"This wonderful guidebook is your passport to the 'other' Florida – one that's pretty much removed from the neon and the crowds." — Vapor Trails. Here we focus on the areas around Gainesville, Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Daytona. It's wild. It's wonderful. You're going to meet colorful characters with rich tales, visit funky museums and learn things the history books don't tell you. Florida's relatively undiscovered northern regions are rich playing fields for hikers, cyclists, horseback riders, paddlers, divers, anglers and eco-travelers. This guide leads you through cypress swamps, barrier islands, prairies and hardwood hammocks. And you'll have a frontrow seat to watch the antics of manatees, river otters and ospreys. This guide has a full menu of adventures for young and old. It's a great resource, whether you're looking for an adrenaline rush or otherwise. So pack your gear and let's start exploring! Hike and backpack hundreds of trails. Bike the innumerable scenic trails. Dive to a ghostly wreck, paddle a jungle river, waterski with the pros, fish an abundant reef. Choose from dozens of horseback trails and see the region the way the first settlers saw it. Float your way across the area in a hot-air balloon. Learn to catch crabs by flashlight, throw a cast net, hoist a crab pot or trawl for shrimp. Also tells you where to stay, whether in a hotel, B&B, rental cottage or campground, plus all the places to eat worth mentioning along the way.