AN UNDERGROUND
WONDERLAND By Jessica Mozo
FLORIDA CAVERNS STATE PARK has long been a favorite destination for outdoor recreation along the Chipola River. But did you know its underground limestone caves and caverns are steeped in history, dating back centuries? The caves also serve as a hidden haven for fascinating rock formations and creepy critters, such as blind cave crayfish, cave salamanders and three species of cave-roosting bats.
GO BENEATH THE SURFACE Located in Marianna, Florida Caverns State Park spans 1,449 acres and attracts approximately 130,000 visitors annually. It’s the only state 12
park in Florida where visitors can take a guided tour through a large cave system flanked by spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, columns and flowstone. The tour takes visitors through a dozen cave rooms to explore its history, early uses and fascinating geological formations. “The limestone formations in which the cave passages are developed were deposited in
FLORIDAGRICULTURE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
shallow, warm seas that existed more than 30 million years ago,” says Jacob Strickland, park manager. “The cave formations, called speleothems, formed over many thousands of years by the same process that created the cave passages for which Florida Caverns State Park is famous.” In addition to marveling at the park’s geological wonders, visitors enjoy discovering littleknown facts about the park’s rich cultural history. For instance, the park protects Native American cultural sites along the Chipola River. It also contains a unique natural land
