Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ocklawaha Visitor Center
TOURIST INFORMATION
( 352-236-0288; 3199 NE Hwy 315, Silver Springs)
Your first stop if you're coming from Ocala and Silver Springs.
Pittman Visitor Center
TOURIST INFORMATION
On the major throughway from Orlando and Mt Dora.
Salt Springs Visitor Center
TOURIST INFORMATION
In Salt Springs, accessible from Jacksonville and Palatka.
Getting There & Away
Several different entrances can be used to access Ocala National Forest. From Orlando
take Hwy 441 north to the Eustis turnoff and continue north on Hwy 19 (about 40 miles);
from Daytona take Hwy 92 west to DeLand, then head north on Hwy 17 to Barberville and
west on SR 40 (about 30 miles); from Ocala take Silver Springs Blvd due west about 6
miles to the forest's main entry.
Gainesville
Originally a whistle-stop along the Florida Railroad Company's line chugging from Cedar
Key to Fernandina Beach, Gainesville soon thrived as a citrus-producing community until
repeated frosts in the 1890s drove orange-growers south. Today, it's an energetic, upbeat
city, routinely ranked among the country's best places to live and play, and home to the na-
tion's second-largest university, the sprawling University of Florida (UF). The campus it-
self is 2 miles from downtown, but the student vibe infuses the entire city, with loads of
cheap eats, cool bars and fine galleries. The university also bequeathed the world Gato-
rade: the science department developed the sports drink to counteract the on-field dehydra-
tion of its football team, the Fightin' Gators, which has a huge following here (just try get-
ting a room on game weekends).
