Williston was only an hour drive from Grand Oaks Resort in Lady Lake, Florida. This is our first time staying in the area so we wanted to explore it especially because it’s so close to Gainesville.
Williston, Florida
It’s a small town with a population less than 3,000. It’s known for scuba diving at Devil’s Den and Blue Grotto springs. There isn’t a lot to see or do other than enjoy the forests of Florida’s heartland. Williston is only about 25 minutes from Gainesville, which has almost everything you could need.
Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens
Cedar Lakes is a privately owned botanical garden located on a 100-year-old lime rock quarry in Williston. Temperatures at night were in the 30s and it was February, so we didn’t expect to see anything blooming. We just wanted to see the grounds.
It’s an interesting place that has a trail around the rim of a quarry and someone’s private residence. One of the trails leads to the bottom where there is a pavilion and a few waterfalls.
Their holiday decorations were still up in February. The lights would be fine for the entire year, but the inflatable Christmas theme decorations, snowflakes and candy canes were impeding our photography. Jake loved watching the 1-2 foot long Koi swimming under the bridge.
This swan rapidly swam across the pond directly to Jake and hissed at him to within a few feet. When Jake didn’t back down, the swan seemed to get the message how vulnerable its neck was at only 3 feet from a 90 pound dog in less than a foot of water and backed off. Maybe it sensed that Jake likes the taste of duck and the strain of his refrain.
Williston Crossing RV Resort
What a gem for adult only full time living. The sites are paved and large with more than average spacing between them. Many of the sites are wooded. They had full service with average WIFI. Sometimes it worked well enough to stream, other times it was down. Their cable signal was good and we were able to watch the winter Olympics.
There are a mix of park models and RVs, but mostly RVs. Many sites are rented on a yearly basis, but quite a few are short term. The property is wooded and has walking trails. It was easy to get an hour of walking in each day.
The best part is there were numerous daily activities like: woodworking, sewing, dance, exercise classes, and street golf to name a few to participate in. Most activities are free and taught by volunteer instructors. They have a pool and hot tub.
In the evenings the grist mill serves up ice cream. There is a wait list for their yearly rental since the rate is $435/month/year. Despite Florida’s summer bugs, tornadoes, hurricanes, heat and humidity it is nice to see that a resort that offers so much in amenities can still be inexpensive.
In the mornings their caboose restaurant serves breakfast that can be eaten in their converted train dining cars.
They had 2 huge dog parks.
Big Hammock Brewery & Bites is in Ocala, Florida and is about 30 minutes from Williston. We had a couple of delicious ramen bowls and beers. We will come back if in the area again.
Butterfly Rainforest
The butterfly exhibit is located at the University of Florida Gainesville at their Natural History Museum.
The exhibit is large with a nice walking path. There were a couple of different bird species underfoot. Unfortunately, it’s not climate controlled, so the temperature was only 48F.
There were numerous butterflies because they release new ones each day, but it was so cold they weren’t moving, which was great for photos.
Some were even lying on their side. The staff said once the temperature hits 60-70F they become active. It is a nice exhibit and worth seeing again on a warmer day.
Lunch at Metro Diner was perfect for a taste of the local flavor and a warm beverage.
