Dunnellon was once a great place to live but all good things come to an end…read more The push for over development. The faulty electrical grids. The push for water restrictions while still adding unlimited new houses by developers... The growing abundance of traffic and overcrowded roads. The Rainbow Springs park suffocating under overcrowding, rude people, trash and an overworked aquafilter from suntan oils alcohol and diapers. The lack of retail stores for these new people to shop.. All the above have basically begun the strangulation of a once great community. But the same greed that is driving voted in politicians in the Marion County Government is affecting all the smaller communities also.

If you've ever driven down a crappy old lime rock back road in The Sunshine State, you can show of…read moreyour appreciation or irritation to Dunnellon. Lime rock is a waste product of phosphate mining, and phosphate mining is the third largest industry in Florida and until recently Dunnellon was the self-proclaimed "Phosphate Center of the World" the industry makes money by having its waste mixed into asphalt as a paving material and used in many parts of Florida still today. It's principal used was as a fertilizer, the crown of the phosphate industry now resides in Mulberry a few hours south, driving through town it seems it's lost much more than its crown. I can't speak much of Dunnellon since my time here was brief, it lies west of Ocala and north of Homosassa. This town is located on the Rainbow and Withlacoochee rivers hence the reason I am here and probably the reason many of the town's visitors flock here, camping, kayaking and tubing on these beautiful rivers seem to be the draw.

Great little town. Great downtown. Gets better every year, not bigger every year. I have lived…read morehere over 40 years. Each year is a new adv egg nature.

When I first saw the county courthouse it was from a distance. The first thing I noticed was the…read moreclock tower and I thought "Back to the Future"! Then I saw it close up and realized how beautiful it is. It has an historic state land marker. Thee downtown square are is currently undergoing a mini renovation but it's still pretty easy to get around. The Valerie Theatre preservation is magnificent - who would think it was built in 1926? Inverness itself was settled in 1868 and has a population of about 7,200. Not a big city and not small town. Very comfortable if you ask me. They have a moratorium on big box stores so there's only 1 in town which means there's a lot of small businesses. Yay!

The Bowling Ball House in Safety Harbor is one of the wildest, most chaotic, and unforgettable…read morethings you'll ever come across hands down a five-star experience just for the sheer creativity and madness of it. This place is packed with personality from every angle. Bowling balls are everywhere stacked, lined, and worked into the yard in ways that make you stop and stare. It feels like someone took a simple idea and just ran completely wild with it in the best way possible. Then you start noticing all the unexpected details: random statues scattered throughout the property, SpongeBob characters popping up in places you wouldn't expect, and CDs hanging from strings that catch the light and move with the breeze. It's like stepping into a fully DIY art installation where anything goes and more is more. What makes it so great is that nothing about it feels normal or restrained. It's loud, weird, colorful, and totally unique. Every time you look around, you notice something you didn't see before, which makes it feel like the house keeps changing as you explore it. Overall, the Bowling Ball House is pure creative chaos in the best way possible. It's fun, bizarre, and completely unforgettable a true local landmark that proves art doesn't have to make sense to be amazing.

Like stepping back in time. Being in the Hippy era. Cool house and decorations. Bowling balls,…read moremermaid, lots of decorations on the trees. Great for taking pictures. We didn't know you could go inside but someone later told us you could. Not sure but I bet it would be cool.

Amazing night great people. In my humble opinion I do believe that this was one of the best…read moreevents ever. Jax Chamber of commerce you ROCKED this event. Over 700 people breaking bread together in the middle of downtown Jax on a beautiful night. Thank you to all the businesses who donated the food,drinks and desserts.

I've seen this event for years, but always after it was over. First time I had a friend give me the…read moreheads up for tickets- shout out to the fabulous Debbie F! John and I snagged tickets, as did numerous other and we had a lovely evening downtown. Parking was free at the Vystar Garage, we walked the couple blocks down to the event. Right along the water front- the table stretched under the on ramp for the Main street Bridge. We were greeted and snagged beverages, found seats and waited for the intro, prayer and food. Conversations were about what our city could benefit from! I said a designated arts district to help bring our art community together better and be a destination for locals and vacationers. I was stunned by another suggestion- to have community pools. It didn't even dawn on me that there aren't community pools in Jax. I took swimming lessons at my childhood community pool where I grew up. You would think in a state that had so much water access would also have places for kids to learn water safety. Great idea. We also suggested a suggestion box for the next event! lol. Keep those community ideas rolling! This year the table was in zones- depending on what zone you sat in got you a specific dinner. We ended up seated in the Bono's section. Salad was already on the tables to pass around. Dinner rolls came next. Pulled pork, mac n cheese and green beans were passed out along with bbq sauces. We dug in and enjoyed excellent company, cool temps and good food. The desserts started rolling by- cookies, dessert bars and truffles (my fav). Debbie explained that usually there was more food- and that when we learned that they did zones. Guess I might have to ask questions before sitting next time! lol. I heard some got curry chicken and others got chicken parmesan. YUM! I will definitely be on the lookout for next year and I figure it will be a little easier now that I know where I am going & what to expect!

They are located right behind the Days Inn. Had I known this, I may have booked a trip with them…read more (Instead, I booked with River Ventures and had a good time.) Still, I went there because I needed to refill my scuba tanks. They charge $4.50 and the turn around time was under 30 min. Very reasonable on both counts.

Florida Manatee Tours is awesome. I recommend taking a tour with them because the price is great…read more(includes all your gear), the groups are small (5 people in our group), the captain swims with you and takes photos (which are available to you for free via facebook) and because the entire company has a lot of reverence for the manatees and conducts its tours with respect for the wildlife and the environment. We stayed at the Day's Inn (with a discounted tour rate) and walked the couple hundred feet to the dock for the early morning tour. We were provided with wetsuits, snorkels, and flippers and watched a video on how to interact with manatees. One of the things I liked most about the company was how much respect they have for the manatees. Especially after seeing other groups out in the water with noodles, splashing about, and disturbing everyone - humans and manatees! I felt proud to be with the Florida Manatee Tours group. On our boat ride out we saw countless birds, wild pigs (even one swimming!), dolphins, and manatees. Captain Adrian is experienced, smart, and very kind. We were lucky because it was an uncharacteristically cold December morning so the manatees flocked to the warm springs. Captain Adrian swam with us the entire time and while we snorkeled around dozens and dozens of manatees, he took pictures of us. All the photos were posted to Facebook! It was a nice treat to have photos of the experience without an additional charge. The day was truly magical. We lost count of how many manatees we saw because there were so many! On the boat ride back we were given hot chocolate. I think we all felt really lucky. When you're making your plans, remember to do your best to create a successful situation. I can't help but feel some of the bad reviews folks give on yelp are a little unfair. (I'm looking at you- guy who bought his own wetsuits and then was grumpy about it.) There can be very few manatees in the summer, so when you go is important. (You may have to adjust your expectations based on the time of year.) If you have questions: call- everyone is really nice. We called to ask which tour time offered the greater chance of seeing more wildlife, confirmed we did not need any additional gear, and I asked about wetsuit sizes. (I was nervous they wouldn't have larger women's sizes- but they did!) It was a perfect day. I plan to visit again!

What a way to do Christmas Eve and even better with the convertible down!…read more I haven't enjoyed Christmas lights this much since I was a little kid. This really made my day-night. It was hard to find a spot that didn't twinkle. We had 2 fav's... The house who's lights went with the radio Christmas music and Santa riding a Dinosaur!!!! I suggest this for anyone who hasn't been before and if you have family visiting (like we did), take them to see it...Its a great memory to keep and share. See u Soon!

Great neighborhood for Christmas lights!! Easily marked which direction you should travel, and we…read moredid so via car. Dropped the top on the convertible so we could capture everything! Not EVERYONE lights up their yards, but most did, and some were so over the top with lights we'd hate to see their Duke energy bill. It CAN get busy right before Xmas, but seems to taper off after. It took us about 15 minutes to get in the hood from Alderman due to the line of people moving in from both directions. If you can park across the street and walk (if its a nice night) that may be a good way to explore as well!! Kudos to the hood on an excellent holiday display!!

I had an intriguing time exploring Micanopy. The history here is so rich. It was founded in 1821…read more It is named after Seminole Chief Micanopy. Also, it is recognized as the Florida states oldest Inlet settlement. There are so many antique shops here with so many fun things to look at. It was a unique experience. I suggest whoever is in the area to stop by and feel the history here in this place.

Any fans of the movie Doc Hollywood (1991)? Well if you are then visiting this small historic town…read moreis a fun way to spend the afternoon. This charming community was founded in 1821 and is believed to be the oldest inland town in the state of Florida. The town was named for Chief Micanopy of the Seminole Nation. It's been recognized as one of America's top historic small towns. Population is 669 and the town itself is only 1.03 miles. Way too small for me but it definitely is quaint. Lots of antique shops, and other small businesses here along with some cafes featuring outdoor dining. We enjoyed walking around and visiting all the Doc Hollywood movie and historical sites. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a place now called Pearl Country Store and BBQ. There are many Spanish oak trees lining the streets which makes you feel so comfortable while exploring. If you happen to be in the area, I recommend a stop here. It is a town that will have you step back in time when life was simple.

Mosh Mouth is located at the edge of James Weldon Johnson Park. In fact, you walk through the mouth…read moreto enter James Weldon Johnson Park. It is a cool, if not a bit eccentric, piece of art located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. I specifically headed downtown to see this cool piece of local art. Since it is in downtown Jacksonville, parking was a bit of a hassle. But I just had to go around the block once until I found a parking spot. I parked, tossed a few quarters in the parking meter and headed to check out this piece of art. A community's art helps give that community a personality. This art, while quirky, is definitely cool and I would definitely recommend it. Just head over to James Weldon Johnson Park and you will find it.

Put sculpture of lady's face on the street, enter fellatio jokes and graffiti. What else might a…read morelady's mouth be for? Note address is not the same as MOSH Museum. The MOSH Mouth is across the river in James Weldon Johnson Park, next to MOCA. This poor sculpture has been really vandalized. At the time of my visit, other Yelp photos had been posted 4 and 7 mos prior, and it was far less defaced. No holes kicked into the teeth, no green or white spray paint just about everywhere. It's a shame because the sculpture looks stupid with all the smartazz nonsense on it. And kicking holes in the structure? Grow up, that's disgusting. What a waste. Cool effort on the part of the artists and the city. But the trailer punks in Jax are destroying the presence of sculpture in town. If you want your city to grow some respectable culture, don't destroy it! Poor Double Dare-faced lady!

I absolutely love local arts and crafts markets like this one. It's awesome that in Florida,…read morethanks to the weather we can have them year round. This one is a much smaller scale than Riverside Arts Market, but it has similar attributes, and some unique ones, that make it special. If you are interested in having a booth yourself, check out the website. I believe it was $20 to reserve a spot for a particular day. It's well worth the publicity and networking opportunities a market like this affords you. There are a good number of local, home business type venders, as well as a few individuals selling direct marketing items as independent consultants. There were also a number of food trucks parked along the street, including an ice cream truck! It is located right by city hall, so you have a nice view of the St John's down the street as you walk the market. We're really glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of this market. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys them as well as I do!