Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
If you love RV camping, a trip to Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park should be on your bucket list. This location on the banks of the Suwannee River is near White Springs, Florida.
The Florida Federation of Music Clubs worked with state officials to develop this location that pays homage to Stephen Foster, who wrote many songs about the Suwannee River, including Old Folks at Home, Florida’s state song.
The museum. Photo courtesy of floridastateparks.org.
RV Camping at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
There are 45 RV and tent spots in the campground at this park. Drivers of big rigs will love the pull-thru spots that are up to 100 feet long. Shorter back-in spots are also available. All sites offer water and electricity. A dump station is available for use.
Bring your pets along when camping if you keep them on a six-foot or shorter leash.
Curl up at this campground in the evening around the fire rings. Each site comes with a picnic table. Large oak trees shade almost all campsites at this campground located on the northwest side of this park.
Park map courtesy of floridastateparks.org.
You can make your reservations up to 11 months in advance of your stay. Campsites are divided along three loops. The back-in sites on the Canebreak Loop provide the most privacy.
Things to Do while Camping at Stephen Foster Folk
One of the primary reasons that people come to this state park is to kayak on the Suwannee River. It is a convenient place to start an adventure on the Suwannee River Wilderness State Trail.
The eight-mile Stephen Foster’s Hammock Loop Trail is a mixed-use trail starting near the river on this park’s southeast side. The path is a fantastic place to go birdwatching because of the large number of wood ducks that you can often see.
Festivals at This State Park
This park is home to the Florida Folk Life Festival, which organizers hold over Memorial Day weekend. If you want to camp during this festival, be sure to make your reservations early. During the festival, over 300 performances bring Florida’s history to life. There are also fantastic foods to eat, like key lime pie. Many artisans are on hand to teach you how to do traditional crafts.
Venues at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
RV campers can find a variety of things to do at this Florida state park. Immediately east of the campground in the park is Nelly Bly’s Kitchen, where campers can arrange to have catered meals for family reunions and corporate events.
Just south of the kitchen is the Carillon Tower. While repair work is currently underway, this tower usually pipes out Stephen Foster tunes regularly. The tower is home to 97 tubular bells that usually chime every 15 minutes. Additionally, you can generally hear Foster tunes played by an electric roller coming from this tower that the J.C. Deagan Company constructed in 1957.
The 97-bell Carillon Tower. Photo courtesy of Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center on Facebook.
If you continue to the south, you will find a gift shop and crafter’s square. The gift shop is a great place to buy handmade soaps, jellies, wood carvings and pottery made by local craftsmen. You can often see various crafts, including stain glass making, blacksmithing and quilting, performed by volunteers who camp at the park.
The Gift Shop & Craft Square. Photo courtesy of Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park on Facebook.
A very short distance northeast of the gift shop is a museum containing 10 dioramas of Foster’s most famous songs, like Camptown Races, Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair and Oh Susana. Volunteers spent over 1,500 hours constructing each diorama using materials like paper, metals, lichen and balsa wood. The museum also contains a fascinating collection of old pianos.
This state park is a fantastic place to go RV camping in Florida. For more information, visit the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park webpage on floridastateparks.org or call 386.397.4331 or click here to book directly.
