For nature lovers who want a more unstructured outdoor experience, there is the Ocala National Forest, formed in 1908. Only a few miles outside Ocala, it is a wild haven of 383,180 acres with clear springs and rivers and hiking trails. Concessions rent canoes, rowboats, pontoon boats and skiffs. Hunters use the forest at certain times of the year, and visitors can rent horses for trail rides. For a picnic, swimming and canoeing site, try the forest's natural Juniper or Alexander Springs, l impressive in their cloaks of wild flora and fauna.
Swimming is a natural pleasure in the forest's assortment of springs, lakes and creeks.
When visitors tire of mud, mosquitoes and campfire soot, they can retire to the silence of the Seven Sisters for serious pampering.