the Florida Humanities Council, the state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities created the exhibit. “We have to keep our legacy in front of our citizens,” she said. “Otherwise such places as the Wakulla site of this Spanish fort in St. Marks will disappear if our elected officials decide it is insignificant.”

The exhibit will remain at the historic state park through the end of May 2010. “It’ll be displayed at other places in Wakulla County. But I’ve also had requests from Walton County,” said Carr.

There will be more opportunities to learn about conquistadors in the land of the Apalachee, the Spanish borderlands, the Creek Indians and Bowles at events planned for Wild About Wakulla week in April and this fall. According to Carr, “Bowles was handsome, charismatic and he had a plan. But in the end he starved himself to death protesting his treatment in Cuba.”

WAKULLA WELCOME CENTER IN PANACEA
1505 Coastal Highway
Panacea, FL 32346

HOURS: Monday - Saturday, 10:30a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 850-984-3966

Welcome to Wakulla County --The Natural Place to Be!

Wakulla Map Discover the natural beauty of Wakulla County . . . wondrous treasures found only in the unspoiled "other" Florida. Everything here moves to the sounds of softer, quieter music so the rare birds and animals who live here aren't disturbed. Perhaps they'll find you along the banks of the Wakulla River or the marshes surrounding St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge.

You can bike or hike , canoe or kayak through your adventures in Wakulla County, there's nothing you can't do here.

Join us as we celebrate the natural blessings of our coastline with the finest seafood festivals in the south. See our world famous Wakulla Springs - for wildlife viewing there's none to compare. Don't miss our Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin’ Festival, a one-day outdoor event in the streets of historic downtown Sopchoppy. And make your plans for enjoying our Wakulla Wildlife Festival.

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