Lisa Browder

This was not my most successful day trip. I chose three different sites that were relatively close together. I figured I’d have three separate blog posts and several fun adventures. That was not to be.

Let’s start with Devil’s Den. Online, it’s described as an underground spring inside a dry cave. They’ve found fossils dating back to the Pleistocene Age. Legend has it that early settlers would see steam rising up on cold winter mornings. Steam coming from underground? Must be the devil. Thus the name.

I drove an hour and 45 minutes to get a firsthand look at this treasure. I hoped I’d be able to photograph some of its stalactites or even the fossil beds dating back 33 million years.

Unfortunately, I’d skimmed over the particulars on the website and missed a rather important provision. Although I saw there was snorkeling and scuba diving, I missed the part about those being the only ways to see the spring. I was denied access and told it was an insurance issue. I later went back to the website and checked. Sure enough, that’s what it said. So just let me get this straight. Standing on a platform taking photos is more dangerous than snorkeling or scuba diving? Who knew? And let’s not forget which action might have the bigger environmental impact.

Thank you. I’m done now. Let’s move on.

I drove another half hour to my second destination: Devil’s Millhopper. Homesteaders thought the shape of this sinkhole resembled a millhopper, a funnel-shaped container that fed grain into a mill.

There’s a legend that early settlers believed the devil kidnapped a Native American woman and created the sinkhole to trap her rescuers. Of course, you have to wonder why something that’s 500 feet across wouldn’t have been relatively easy to climb up.

Anyway, I thought I remembered reading that this site had a 3-tiered waterfall that soared above you once you trekked to the bottom. I looked forward to lush surroundings, peaceful solitude, a million shades of green, and the soothing sound of water.

I descended to the bottom of the viewing area to see a trickle of water off to the right and a large mud puddle in the center. I asked a nearby couple about the waterfall and they said they’d never heard of the sinkhole having one. I snapped a few pictures and then hauled my butt back up the 132 steps to the top.

Two down and one to go. On to see the Butterfly Rainforest. I particularly looked forward to this one. Surely it would salvage the day. It was another 20-minute drive. My directions took me to the University of Florida campus. I’d read that in addition to the rainforest, there was a marsh and a cypress swamp. Really? All this was sandwiched between campus buildings and Gainesville traffic?

Once again, I had arrived ill-informed and with unrealistic expectations. My online research, it appeared, had gotten sloppy.

I walked the entire length of the path. Eventually, I emerged behind a parking garage next to a busy street. Confused and tired, I asked two students nearby where the hell the butterflies were.

Why yes, in the museum. I retraced my steps. At this point, I must admit I looked forward to air conditioning. I paid the entry fee, then (for once) followed the directions around the corner. All I saw were walls of pinned specimens – beautiful, yes, but pinned.

If I hadn’t been thoroughly exhausted by now, I might’ve spent more time with the exhibits. But I rushed through, photographing a few things along the way. There was the “rearing lab” where you could see the cocoons and some of the butterflies hatching; a room with rows and rows of catalogued specimens (over 5 million); a lab (who knows what goes on there?); a display of beetles that, if I were to run into any of them, would send me screaming; and a fun “where’s Waldo?” camouflaged katydid on a tree limb.

I could’ve spent time in the Native American and Prehistoric Florida exhibits, but I’d walked enough. My back hurt, I had a blister on my heel, and I had yet to cool down; my face was still puce.

I wanted to sit down with an ice-cold glass of water, eat lunch, and enjoy something that was exactly what I thought it would be. Since Micanopy was nearby and I’d loved it when I visited, I headed in that direction. I returned to a small, local establishment with excellent food. I ordered the soup and sandwich combo, found a seat in the shade sporting a pleasant breeze, and relaxed to the local entertainment.

So okay, not every day trip goes according to plan. Certainly this one didn’t. In case you’re thinking of visiting any of today’s sites, here are my takeaways:

Devil’s Den would probably be a fantastic experience if you love snorkeling or scuba diving. But if you don’t, don’t bother.

• Devil’s Millhopper is interesting but it wouldn’t make a good sole destination. It doesn’t take long to walk to the bottom and snap a few pictures. So perhaps add on a second destination.

• The Butterfly Rainforest exhibit might be worth your time if you’re into lepidopterology. Since there are other exhibits in the same space, it might be a candidate for a sole destination on your day trip.

• Devil’s Den
• 5390 N.E. 180th Ave., Williston, Florida
• 352-528-3344
• http://www.devilsden.com
• Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM / Friday-Sunday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• You must have a prior reservation / Parking is free
• Not wheelchair accessible

• Devil’s Millhopper
• 4732 Millhopper Rd., Gainesville, Florida
• 352-955-2008
• http://www.floridastateparks.org
• $4 parking
• Hours: 8:00 AM – Sundown every day
• Not wheelchair accessible

• Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History
• 3215 Hull Rd., Gainesville, Florida
• 352-846-2000
• http://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu
• $12.50 for the exhibits / Metered parking nearby
• Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM / Sundays 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Wheelchair accessible