GREAT RIVERS OF FLORIDA
Ocala National Forest
8-Day Cruises

The St. Johns, one of the few north­flowing rivers above the equator; was designated an American Heritage River in 2000, one of only fourteen to be so honored. Departing from the Orlando area (Sanford) you'll sail a route that adventurous passengers first followed on 19th-century paddle-wheelers in search of a tropical paradise. But with the advent of the railroads, tourism headed further south and the St. Johns meandered serenely and untouched thereafter. The artesian mineral springs that feed its waters have created an extraordinary environment for flora and fauna, with creeks, lagoons and lakes opening before you in magical splendor. Our journey takes us to the heart of the Ocala National Forest, alligator country, where you'll view these prehistoric predators sunning on riverbanks or masquerading as logs floating along the shore. The more even tempered, playful manatees swim lazily in warm springs, and bald eagles perch among cypress trees swathed in Spanish moss.

You'll spend an evening anchored in Lake George, one of the many lakes that open up from the St. Johns. Perhaps you'll hear the call of the Florida panther deep in the forest, or catch a glimpse of the small white-tail deer that abound in this area. For star-gazers the remarkably clear and dark night sky presents an enviable opportunity for identifying constellations or basking in the moonlight, unsullied by urban illumination. While in Palatka, the "Gem of St. Johns," tour the Ravine Gardens State Park with its winter-blooming azaleas and camellias, and enter the Tolomato River below the delightful port of Amelia Island, a Victorian seaside resort with brightly painted houses and tempting boutiques. In St. Augustine you won't want to miss learning about the oldest surviving European settlement in the United States as you take in Spanish Renaissance architecture and Gilded Age mansions.

The tranquility and pleasure of your cruise will remain with you long after you bid goodbye, and you may well agree with author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings who wrote "If I could have, to hold forever, one brief place and time of beauty, I think I might choose the night on that high lonely bank above the St. Johns River."