By Kevin Mims

Yeah, I'm the guy that you see pulled over on the side of the road taking photos of wildflowers. A couple of times, I've even had local law enforcement folks stop to make sure I was okay. It's a little strange to explain to a police officer that I was just stopping to check out the lilies, but it's all good.

 

In Liberty County, you can take a self-guided wildflower tour down State Road 65. SR 65 takes you straight though the Apalachicola National Forest, where you'll want to head off the main drive and onto some of the forest roads. In these areas, fall wildflowers like False foxglove, Blazing star (one of my faves), Goldenrod, Narrowleaf sunflower and many others are in bloom. 

 

Since the weather is finally starting to cool down, this is a perfect way to start out your fall travels. Plan a wildflower tour day trip, starting at one end in Hosford and working your way towards Sumatra. Or the other way around, if you prefer.

 

Along the route, you'll find plenty of local businesses to explore, too. In the morning, grab some road snacks at the Busy Boy store at the corner of SR 20 and SR 65 and then head into the woods. I'm just as big of a fan of exploring small towns as I am of rambling down forest roads, so make sure to stop and take a look around Hosford and Sumatra while you are in the area. These are really cool places.

 

The entire drive (not including forest roads) is around 25 miles. For a map and more information, visit: www.flawildflowers.org.

 

For this and other Florida travel ideas, go to VISIT FLORIDA's official travelers guide.

 

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