Visit this 6000-acre wildlife sanctuary , just a half-hour’s drive from Tallahassee, and find a peaceful gem with plenty to see. Activities revolve around a cavernously deep and warm natural spring – which remains at a steady and delicious 69˚F year-round and gushes 1.2 billion gallons of water daily. In 1850, scientist Sarah Smith discovered the bones of an ancient mastodon at the bottom of the spring; since then the remains of at least nine other Ice Age mammals have been found. Scenes from old Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movies were filmed here, as were parts of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. You’ll actually feel as if you’ve stumbled onto some sort of an exotic set if you spend some time in these fascinating wilds.
