Torreya State Park

While we were over visiting my family, we decided to take the kids to one of my very favorite places in Liberty County, Torreya State Park. The park is located along the Apalachicola river and is famous because it is the only place in Florida, in fact pretty much in the south, where the torreya tree can be found. There are a number of other very rare flora and fauna that can be found in the park, as well as a huge variety of animal life, some of them endangered species.






It is also hold some historical significance because of the use of the natural bluff as a defense point for the Confederate army during the Civil War. There have also been some Seminole Indian relicts found at the park. Oddly enough, the park is also known as the best place to view the changing fall leaves in Florida. For some reason at this particular place there is a dense collection of hardwood trees, like beech, yellow poplar, hickory, sourwood, and ashe. It is said that the colors there at the end of November and beginning of December are amazing.





Of course the most visibly unique site at the park is the Gregory Mansion. The mansion was built in 1849 and was actually moved to this particular location in the 1930s in order to preserve its historical value. All that is well and nice, but this park is special to me because of memories made there. Almost every year in elementary school we took a field trip to this park. It was always one of the most fun field trips that we took. And I can't tell you how many egg hunts I have been to there.

This is also the place that Nathan and I went to have our engagement pictures taken. So it is pretty special to me for that reason too. It was so great to go there again and make new memories with my own children. Upon arriving, we picked up a little map of the park and Dallin immediately took it over. We decided to take the nature trail along the river, which is my favorite walk at the park, and Dallin opened up his map and determined that he would lead us the entire way. The path was marked by little rectangles of color painted on certain trees and so as we would pass one marked tree Dallin would eagerly seek out the next so that he could keep us on the right path.

Dallin turned the walk into a pirate adventure and pretended to use his map to look for buried treasure. And buried treasure we found in the sights, sounds, and hidden beauty all along the path. Since then, Dallin has asked me twice about going back there because he wants to go along the "pirate trail" again. Next time we go though, we are going to make sure we get there in time to go on the tour of the mansion house. The tour was at 10:00 and we got there at 10:30. Oh well, we'll just have to plan better next time. The kids still had fun peering through the windows into the house and of course the pirate adventure was the highlight of the day.