Suwannee River
The 235-mile Suwannee River is located in White Springs, Fla. It's a little more than an hour north of Gainesville, but it's well worth the trip.
I saw the Suwannee River for the first time over the summer. I was visiting Fanning Springs and decided to venture out onto the boardwalk to check out the river. It was magnificent. I didn't get to kayak on the river that day, but I saw plenty of people enjoying the Florida sunshine.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about north central Florida rivers is that most of them are connected to beautiful, crystalline springs. You get two different habitats on the same waterway. You can't beat that.
For more information, visit the state park website.