Post by Kelly Jessop on Aug 16, 2007 20:26:59 GMT -5
Underground Florida draws record number of visitors
By ANNE SPENCER
Jackson County Floridan
August 1, 2007
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A new attendance record was set for visitors to Florida state parks during the 2006-07 fiscal year, and the park in Marianna was not left behind.
More than 5,000 more visitors came to Caverns State Park in ’06-07 than in the year before, and that’s been the trend the last two years, according to Brian Fugate, Caverns park manager. “We were 5,212 people over the previous year.
Over the past couple of years we’ve been increasing,” Fugate said. ”In ’05-06, we were about 3,000 more than the year before, so it’s a steady increase. We’re doing well.”
The total number of visitors for ’06-07 was 99,519. The increase is among both in-state, out-of-state visitors and out-of-the country.
“We get people from all over the world,” Fugate said. Nothing new has been added, the manager said, “but we’re constantly trying to improve the existing facilities.”
For example, in the last couple of years, the method for making cave-tour reservations has changed. “We’ve been doing a little bit differently on reservations for group cave tours,” Fugate said. “We’ve made that easier for them to get a guaranteed cave tour time.”
The most popular times to visit the park are March when schools are on spring break and from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In addition to the cave, the park offers trails for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding; tables and shelters for picnicking; Blue Hole for swimming and sunbathing; and facilities for camping and canoeing, “Right now,” Fugate said, “Blue Hole is very low because of drought conditions, so the swimming numbers have been a bit low. But the cave tour is popular because it’s cool down there.”
The cost to enter the park is $4 per vehicle with up to eight people. The cost for a pedestrian, a bicyclist or an extra person in a car is $1 each. Guided cave tours cost $8 per person ages 13 and up, $5 for children ages 2 to 12, and otherwise free.
Visitors see and hear about the various cave formations – stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, columns and rimstone pools – and learn about the geology, history and wildlife of the cave.
For fees on camping, equestrian activities and canoe and shelter rental, call the park at 482-9598 or go the Florida State Parks website.
At the Visitor’s Center there are maps, exhibits, historic artifacts and a video about the park. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset with 11 full-time employees and five seasonal hires.
Statewide, more than 19.5 million people visited the state’s 160 award-winning parks, contributing almost $900 million to the state’s economy. Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin had the most visitors in ’06-07, with more than 975,000 people enjoying its beaches, mangrove swamps and tidal flats.
More than 890,000 people visited the sugar-white sands and emerald green waters at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City. Other top-visited places were John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Lovers Key State Park, and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
“The efforts of more than 1,000 employees and 6,000 volunteers within the Florida Park Service have helped us achieve this milestone,” said Florida State Parks Director Mike Bullock in a press release.
Michael Sole, the director of the Department of Environmental Protection, added comments of praise.
“Our state parks provide an unmatched recreational experience for all types of visitors,” said Sole. “With each visitor, the parks are able to be a positive contributor to the local economy, helping large cities and small towns improve their quality of life.”
The record-setting attendance figure for ’06-07 is a 7.6 percent over the previous year. The state parks’ website is www.FloridaStateParks.org.
www.jcfloridan.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JCF/MGArticle/JCF_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352211354
By ANNE SPENCER
Jackson County Floridan
August 1, 2007
advertisement
A new attendance record was set for visitors to Florida state parks during the 2006-07 fiscal year, and the park in Marianna was not left behind.
More than 5,000 more visitors came to Caverns State Park in ’06-07 than in the year before, and that’s been the trend the last two years, according to Brian Fugate, Caverns park manager. “We were 5,212 people over the previous year.
Over the past couple of years we’ve been increasing,” Fugate said. ”In ’05-06, we were about 3,000 more than the year before, so it’s a steady increase. We’re doing well.”
The total number of visitors for ’06-07 was 99,519. The increase is among both in-state, out-of-state visitors and out-of-the country.
“We get people from all over the world,” Fugate said. Nothing new has been added, the manager said, “but we’re constantly trying to improve the existing facilities.”
For example, in the last couple of years, the method for making cave-tour reservations has changed. “We’ve been doing a little bit differently on reservations for group cave tours,” Fugate said. “We’ve made that easier for them to get a guaranteed cave tour time.”
The most popular times to visit the park are March when schools are on spring break and from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In addition to the cave, the park offers trails for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding; tables and shelters for picnicking; Blue Hole for swimming and sunbathing; and facilities for camping and canoeing, “Right now,” Fugate said, “Blue Hole is very low because of drought conditions, so the swimming numbers have been a bit low. But the cave tour is popular because it’s cool down there.”
The cost to enter the park is $4 per vehicle with up to eight people. The cost for a pedestrian, a bicyclist or an extra person in a car is $1 each. Guided cave tours cost $8 per person ages 13 and up, $5 for children ages 2 to 12, and otherwise free.
Visitors see and hear about the various cave formations – stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, columns and rimstone pools – and learn about the geology, history and wildlife of the cave.
For fees on camping, equestrian activities and canoe and shelter rental, call the park at 482-9598 or go the Florida State Parks website.
At the Visitor’s Center there are maps, exhibits, historic artifacts and a video about the park. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset with 11 full-time employees and five seasonal hires.
Statewide, more than 19.5 million people visited the state’s 160 award-winning parks, contributing almost $900 million to the state’s economy. Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin had the most visitors in ’06-07, with more than 975,000 people enjoying its beaches, mangrove swamps and tidal flats.
More than 890,000 people visited the sugar-white sands and emerald green waters at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City. Other top-visited places were John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Lovers Key State Park, and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
“The efforts of more than 1,000 employees and 6,000 volunteers within the Florida Park Service have helped us achieve this milestone,” said Florida State Parks Director Mike Bullock in a press release.
Michael Sole, the director of the Department of Environmental Protection, added comments of praise.
“Our state parks provide an unmatched recreational experience for all types of visitors,” said Sole. “With each visitor, the parks are able to be a positive contributor to the local economy, helping large cities and small towns improve their quality of life.”
The record-setting attendance figure for ’06-07 is a 7.6 percent over the previous year. The state parks’ website is www.FloridaStateParks.org.
www.jcfloridan.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JCF/MGArticle/JCF_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352211354