Micanopy, Florida

By Richard Banks
November 11, 2009
Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin
Makes us glad we live in the South...
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Streetscape

Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin

Ancient live oaks hang over the city and provide the perfect perch for draping Spanish moss.

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Dressed Up for the Holidays

Credit: Photo by Carolyn Stevens-West

The stately Herlong Mansion Inn sparkles during the holidays. Now a 12-room inn, its original structure dates back to 1845, when it was built by one of the area’s earliest settlers.

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Movie Set-Ready

Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin

Micanopy looks and feels like a snapshot of a different era. Its turn-of-the-century buildings, as well as cracker-style cottages and gargantuan live oaks have attracted Hollywood filmmakers looking for a ready-made Southern setting.

According to local accounts, Tom Petty, during his brief stay in Micanopy, lived on the second floor of the two-story, Cholokka Boulevard building on the left. Today, the first floor houses Delectable Collectables, an antique and cameo shop.

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Pedal Power

Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin

Riding under covered sidewalks, kids on bikes add to the town’s picturesque appeal.

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Beautiful Homes

Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin

Standing at the T-end of Cholokka Boulevard, the Stewart-Merry House, one of Micanopy’s oldest and prettiest homes, began as a two-room log cabin in 1855. The determined efforts of local residents and businesspeople have saved many of the town’s old homes and other buildings, as well as Micanopy’s Old Florida feel.

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Earth-Friendly Goods

Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin

At Mosswood Farm Store, you can pick up a vintage apron or pair of recycled overalls for as little as $10. Seen here, from left to right are Conner Lassiter, Jessica Piazza, Emily Piazza, and Joseph Pierce. Molly, the lab, models the Santa cap.

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Local Bookstore

Credit: Photo by Richard Banks

O. Brisky Books on Cholokka Boulevard offers one of the best selections of books―new and used―about Florida. Owner O.J. Brisky, seen here, also runs a small publishing company that specializes in books about local subjects.

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Do Not Pass Go

Credit: Photo by Richard Banks

The old two-room Micanopy jail still stands on the southwest side of town.

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Old Church, Updated Steeple

Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin

Built in 1873, the building that now houses the Episcopal Church of the Mediator sports a renovated steeple, refurbished just last year.

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Making Music and Movies

Credit: Photo by Van Chaplin

Steve Leonardo sells collectable stringed instruments at Leonardo’s on Cholokka Boulevard. The building in which the store is located served as the butcher shop in the movie Doc Hollywood with Michael J. Fox and as the backdrop for Jeff Foxworthy’s Blue Collar Comedy Tour.

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Paynes Prairie

Credit: Photo by Gary Clark

Looking more like African savanna than North Florida, the area within the 21,000-acre Paynes Prairie Preserve, a state park just north of Micanopy, is a topographical oddity created when several giant sinkholes formed in prehistoric times. Occasionally one of those holes, the Alachua Sink, floods to form a temporary lake in the park.

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Wild Inhabitants

Credit: Gary Clark

Paynes Prairie is home to a variety of wildlife, including bald eagles, bison, and alligators, seen here.

Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.

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