Me and my step daughter took the horseback tour and it was awesome. Meagan was excellent and the…read morehorse i had was so easy to ride. His name was Jimmety crickets. I called him big Jim. my step dayghter had Cholua , she was awesome as well. Highly recommend!!!!

My daughter and I came up from Sarasota-2.5 hrs south- to do the trail ride. The place is very…read moreclean, well run, and so scenic. The horses were beautiful and well behaved. The trail was definitely different and very scenic, with some steep and narrow paths; not your typical flat and boring. The guests loaded up on a golf cart type vehicle to get from check in to the barn. Then we all waited while Sadie (?) actually grilled and ate a hot dog in front of us!! Same girl upon giving her instructions told everyone "to make your horse go, kick it, and if it doesn't go keep kicking it.. harder". I was appalled!!! One the trail ride, the other girl would take a few photos. I did want pictures of my daughter and I together,so I bought the package. Which is everyone in your group, and that day I think there were 12 or so. The photos she took were not good,but what can ya do? I should have let a gentleman in the group who offered to take my phone and take pictures. Also, between waiting to get on a horse and then waiting for everyone to dismount and get back to the main building, the total ride time was just under an hour. It really is pretty though. I think there were just too many people who booked the same day and time leading to a slightly shorter ride.

This Farm is topnotch on service and great quality. My daughter took the Intro to Vet class; she…read morelearned so much. The learning part was great, but the best part is seeing my daughter have happiness doing the class. She had wonderful experience and can't wait to take many more classes offer here.

From the owner: Located in the serene setting of rural North Central Florida, Cypress Valley Farm, Inc. is a…read more501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational and recreational opportunities for children and adults. Our mission is to inspire through hands-on learning, animal care, and connection to the land. We’re proud to offer a wide variety of engaging programs designed to educate, empower, and enrich lives. Our Unique Offerings FarmSchool: A hands-on learning program focused on agriculture, homesteading, and life skills for ages 5–18. Intro to Veterinary Assisting: Join us for a hands-on introduction to the world of veterinary assisting! For ages 10 and up. Horsemanship Lessons:Horse care, groundwork, and riding tailored for all ages. Women’s Enrichment Program: Encouraging women to grow, connect, and learn through farm-based projects. Lil’ Ranchers Program: Early childhood education through fun, farm-themed activities for under-fives. Homeschool Co-Op: A farm-centered learning community exploring nature, animals, and sustainable living. Farm Fresh Eggs & Produce: Available seasonally from our family-run farm. Notary Services: Conveniently offered onsite. At Cypress Valley Farm, Inc., we take great pride in nurturing young minds, fostering a love for animals and nature, and inspiring individuals of all ages to learn, grow, and lead with confidence.

My girlfriend and I booked a trip with Wild West Horse Tours in Ocala, FL thinking we'd have a nice…read moreday date riding horses on a Saturday and it turned out to be quite a mistake. I'm posting this with the genuine hope that no one else will repeat our error in judgment and will avoid this company at all costs. We got the first red flag when we contacted them through the website to make sure the date and time were available. Two different people from their company called us four times over the course of two hours trying to get our credit card info to book the trip. Initially, I thought, "Perhaps they're just disorganized, but really want the business; times are tough, right?" I should have pulled the plug then. The lady I spoke with to book the trip seemed very friendly and took down our information and confirmed us X weeks in advance for the date and time that we wanted on a Saturday afternoon. However, after the call, we never received a confirmation email or anything stating that the card was being charged or that they were expecting us... red flag number 2. The charges for the trip appeared on the card, so we knew they had at least gotten our information correct. On the Monday before the Saturday of our trip, my girlfriend wanted to make certain that we were confirmed, so she emailed the company checking to make sure we were still confirmed for Saturday. Someone named George responded that we were confirmed for Saturday at 11 and said he was sorry that we didn't receive a confirmation email, that maybe it was in our spam box. There was no email in the spam box from them, though the spam box would have been a fitting place for correspondence from Wild West Horse Tours. Regardless, we felt better having received the email confirmation from George. On the confirmed Saturday morning we drove for 2.5 hours to Foxtrotter Ranch in Ocala, FL. We very excited when we arrived 25 minutes early and saw that there were other riders already on horses, prepared to go on the trail ride. We walked into the stable area and were met by one of the workers who was walking a horse out of a stable towards the other riders. His less than cordial first words were, "We don't have any more horses." I was stunned and said, "Are you serious? We confirmed with you on Monday and we just drove 2.5 hours to get here." He simply responded, "You'll have to talk to George about that. You might go up the road to Cactus Jack's (another horse tour company), he probably has some horses." And then he walked away with no apologies or any semblance of helpfulness to our inconvenience and expense. We returned to the car with our confirmation email in hand and I promptly called the number for Wild West Horse Tours and there was no answer, so I left a voice mail message that I wanted someone to call me as soon as possible. No one returned my call, so I called again a few minutes later. This time I got George on the phone and explained the situation and that I wanted a refund. He didn't even bother to apologize for the inconvenience and expense that his company's incompetence and disorganization had caused, he just said that he would take care of the refund... red flag number 3. At this point, we were greatly concerned that the whole website was perhaps a front for a credit card scam and that we should keep an eye out for fraudulent charges. In the interest of proactively retaining legal paperwork, we emailed him later that same day, informing him of our dissatisfaction with Wild West Horse Tours and that we expected to see the refund posted to the account by the end of the week. He never responded. We received an email from the company that processes their credit card transactions, INRG Marketing in Palm Coast, FL with an email from Gloria who was the first person to offer an apology for Wild West Horse Tours' failure to provide services. She stated that we would receive a refund, gave us a confirmation number and informed us that it should take several days for the credit to appear on the account. In summary, after they get your credit card information, the staff is incompetent, disorganized, rude, unhelpful, unconcerned and fortunately, with these as their company characteristics, probably won't be in business much longer. Do NOT waste your time or money on them; find a reputable company to work with if you are looking to book a trail ride.

Absolutely amazing experience! Such a fun trail ride. I'm very comfortable riding, and they matched…read moreme perfectly with Big Belle, who was slow but incredibly steady. The guides are fantastic, and you can really tell how much they care for their horses. Riding through the beautiful Florida trails was the perfect way to spend the day. I'll definitely be back!

My daughter scheduled a ride for me for Mother's Day and beating CANCER but unfortunately I wasn't…read morefeeling well and had to cancel. I requested refund with the response of 72 hour policy! Really it would take me 2 minutes not to load 2 horses 2 days later! This company has NO HEART!!! My mother always taught me horse people were good people! I'm glad she isn't around to see how things have changed! Happy Mother's Day Cactus Jack's!

My parents were reminiscing about when they were middle school aged and came here for field trips…read more I was surprised to find out that Silver Springs State Park and the glass bottom boat tours have been around for that long! It was about a 1.5 hour ride from Orlando. Woke up real early on a Saturday (on honestly one of the coldest days of the year) to arrive at the park around 8am. I highly suggest purchasing glass bottom boat tour tickets online about a week in advance atleast since time slots fill up! We purchased the 1.5 hour tour on the boats. Our tour guide was incredible and shared so much knowledge and facts about the wildlife and park. I got to see tons of manatees! Plus getting to see gators, turtles, birds, and even monkeys! The glass bottom gives such a cool perspective on viewing the wildlife and plants underwater. Aside from the tour, we walked several trails to enjoy the great outdoors. Also, we had coffee in the morning when we first got here and lunch after the tour. The food was pretty good and filling. At the gift shop I made sure to leave with a magnet and Christmas ornament to remember such a great day here.

What a breathtaking location! From the parking lot, it doesn't look like much. They are redoing the…read moreentrance sign, and from the outside, it seems like the place might be pretty rundown. However, once you walk through, you are quickly transported. The entrance to the park is only two dollars per person, and honestly, in my opinion, they could charge just a little bit more. The glass-bottom boat tours run faster than you might expect, so if you have the time (which we didn't during our visit), opt for the longer boat ride; it doesn't cost much more. They also have little shops to explore and plenty of outdoor seating so you can take in the beautiful surroundings. If you're a water lover, make sure to plan ahead and reserve a crystal-clear kayak or paddleboard to enjoy the water--it'll be worth every penny. The only hiccup in our plan was that we booked everything on the day of our visit, so we ended up with a shorter tour on the glass-bottom boats and got locked into the last kayaking time slot. The woman at the reservation desk for the kayaks was not very pleasant. She told us that despite showing a 5 o'clock slot, they were no longer taking reservations. I showed her the option on my phone, but she still refused to let us sign waivers. Luckily, we found the manager in charge of the rental hut, who advised that we could still make our reservation online. I showed him on my phone, and although we'd have to pay full price and probably have less than an hour, that was perfectly fine with us since we were in the last slot. The lake was practically empty, so we had the entire waterway to ourselves--so beautiful and peaceful. Honestly, it felt like we were in another country, surrounded by nature. If you don't have the chance to kayak, there's also a walking path where you can see monkeys left behind from one of the movies that was filmed on location. We walked part of the path, and it was just as beautiful. Any chance my kids and I get to be outside in nature, we gravitate towards it, putting away our phones to enjoy everything around us. What a great way to spend your day and your vacation!

If you're looking for a great horseback riding experience, especially as a beginner, I recommend…read moreChoyce. We had Will as our guide and he was so kind and professional. He made sure we all understood what to do and guided us through the process without being overbearing. We were able to take in the gorgeous sites and just enjoy our time without having to worry about a thing! The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that the communication leading up to this event was a little rough. We had to reschedule a few times, due to storms and a couple in our party getting sick, and texts/calls were not answered in a timely manner. There was also some confusion about where to meet and what time and such. However, that did not derail the actual experience, which was lovely. I would recommend, just be aware that your communication attempts may go unanswered for a while.

Communication was superior when setting up the reservations and the day as it progressed…read more A very friendly and knowledgeable staff. They chose horses according to your abilities and acquainted you with them before riding. It was a scenic ride thru Green Swamp Wilderness and was enjoyed by all riders. We definitely would go again!!

This is a very large, comprehensive, trail system based on a former railbed. However, as the paved…read morerailbed trail is what is most-known of the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, I wish to draw attention to the fact that there are a number of smaller, unpaved, trails appropriate for hikers or mountain bikes intersecting with the main trail and located there for access from the main trail. The Susan Wright Trail is one of such and is very nice. There are also various viewing platforms along the way and the integration with Paynes Prairie is very good. It is perfectly possible to drive in a car to one of several trailheads, park, and go biking or running or hiking without doing the entire trail and I think that's what a lot of people use this trail for, especially runners. Bugs can be bad, even in cooler weather as much of the trail abuts swampy areas and for the same reason, the smaller, unpaved trails can be flooded or muddy after even moderate rains. You should also remain on the lookout for snakes as they tend to come to the paved trail to sun themselves. Overall, a nice experience and a great addition to the State Parks offerings in and around Alachua County.

Three weeks ago I was biking this trail for the first time. I somehow crashed and was knocked…read moreunconscious. I was taken by ambulance to the ER and sustained a brain bleed. I have absolutely no recollection of my ride that morning or how or why I crashed. I am since in touch with a local bike club and am learning crashes are not uncommon, due to several reasons, one of which is poor trail maintenance. Apparently there is also a bridge where many accidents have occurred. I don't know if my accident happened there. So just putting this out there to be careful if you decide to ride this trail.