As a Floridian I am saddened to see the decline of these towns. God bless the people that live there.

I owned some old houses like those in Florida. They are kept together by termites holding hands.

Being in England I can only dream of visiting America some day, these video are my way of seeing around America from a distance, so thank you for making them

The reason the homes had towers was to draw the heat up and keep air circulating through the home.

White Springs isn’t forgotten. It’s a hidden gem. We’d like to keep it that way.

Yep!! Florida is NOT just beaches....in fact the BEST parts of Florida are the places in between the beaches....but please don't tell anyone!! it's already too crowded here😂

There are hundreds of rural tiny towns here in North Florida. I love it here.

Thank you for making my day. I visited the springs as a child with my grandmother when all of the decks were there and the place was quite active. The Suwannee river was up and the spring water was dark and scary. Florida’s sulphur springs were still very popular in the late fifties and early sixties. My grandmother (born 1894) knew every Stephen Foster song and played her piano and sang them for us children to entertain us. We visited the same museum but things have drastically changed since then. These rural communities were alive and prosperous and crime was near zero.

At White Sulphur Springs there used to be a place I believe were you could take a boat ride on the glass bottom boat on the Suwanee River and be able to look down at activity underwater. From what I understand Roosevelt also went to White Sulphur Springs for the “healing “properties. There’s also a white sulfur springs in Georgia. They call it the little White House. He sure was able to hide the polio for a long time. Anyway brought back memories and I am a true Florida girl. I had family that had a farm in Lake City, good days riding horses, living in a rural area, climbing bales of hay. I love my State. Thanks for the memories.

I love these travelogues! You do a beautiful job of making backroads and small towns yield their histories and secrets. Thank you!

We had to stop in Jasper once, and my hubby was hospitalized there for s day for chest pain. The Dr and nurse lived in Live Oak. They were working with antiquated medical equipment and the Dr had to pound on the X-ray machine to get it working, but they were all well trained and super friendly with a great staff. Will never forget those two towns that we had completely missed on our previous trips through those places several times before. Thanks for the memories!

In 1958 my Grand Mother stopped in White Springs, on her way back to her home in Tampa, the sulphur smell was really strong, you could smell it way before you got there. It was a busy little place. I will never forget the smell and my summer vacation in Florida with my Grandmother. Also everyone who grew up in the deep south knew of Stephen Forrester. Wonderful video traveling down U.S. Hwy. 41 thank you.

As a Floridian, I am glad to see some love Joe. We live in North Port...home of Warm Mineral Springs.

I realize now what draws me and intrigues me to your road trips. As a kid going on family vacation trips, more East of the Mississippi, I would not be the one to sleep in the car as I wanted to see where we were driving. As someone now in my mid 50's, thank you for making these recordings.

"Swanee River" 1939 film. Back in the 60s a regularly played Saturday black and white movie. It also was a regular in beginning piano as I remember practicing it and singing for my mom as she made breakfast ! (along with Camptown Races and My Old Kentucky Home) and (63 or 64) 3rd or 4th grade singing these same songs considered American Folk Songs.

Thank you for bringing back our " old Florida " , to view on your Channel. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤⚘🏆🎖🇬🇧🇺🇸

Alligator. Oh they're there. You have to always assume there's an Alligator lurking in any body of water, in Florida.

Thank you for featuring White Springs. My dad grew up ten minutes from the White Sulphur Springs on farmland and his father still lives in the same place. As a child, my cousins and I would walk through the woods along the Suwannee River to what is now Big Shoals State Park. When the river was especially calm, we would walk out onto the shoals. I've never been to White Sulphur Springs but there was hardly a visit where we didn't walk to the Suwannee past pasture and bee hives and over small creeks. I always feel peaceful watching that river.

Great video. My dad was born in Suwannee in 1937. He grew up a bit south of there in Wauchula Florida. Him and my Grandparents are buried in Live Oak. Thanks for the memories !

In early 2022, we visited Chiefland, FL, which is about 70 miles south of White Springs and also in a rural area; and it was love at first sight. We bought a fifth--wheel in a 55 and over park and spent four months there this past winter. Rural Florida is truly the fountain of youth. We will have to visit White Springs next winter when we are there.

At 38:57, an old paddy wagon, early police car for picking up prisoners. Now to back track. Did you notice, even on the run down properties...no litter?!?All those little towns are so clean, the yards, roads, etc. I guess a testament to how school curriculum has changed, art, music and dance were big when I was in school. So, we learned ALL the Stephen Foster songs and a lot of folk dancing, too. Thanks for the tour of those lovely towns. 😊

Absolutely georgous towns. Would love to restore one of the old houses. 💕

Another Native here-- Daytona Beach. Anytime my family went on vacation, when we crossed the Suwannee we'd all sing "Way down upon the Swannee River, far far away!" and we'd always have a great vacation!! I brought up my kids singing it whenever we left Palm Coast to see relatives "up nawth". Now, my husband and I sing it if we ever go up. Can't NOT sing it!!

Mid/ North Florida has the most refreshing water in America I've been everywhere in the country but on a hot day jumping in the spring after a hot day.

I went to live in Clearwater when I was 17. After living all around that area, Tampa, St Pete then Nokomis and Venice. Went to the other coast and lived in Daytona and West Palm. I had quite the culture shock when I went into the center of the state like Clewiston around Okechobee it was very Deep South. I had went to High School in a very small town in Alabama called Millbrook and it was far more like that than it was like the coastal areas

You should visit Bok Tower in Lake Wales, FL. All of Lake Wales is beautiful, but Bok Tower really is amazing. It was built in the 20’s. The gardens were designed by Olmstead. The carillon there does play and is built from some amazing native materials. Look it up! I loved this video. I live in Tampa and you don’t actually have to drive far to find forgotten Florida. It’s always around the corner waiting to disappear back into the green….

I live about 40 miles from there, been there several times, so much to see, so beautiful, and oh so much history. At Christmas it’s beautifully decorated for the public to see, really gorgeous❤️thanks for sharing on KZfaq.

Wow ,all those beautiful old homes , it's a shame that they don't find new owners taking care of them .

There are plenty of rural spots in Florida. However they are all not dying, like in most states. This is because there's FOUR INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS and a TURNPIKE that crisscross the state. With the exception of Southwest Florida, you're never far away from them. Northern Florida used to be the most populated part of the state, until after WWII. Since most of Florida was wide open leading to and during WWII, there was plenty of combat training that occurred here. After the war, a lot of WWII veterans wanted to go back to Florida and the population exploded. There were inroads made to Central and South Florida after the Civil War, but it didn't pay off until after WWII.

I was born in Orlando in 1950 and now live in Umatilla about one hour from Daytona Beach, Florida. Never heard of these little towns. Love the tour and information and love the houses and churches. Thank you for sharing this incredible video. 🌴

Enjoyed your video! Thanks for posting. We have camped at Stephen Foster Cultural Center. It has a very nice campground. At Christmas they have an amazing light display and in the area where the man was practicing guitar, there are local crafters providing demonstrations of pioneer crafts. It’s been about 5 or 6 years since we were there at Christmas, so I sure hope they are still doing all this at Christmas. We watched a blacksmith demonstration and the gentleman was offering one on one hands-on experiences. My sons were young teens and spent an afternoon making a couple of hooks and a fire poker with the gentlemen’s help. There were other crafters showing how a spinning wheel works to turn shaved wool into yarn, a weaver using a large loom to turn the yarn into blankets, a potter, a felter (I thought that was what they called themselves) they were using fur to mat together to make felt and then using the felt to make hats. It was very interesting. They also had a s’more making area setup and a hot chocolate stand. It is one of our favorite Christmas Memories! Thank you again for taking us along on your adventure.

It’s great you went to somewhere I’ve been before! I went there January 24, 2022. Beautiful place. I can say I walked where you walked and drove down the same streets. I went inside, too. These places in Florida are my favorite parts of Florida.

I grew up outside Live Oak from '63 to '69, on the banks of the Suwannee River - so very familiar with all these places. What memories it evokes - including the spanish moss. I greatly appreciated your tour, statistics, and architecture notes - very interesting. So much has changed in 60 years - then again, not so much. The last time I visited the Stephen Foster Memorial - don't think it had the 'culture of the time' explanations. :) The dioramas are still the same! Thank you for the flashback.

I was blessed to have grown up in North Florida, one of the last rural parts of the State, and saw the beauty and miracles of nature before the developers came. The old folks always told me the same story played out in Miami, and in Orlando, and one day it would play out here too, and they were right. For adventurous types you can rent canoes and kayaks and go down to the old Sulphur Spring down the river right up to that water gate.

Love these old towns. Thanks for sharing.

What an amazing little museum in the Carillon Tower - beautifully maintained and laid out , a little gem indeed !

A very enjoyable and interesting video. The bath house in White Springs was amazing, and it was great to see how it originally looked, that's an awesome photo !! I really enjoyed this video, and as always, lots of beautiful old buildings, which I love to see. Thanks so much.😊💕

As a native Floridian (from Northeast Florida), I am somewhat familiar with these little towns so thanks very much for the stroll down Memory Lane!

What a shame that Telford Hotel is not open still. I love the canopy over the walk up to the door. Noticed that the road markings, are really clearly painted and the rad signs are really clean. The roads in the UK are not usually looked after that well unless in London the capital or some of the larger cities. Another brilliant video !!

I don't know..I just have to say again I love Florida! All the way from the panhandle to Key West! I grew up in South Florida and let me tell u anytime I have to make a road trip out of state and come back , I feel like a made a touch down as soon as I cross the border back into FLA...love all its history and diversities, foliage, springs, beaches, lakes, egrets, lizards, gators😋

Oh Susanna and My Old Kentucky Home are 2 more Stephen Foster hits.

I spent the first several years of my life in Geneva, Alabama. We wandered all over North Florida in the 50's. Defuniak Springs, Marianna, White Springs, and elsewhere. I first SCUBA dived in Morrison Springs, then the clearest water on earth. Beautiful. It was wonderful.

My Mother was born and raised just outside of White Springs in the country and she took us kids there many times to visit her family and see where and how she grew up. So many stories were told. It was always so peaceful and quiet there and people were always warm and friendly. The people of this area lived a very simple life. They didn't have much but what they had they shared. Very treasured memories. Thank you for this wonderful video.

I'm 62 years old, I was raised in northern California, in Walnut Creek. I moved to Orlando in 1986 to be with my boyfriend. Moved back to California in 1993. The towns we lived in were Orlando and Ocoee. I loved Florida, it is such a unique State. The coolest little town was Ocoee, there was a drive-in movie theater just up the street from where we lived. The sulfur smell is strong probably because the water level is so low.

White Springs is beautiful. Love the Suwannee River, Telford Hotel and hardware store. Some nice houses too. Interesting info on Steven Foster. Love the architecture you point out in your videos. I like the old jail in Jasper. Enjoy your weekend! Thank you for another great video!

That horse drawn "jail cart" is actually called a "Paddy Wagon." The cops would round up the drunks and rowdies and bring them to the "cross bar hotel" for the night. True story.

Great research. The original name of the Suwannee River was derived from a native word sawani which describes fresh bodies of water. Also, you will see less alligators in North Florida, especially around springs because the spring waters are very cold. The farther south you go, the more likely you are to find them and all kinds of other reptiles waiting to eat you. You should consider doing a tour of a reservation. You would have to seek permission from the tribal office but most of them, especially the large tribes, will grant guided entrance. That's where you'll get the history of any place before the 1800's. Safe Travels

Interesting view of a part of Florida that has faded into obscurity. Appreciate your revitalizing its history.

Loved that huge pink house. I appreciate what you do for us. Thank you.

Some beautiful houses in rural Florida, especially in the first town. What a contrast to the big cities! You really do such a nice job with these videos and it's evident you are enjoying yourself too!

That hotel, justWOW

Thanks for taking us along! I appreciate and enjoy very much.

First thank you for exploring this area that I grew up in. In Live Oak when you pass that Dollar Genral you see an old empty supper market. I used to work at that marked in High School in the late 80s. It was my first job. It is sad to see it so empty now. I can remember it being a busy place and a Friday night hangout spot in High School. Again thank you.

Floridian here. Metal roofs were for water collection. There were cisterns the gutters filled before city water🙋‍♀️

When you pump down the aquifer for drinking water the surface water disappears, simple physics. You also tend to get a lot of house eating sink holes. Excellent video, enjoyed it much.

You really get around ! No dust on you ! 👍 🚗 🇺🇸

Not for nothing, but those rural towns in Florida are well kept and clean. And the early 1900's houses are still astatically awesome. Great video of these beautiful rural towns. I think the secret is out about these rural towns. I think there will be an influx's of people buying up properties there in the not-too-distant future. The housing market will explode in the next few years. Thanks to this your video.

Thanks Joey !!! loved this one- as usual ! we dont have much of these kind of towns in OZ- as we are a 'young' country and also our old homes were mostly built from VERY basic materials, but even ones that were better built- OZ has a penchant for bull-dozing them down ! (unfortunately) I love the Stats- as they give me a glimpse into WHAT a town (potentially) is like. Love your work, I say Hi to Nicole. Cheers 🦘

Interesting journey. One big reason we should never erase negative history, images or words is that once they're gone, and there are no reminders to point to, history will inevitably repeat itself. You can't avoid evil by pretending it doesn't exist. The Stephen Foster exhibit does a good job in educating the public about those times. We still have a long way to go but as long as we keep going, we stand a chance. 🗽for all. Thank you.

Love it. I’ve been there recently and it is a neat place. Great video! As a Florida native, I enjoy our history!

White Springs is beautiful. I am in Jacksonville on the coast. This whole area is just beautiful

Ya'll be making me homesick. Another great video! Be safe and enjoy the grand adventure. Best wishes and good health to Nicole as well.

My parents RIP loved to go there. . They swore it did them good.

We sang Stephen Foster songs in grammar school!!! Great videos! Love them.

Lived in Florida 30 + years.. been there man many times.. those towns will never be nothing other than a place to retire. They have been like that forever

Would really like to see the inside of the Telford Hotel, beautiful outside. Lots of homes with so much character!!

I love Ocala and Gainesville and up on the pan handle . Many years back I did a canoe 🛶 n camp ⛺️ trip along the Suwannee and it was very beautiful 🛶🐺

The locations you have been are the most beautiful among the rest you've shot. This is alloy of peacefulness comprising vegetation, waterscenery, beautiful birds churkin around, and even alligators don't show up to let you be safe and secured!

This is one fascinating video. I worship with people from Live Oak and White Springs. Thanks for the historical information of what happened in these towns. This is the best way to learn. Hope some school aged children watch your videos so they can learn something. Thank you Lord

Such a beautiful area I got family in the area and always find something new.

Just down the road from me, couple hours. Yeah old Florida has its sleepy charms, but also has it's dark side of history. The development history is interesting, the east coast didn't really get going until the railroad came through (as you covered in the key west episodes). Florida was difficult to travel and develop back then, all swampy, the rivers were the navigations for lumber and agriculture. Before around 1900 it was mostly a backwater, the beaches as we know them now didn't exist, they were wild. There's still pockets of the wild cost in the middle panhandle, Appalachacola, St George Island, and Port St Joe. A lot of unfortunate hurricane history through there as well (inclidi g the relatively recent Michael). I'd highly recommend getting a tent and camping on the beach along there, get to see it in its pristine form. Just make sure to bring some bear spray for the bears and maybe even for the locals haha

The sulphuric springs part reminds me of Mineral Wells here in Texas. The healing waters brought visitors from around the world. The baker hotel is currently being renovated.

I lived in Virginia, and about an hour from my house there was a spring that people go to all the time. It's part of The Homestead Resort (I think it's called Omini now). Hot Springs, Va.

I enjoyed this video so much that I had to repeat watching it. Love rom the Philippines.

I remember going to White Springs every year for our Honor Roll trip. This was back in the 70’s. At that time, there was a huge skating rink right beside the springs. We would swim a while and skate a while. Good memories.

I have been subscribed for a long while now and I found this to be your most interesting video. I enjoyed this one the most .

I'm from this area (living in NYC now) and recognize many things. North central florida is very beautiful and my heart always longs for it.

Loving watching the videos here in Australia

Lived in Florida my whole life (36) and there's towns like this all over the state, although developers are doing their best to turn everything into strip malls and suburbs. You can find horse farms on dirt roads less than half an hour from Disney if you know where to look. Then you have everything south of Lake Okeechobee which is still run by "big sugar" - sugar cane farms for hours. Lots of small towns in there with lots of small town secrets.

I am here with u riding along From South Africa

I am your big fan from Kenya. I enjoy your videos a lot, hoping that one day I'll get to visit the U.S.

Great tour! Thanks for sharing.

Hey Joe, good 2 see you again, thanks for the tours - hope you and your wife are well.

Welcome to my state. The gator warning signs are everywhere. Enjoy your stay!

Really enjoyed this!

Mr J What a Grand Ole Video,, Love how you can take a city and explain the details, Excellent

Thank you for a beautiful Sunday Drive out. Very refreshing.

Big city Jasper! Lol.... my hometown. I lived there the 1st 18 years of my life, and still have lots of family there. A correction to the video: He was not on Main Street when he said he was, and had he actually driven just a 1/4 mile beyond the abandoned dry cleaners he would have seen streets full of people and a packed park with people waiting on their turn on the basketball court. Jasper and White Springs are part of Hamilton County, along with Jennings,Florida. This small town's high school is known for its state basketball championships. Hamilton County High appears in the state finals consistently. It used to be a beautiful place.

Flo grown ! I love my State! Thank you for sharing the beauty! We have the most amazing aquifer system ! I fill up my jugs, the water has amazing energy ! I have been all over my State and it still never ceases to surprise me ! God Bless ❤

You do a great job at breaking down stats in the broad categories. So very interesting which really adds to the interest of your tours of places. Luving it. Thank you very much for doing these vids.

Thank you for this lovely video about floridas old attractions. Ahhh nostalgia!

This is so cool. Pretty place.

Watching this now. Just wanted to say how much we enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.

So glad I'm getting to see all your ride trips . Waiting to see 2023 trips

Those vegetable scales were much like an analog computer. They weighed the items and gave you the price.

This is the cl;eanest town I have ever seen you visit. Neat and clean and quiet.

Wow wow wow, Lord Spoda you're an absolute legend.... I remember finding your channel last year and at the time you had like 20k subs or something like that... it's crazy to come back and see how much you've grown, absolutely amazing man, keep it up!!!!

You do us an honor, thank you for all you do.

Those dioramas are beautiful, and also because there were many beautiful moments in the lives of black people. They did some amazing things despite the prejudice, segregation, stereotypes hatred and violence... They had a rich culture and life amongst themselves, that we are ignorant of.

That Stephen Foster museum is really fascinating! One of the best videos you've ever produced. Thanks so much.