Maps & Gateways
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Gateway Cities
Florida Black Bear Scenic byway is more rural than most in Florida, taking visitors deep into forest and conservation lands. To orient the traveler, these are the 4 “Gateway Cities” coming from various directions into the byway region.
Umatilla, Southern Gateway
Located in northern Lake County on SR 19. Umatilla is known as a sporting town and offers many outdoor activities such as boating, fishing, camping, and hiking. Considered a gateway to the Ocala National Forest, there are forty fish-rich lakes within two miles of the city limits and several hundred more within a half-hour’s drive.
Highlights:
- Umatilla is home to the annual Florida Black Bear Festival
- Florida Trail Gateway Community
- Gateway to the Ocala National Forest
- Umatilla Municipal Airport
Palatka, Northern Gateway
Palatka is located on the shores of St. Johns River as it narrows and converges into Lake George and meets with the Ocklawaha River. Its strategic location along the St. Johns has shaped its history. Notably in the 1850s the Steamboat Era brought tourists to Palatka as they made their way on the Ocklawaha River to Silver Springs, Eustis and Leesburg or took the St. Johns River down to Welaka, Astor, and Sanford.
Highlights:
- Ravine Gardens State Park
- Multiuse Trails – Certified “Trail Town”
- Bartram Trail in Putnam County – National Recreational Trail
- Numerous annual events, including the Florida Azalea Festival, Blue Crab Festival, Mug Race Sailing event, and the Bartram Frolic on the St. Johns Riverfront
- Over 25 murals downtown
Silver Springs & Ocala, Western Gateway
These towns have long been a part of Florida’s tourism. Before the famous glass-bottom boats were invented, steamboats brought tourists such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas A. Edison, and Mary Todd Lincoln from Palatka to Silver Springs in the 1870s.
Highlights:
- Silver Springs State Park
- Numerous Festivals at Silver Springs
- Silver River Museum
- Ocklawaha River
- Appleton Museum
Ormond Beach, Eastern Gateway
The city of Ormond Beach bridges the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway and the Atlantic Ocean. Situated just north of Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach is named “the Birthplace of Speed.”
Henry Flagler bought the stately Hotel Ormond in 1890 and purchased the railroad, which had been brought into Ormond Beach. A bridge was erected across the Halifax River so that Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway could discharge passengers at the entrance of his Hotel.
Highlights:
- Atlantic Ocean Beaches
- Tomoka State Park
- Birthplace of Speed Antique Car Show
- The Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail – another Florida Scenic Byway
- The Casements – historic winter home of John D. Rockefeller
- Rockefeller Gardens
- Many Historic buildings, like the Historic Ormond Beach Fire House