Florida Getaways of the Day

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Punta Gorda: Get your motor running at Muscle Car CityLake Wales: Cracker heritage comes alive at living cow campZoo Miami: Feed the animalsSt. Petersburg: Camp on one of nation's top beachesFort Wilderness: Camping without hasslesAppalachicola: Oysters are BossOrlando: It's an upside-down worldNorth Palm Beach: McArthur State Park offers lots to do at unspoiled beachMiami Beach: An adult retreat with a capital 'W'North Miami: Greynolds is a historic preserve of wildMiccosukee Indian Village: Gator trapCycling heaven: Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida GreenwayVizcaya: Acres of beautyMarianna: Florida caverns are cool escapeRoyal Palm Beach: Take a hikeKey Largo: Look. Don't touch.Ocala: Breeding ground for thoroughbredsRedlands: Exotic fruits and nuts to see and sampleCoconut Grove: The Barnacle lives onCocoa Beach: Beyond the seaBradenton: Discover sugar-sand beaches on Anna Maria IslandTampa: Funky Florida fish shackVenice: Riverside dining at Snook HavenFalling Waters: Florida's tallest (only?) waterfallSebastian Inlet: Surf, fish, camp or just lay aboutWest Palm Beach: A wild destinationBoynton Beach: Everglades experience in the wild westTarpon Springs: Greek heritage comes aliveDaytona Beach: Road rush at Petty Driving ExperienceKey West: Author's house delights cat-loversFlorida Keys: Retreat to the 'woods' of Cheeca Lodge & SpaCamp Milton: Civil War history preserved in JaxJupiter/Tequesta: Secrets of the Loxahatchee RiverIslamorada: More laid-back than luxuriousFakahatchee Strand: Discover the EvergladesUniversal Studios: Wild ride, incredible adventuresSanibel and Captiva Islands: The Bubble RoomOcala National Forest: You can hear the treesAlachua: San Felasco HammockStuart: Wahoo's captures local flavorTen Thousand Islands: Adventures in a nearby wildernessAnclote Key: Island in the sunKissimmee: Old-fashioned roadside attraction lives on in GatorlandSugarloaf Key: Crabshack welcomes you to the Lower KeysDry Tortugas: West of ... Key West?Deland: Victorian B&B is well-preservedJupiter Island: Blowing Rocks a magical destinationCurry Hammock: Beachfront campground in the KeysApopka: Old-fashioned water ride by inner tubeLong Key: Camping on the beachDisney World: Sky-high in the HimalayasNaples: Sanctuary for bird-watchers Delray Beach: Hotel offers city life, resort amenitiesTallahassee: Historic Spanish missionStuart: Canoe along South Fork St. Lucie RiverLooe Key: Stop and smell the conch!Lake Wales: Bok Sanctuary offers tranquil beautyVenice: Sharks lurk near the pier!Hutchinson Island: Beach in a bathtubOchopee: Swamp dining along the Tamiami TrailPigeon Key: Take the old bridge for vistas, visit to pastLake Ella: Tallahassee retreatTampa: Ride Busch Gardens' GwaziMatlacha: Small-town art galleries galoreTallahassee: Stroll the garden pathsClewiston: Jump out of a perfectly good airplaneIslamorada: Diving on the San PedroIndiatlantic: No shoes, no shirt, no problemBrooksville: Pretty paddling on WithlacoocheeTavernier: This place is for the birdsTampa: After dark, alive with restaurants, clubsKey West: A golfer's tropical paradiseEverglades: A monster from Florida history lurks Fort Lauderdale: Intracoastal hotel has Tuscan feelWest Volusia: Houseboating on the St. JohnsNorth Miami: Urban oasis at OletaApopka: A scenic, serene canoe runYeehaw Junction: Historic Desert Inn marks the crossroads of FloridaSiesta Key: Wiggle your toes in the finest, whitest sand aroundLion Country Safari: Where the wild things roam freeStiltsvilleCoral Gables: Venetian Pool is cool. Very cool.Bethune Beach: JB's Fish Camp for fresh seafood, regional charmNaples: Elegant inn can anchor a shopping tripOchopee: The world's smallest post officeKey West Cemetery: A favorite hauntCoconut Creek: Fly away with meJacksonville Baldwin Trail: Silence in the cityOld Cutler: Deering Estate has stunning beauty plus historyJupiter: Climb 'Hobe Mountain'40-Mile Bend: It's lonely on the Loop RoadWekiwa Springs: Hiking with turkeysPensacola: The Navy is flying highLake Buena Vista: B&B stands out from Disney-area lodgingFort Myers Beach: A taste of Old FloridaWhite Springs: Paddling way 'up' on the Suwannee RiverCross Creek: Storied land of Florida's CrackersBig Cypress: Museum in 'Glades lets you meet the tribeTitusville: Shrimp -- and corn fritters -- make this a destination for diningCortez: Visit Florida's 'last surviving fishing village'West Palm Beach: Zoo is up close and personalKey Biscayne: A beacon to historyWilliston: Dive with the devilJensen Beach: Find Old Florida at Conchy Joe'sFort Pierce: The path to breathtaking beachesNew Smyrna Beach: A way to see Indian and Halifax riversSanibel Island: Cycle your way throughGainesville: The devil lies in a sinkholeEverglades City: Home base for adventureMiami Beach: Art Deco dazzlesPalatka: Azaleas bloom at park whose splendor runs deepFlamingo: See the last spit of dry land by boatGasparilla Island: Pirate's den gone fishin'Calle Ocho: Bask in Latin cultureWakulla Springs: Creature from the Black LagoonLittle Big Econ: This hiker's Florida favoriteShark Valley: Ride on the wild sideMcFarlin House: A gem in historic Old QuincyBig Cypress: Bike or drive the Turner River RoadOrlando: Whale ride is a family-friendly coasterSarasota: Have cocktails at Ringling's castleMatlacha, Bokeelia: Discover lesser known Gulf spotsSplash Adventure: A kid's paradiseDelray Beach: Japanese gardens take you to another worldKey West: Sunset as a lifestyleSpace Coast: Watch a shuttle launchChokoloskee: Stilts hold up picturesque site of Everglades historyEverglades City: Rod and Gun ClubJupiter: State park is mecca for hikers, bikers and campersBrooksville: Croom Off-Road Bicycle TrailsMaitland: Thurston House B&B turns on the charmCassadega: A center for psychics and spiritualistsPunta Gorda: Fishermen's VillageNew Smyrna Beach: Driving on the 'other' Volusia beachPalmdale: Fisheating Creek, hidden gem of pristine FloridaMarkham Park: Tough terrain for cyclingTitusville: Wildlife refuge thrives next to Space CenterFlorida Keys: Get your feet wet at Anne's BeachPalm Beach: Rest easy at Omphoy by day; get funky in Lake Worth at nightLong Point Park: Waterfront campsites circle islandTurtle Mound: Built on a heap of historyIndiantown: DuPuis offers hiking, biking, no crowdsBig loop on the Big O: Lake OkeechobeeIslands: Sanibel and CaptivaPinellas Trail: 45 miles of scenic cyclingDeLand: Take a ferry to an unspoiled island parkOrlando: A magic land beyond DisneyPaynes Prairie: Bison? In Florida?Lake City: Largest Civil War battlefield in FloridaWest Palm Beach: Grassy Waters for a slice of natureBig Pine: Wild encounters in the KeysKey West: A museum for those who love "Pirates of the Caribbean"Polk City: Cycling into the Green SwampSt. George Island: Miles and miles and miles of beautiful beachesKey West: Aquarium exhibit spotlights Florida sea lifeIslamorada: Something's fishy hereBushnell: History captured in evocative siteMyakka River: All alone ... and loving itKey Largo: View from the top into coral reefVero Beach: McLarty Treasure MuseumSanibel and Captiva Islands

In past times, it was said that if the devil were to be found anywhere in Gainesville, it would be at Devil's Millhopper. But visitors who work up the courage to face this damp, mysterious, 120-foot-deep hole are treated to a delightful fairyland of green, where streams trickle from rock walls and tree frogs croak in delight.<br>
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The sinkhole has given up some of its mysteries -- in the forms of ancient sharks' teeth and fossilized bones of extinct animals. However, many more remain. Consider: Many of the plant and animal species found here are common to the Appalachian Mountains, hundreds of miles away.<br>
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After taking in exhibits at the visitors center, you can follow a 236-step stairway that descends to the bottom of the sinkhole. On Saturdays, a ranger-led walk begins at 10 a.m.<br>
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<b>INFO:</b> Admission is $2 per vehicle; hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. The park is two miles northwest of Gainesville at 4732 Millhopper Road. Details: 352-955-2008.<br>
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On the Web, go to <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/devilsmillhopper">www.floridastateparks.org/devilsmillhopper</a>

Gainesville: The devil lies in a sinkhole

In past times, it was said that if the devil were to be found anywhere in Gainesville, it would be at Devil's Millhopper. But visitors who work up the courage to face this damp, mysterious, 120-foot-deep hole are treated to a delightful fairyland of green, where streams trickle from rock walls and tree frogs croak in delight.

The sinkhole has given up some of its mysteries -- in the forms of ancient sharks' teeth and fossilized bones of extinct animals. However, many more remain. Consider: Many of the plant and animal species found here are common to the Appalachian Mountains, hundreds of miles away.

After taking in exhibits at the visitors center, you can follow a 236-step stairway that descends to the bottom of the sinkhole. On Saturdays, a ranger-led walk begins at 10 a.m.

INFO: Admission is $2 per vehicle; hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. The park is two miles northwest of Gainesville at 4732 Millhopper Road. Details: 352-955-2008.

On the Web, go to www.floridastateparks.org/devilsmillhopper

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