Crawfordville, FL is without a doubt the best place to grow up

I grew up in Crawfordville, Florida, a small town 20 miles south of Tallahassee. It wasn’t the most exciting town to grow up in, and I always joked that the most exciting thing to happen there was the grand opening of Walmart in 2006.

If you were to ask me and my friends about our plans after graduating high school, the response would be “to get the hell out of Crawfordville.” It wasn’t until I moved to away that I realized what a beautiful place it really is.

Home of Wakulla Springs State Park

Crawfordville is home to Wakulla Springs, one of the largest freshwater springs in the world. The spring produces 250 million gallons of water a day. It forms the Wakulla River which flows for miles until it meets the St. Marks River.

The water at Wakulla Springs is so transparent that a mastodon skeleton was recovered from the bottom, and is now displayed at the Tallahassee Museum. Several movies have also been filmed at Wakulla Springs, including Tarzan and the classic universal horror film The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

History and culture

Crawfordville and the surrounding communities are full of history and culture. The St. Marks Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in Florida. It was built in 1831, and has withstood hundreds of hurricanes. Not far from the lighthouse, Fort San Marcos de Apalache sits where the Wakulla River and St. Marks River meet each other. The fort was built in 1679 and has been occupied by the Spanish, English, Creek Indians and Confederate troops.

Fresh seafood

You won’t find a Red Lobster anywhere near Crawfordville. Since we’re so close to the Gulf of Mexico, we have the best fresh seafood restaurants. Angelo’s is one of the most well-known seafood restaurants in the area. They serve all kinds of fresh seafood. Their most popular dishes are the stuffed grouper, snapper and flounder. If you’re ever in the Crawfordville area, Angelo’s is the place to eat.

Everyone knows everyone

Like every small town, everyone knows each other. You can’t go anywhere in Crawfordville without seeing someone you’ve met. There is only one high school in Crawfordville, and almost everyone who grew up there went to school together from elementary to high school.

It’s a peaceful place to live

One thing I miss the most about living in Crawfordville is the laid-back environment. It’s a quiet place to live, and you’re surrounded by nature. When I go back to my parents’ house, I am reminded of how nice it is not to hear car alarms going off, or the apartment above me sounding like a stampede of elephants at 3am. Luckily, I’m only a 45-minute drive away, so I can go visit whenever I want.

I don’t think I will ever move back to live permanently, but it will always be the place I call home.