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Historic North Florida Bike Tour

Summary

Get off the beaten path cycling from coast to coast through the historic towns and rural countryside of north Florida. Discover towns that date from the 1800s when Florida was but a wild, untamed land of forests and lakes. Explore the streets of 450 year old St Augustine, checking out locally produced craft beers and homemade ice creams. Explore an unexpected world of southern cuisine ranging from traditional catfish and hushpuppies to gourmet platters of ocean fresh grouper, shrimp and more. Cycle several of Florida's paved rail trails, cruising across the state removed from the hustle and bustle of traffic. Discover that there is more to Florida than Disney and Miami.

Road bike

6 days

298 km / 185 mi

$ 3,295.-

Enjoy seafood fresh from the oceans
Walk the ramparts of Castillo de San Marco
Explore the antique shops of historic Micanopy
Bike free of traffic on Rail Trails
Enjoy tastings of Florida brewed craft beers

Deposit 25%

Gallery

Details

Type

Road bike

Duration

6 days

Level

Easy

Support

Guided

Daily distance

40-60 km / 25-37 mi

Total distance

298 km / 185 mi

Lodging

Deluxe, full board

Luggage transport

Daily luggage transfers

Bicycle

Included

Dates

18 Sep 2022 - 23 Sep 2022
09 Oct 2022 - 14 Oct 2022
26 Mar 2022 - 31 Mar 2022
23 Apr 2023 - 28 Apr 2023
24 Sep 2023 - 29 Sep 2023
15 Oct 2023 - 20 Oct 2023

Start

Gainesville

Finish

Gainesville

Airport at start

Gainesville, Florida (GNV)

Airport at finish

Gainesville, Florida (GNV)

Prices Please note the prices are subject to change depending availability

Price per person / please note the prices are subject to change depending availability

The tour price per person

$ 3,295.-

Single supplement

If you travel alone a single supplement is charged. With some group tours you can avoid a single supplement by sharing a room with another rider.

$ 650.-

Itinerary

Included / Not Included – lodging

Day 1: Meet in Gainesville, warm up ride to Steinhatchee Falls.

Your group will meet at Gainesville Regional Airport around lunch time, then shuttle to Steinhatchee, a fishing port on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We'll get the bikes fitted and enjoy a warmup ride to Steinhatchee Falls and Rise, including a ride on one of Florida's renowned limestone roads. Later we welcome everyone with a great seafood dinner at one of Steinhatchee's better restaurants.
Cycling: 18 mi / 29 km, Terrain: flat, Meals: D

Day 2: Cycle through pine forests and small rural towns, bike the Nature Coast Rail Trail.

We will head out for a local breakfast, then cycle through parts of the Steinhatchee Wildlife Management Area along quiet backroads. Reaching Cross City we pick up the Nature Coast Rail Trail, a beautifully paved bike route that keeps us off the highways and roads for most of the rest of our ride today. The ride takes us through farmlands, small towns and forests to Old Town, where it crosses the Suwannee River on an old trestle bridge. Reaching Fanning Springs we turn south for a bit, then back across the Suwannee to our motel for the night, simple lodging with a magnificent riverfront location. Small town charm and southern cooking highlights our dinner choice to tonight.
Cycling: 40 mi / 64 km, Terrain: flat, Meals: B L D

Day 3: Bike the Nature Coast Trail, through horse farm country, bed down in historic Micanopy.

We will bike to breakfast in Fanning Springs, before continuing along the Nature Coast Trail to the old rail station in Trenton. From Trenton we ride south towards the horse farm region of Florida, considered to be the Horse Capital of the World and renowned for its thoroughbreds. We only pass through a small slice of this massive region enroute to historic Micanopy. This afternoon wander the main street of Micanopy, poking around in antique dealers, art galleries and bric-a-brac shops, before relaxing in our 1850's era Bed & Breakfast. And no trip to Florida is complete without at least one BBQ dinner and the diminutive cafe you enjoy tonight is ranked in the Top 5 in all of barbecue joints in Florida. We will also enjoy a tasting of the excellent craft beers from several breweries in Gainesville.
Cycling: 43 mi / 69 km, Terrain: flat few small hills, Meals: B L D

Day 4: Visit Majorie Kenning Rawlins home, bike to the St John River, enjoy historical Inn.

The boomers among us may recall a story and film - The Yearling by Majorie Kinnan Rawlings, set in 1870s Florida, today we cycle past her home in Cross Creek, the area that inspired the book. Nowadays, a small fishing town, Cross Creek itself connects two large lakes (Orange & Lochloosa), we'll stop for a quick look at her house before cycling through this region dotted with numerous small lakes and ponds. We'll check out a bit of the ill-fated Cross Florida Barge Canal before reaching Palatka, our stop for the night. Palatka sits on the banks of the St John River one of the few rivers in the world that flows south to north. As we are getting closer to the Atlantic coast, seafood is again on the menu.
Cycling: 54 mi / 86 km, Terrain: flat few small hills, Meals: B L D

Day 5: Ride the Palatka Rail Trail to the Atlantic Ocean, walk the streets of 450 year old St Augustine

After breakfast we pick up another of the Florida Rail Trails, taking us first across the St John's River on Memorial Bridge and then through the pine forests and sandy dunes of coastal Florida towards St Augustine. Unfortunately it is not completed all the way yet, you will will pop out onto the local roads and finish our ride into St Augustine. St Augustine is America's oldest continually inhabited city, founded by Spanish explorers in 1565. Your short 30 miles of flat cycling will give you lots of time to explore this picturesque city. Perhaps explore the historic district, limited to foot traffic only, stroll the ramparts of the 350 year old Castillo de San Marcos or just sit on the balcony of our bed & breakfast in the historic district and people watch. Our final dinner will be a short stroll away, where ocean fresh seafood meets traditional southern cooking, plus maybe a few craft beers from the local microbreweries.
Cycling: 30 mi / 48 km, Terrain: flat, Meals: B L D

Day 6: Return to Gainesville Airport for your flights home.

Our cycling holiday must come to an end today. We will shuttle back to the Gainesville Airport in our vans, one last chance to enjoy the scenery through which you pedaled for the last few days. See ya'll later.
Meals: B

Rendezvous
Tour meets in Gainesville, FL (GNV), fly in before 1 pm on Day 1.
Tour ends in Gainesville, FL (GNV), fly out after 1 pm on Day 6.

*Tour itineraries are subject to change and modification based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances including weather, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, landslides and/or other acts of nature. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.

Tour level explained:

3 to 5 hours of cycling, hiking or paddling in flat terrain or smaller hills. These trips are great if you are: a healthy active adult, a budding outdoor enthusiast, a weekend warrior or curious traveler. They can also be enjoyed by intermediate level adventurers, even hard core cyclists looking to relax a bit.

Inclusive:

airport pick up and drop off
Bike rental
Handpicked lodges, ensuite rooms, double occupancy
Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks*
Dinners featuring fine local cuisine*
Unlimited drinking water
Support van for baggage and lifts
Entrance fees
* as noted in itinerary

Not inclusive:

Airfare to/from tour start
Gratuities for Guides and Crew
Night after the tour.
Visa fees or service

Lodging

Steinhatchee Landing – Steinhatchee
Suwannee Gables Marina - Old Town
Herlong Mansion – Micanopy
Grand Gables Inn – Palatka
St George Inn - St Augustine

Map & Routes

Map

Satellite

Bicycle

We provides Specialized Allez, a lightweight, sport road bike.
As a safe health measure, guests are asked to bring their own helmets and waterbottles for cycling.

Downloads

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