High Springs Travel Guide

Downtown High Springs is a quaint place. In fact, the whole town is one small quaint place. There is about a block of antique shops, a few other small shops, and a cafe or two. And that's about it. The official downtown extends for another block or two to encompass a couple of churches and old farmhouses to at least try to make the most out of all the hoopla.

This was the only place that we ate at. The food is very good, and the menu is endless. They're open all day, and the menu changes from breakfast to lunch/dinner after about 10:30. Prices are reasonable, and they do serve alcohol. As diners go this is more of a restaurant than a diner, and the wait to get a seat around dinner time on a weekend reflects that.

Favorite Dish: Everything I tried was pretty good. From your typical breakfast to dinner entrees.

Ha! You're in the middle of the middle of nowhere. A beer at Floyd's is just about all the entertainment to be had. Unless you've brought your own. Or you could always go cow tipping at one of the neighborhood farms after dark, just watch out for
the farmers and their shotguns...

Dress Code: Don't forget your cow tippin' shoes.

The only way to get to High Springs is by car. If you're flying into Florida, rent a car at the airport and make your way to High Springs. Gainesville is closer than Jacksonville, but fares tend to be lower if you fly into Jacksonville, at least from the North East US. However, if you fly into Gainesville, you can rent a nifty pickup truck from Budget for all of $20 a day. Can't do that at Jacksonville, so decide which is more suitable for you - cheap fares and a longer drive in a sedan, or a pickup truck.

If you're coming to High Springs, chances are you're here for some top notch cave diving. Now, you probably brought your own gear with you, but you never know what you forgot, or what will break. Extreme Exposure in downtown High Springs should be able to help you out. They mostly carry Halcyon, Apeks, & Scubapro, with lots of other odds and ends.

What to buy: Dive gear! What else?

What to pay: Dive gear ain't cheap. Good dive gear is even less so.

Folks in High Springs do tend to be rather fond of the ways of their forefathers, particularly when it comes to their modes of transportation.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: The springs are great for diving. Bring masks and snorkels and 'swim shoes' that will protect your feet from the rocks. Also, if your camping make sure you pack extra towels and at least minor rain gear.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: You might consider bringing a first aid kit if you are camping and try and get a snake bite kit to add to it... it's just precautionary but you never know when you might need it. Bring lots of mosquito repellant.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: If you enjoy eating out at the picnic table, it's advisable to bring either a canopy which can be placed over your dining area or, you'll be eating in your tent an aweful lot and cooking in the rain.

Miscellaneous: TIP: July and August are the hottest months in Florida and camping can be down right miserable. For extra comfort bring a battery operated fan or get and electrical site and hook up an electrical cooling device.

Cave diving is perhaps the biggest attraction of High Springs. It is close to some of the finest divable cave systems in the world, and cave divers flock to it. Of course, there are other cave systems, both in Florida and elsewhere in the world, but High Springs has the distinction of being relatively close to quite a few of them.

Favorite thing: High Springs offers quaint antique shops, novelty shops and awesome hospitality. But more than that, High Springs and the surrounding areas offer a lot of natural springs. You absolutely must visit one if not all of these springs when you come to this small town.

Fondest memory: Watching my daughter dive as deep as she could go into the crystal water at Blue Springs and never reaching the bottom.... Awe... the beauty of nature!