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Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park

This authentic Florida Cracker homestead inspired a Pulitzer Prize winning author

Hours

Park grounds, including farmyard and trails, are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Access to the interior of the farmhouse is by guided tour only. Tours are conducted Thursday through Sunday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

Fees

$3 per vehicle

There is no fee for guided tours. Donations are gratefully accepted. 

See all fees

Location

18700 S. County Road 325
Cross Creek FL 32640

Get directions

Contact Info

352-466-3672

Park Menu

  • Hours & Fees
  • Experiences & Amenities
  • Events
  • History
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Welcome to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park

Visitors to this old Florida homestead can walk back in time to 1930s farm life when Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings lived and worked in the tiny community of Cross Creek.

Pay Online, Single-Use Day Pass

Her cracker-style home and farm, where she wrote her Pulitzer prize-winning novel "The Yearling" and other wonderful works of fiction, has been restored and is preserved as it was when she lived here.

The park is open every day and interior guided tours of the farmhouse are available Thursday through Sunday at  10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Be sure to pick up a color brochure of the farmhouse on your way in at the honor fee kiosk just outside the entrance gate.

Picnic facilities, a boat ramp to Orange Lake and a playground are located in the adjacent county park.

Before you come, you might enjoy picking up a copy of one of Rawlings' books and use her words to travel back to frontier Florida – and then come see us at the park and explore her farmyard, grove, seasonal garden and trails. Her book about her life here, "Cross Creek," will take you directly back to life on this land and in this community.

Rawlings was honored as a First Floridian by then Governor Charlie Crist in March 2009. The U.S. Postal Service released a commemorative stamp in 2008 honoring Rawlings and the literary arts.

In 2007, the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings house and farm yard was designated as a National Historic Landmark, our nation’s highest historic recognition.

We’ve mentioned our geocache in several places and included a warning about the sprinklers. This has both amused and sometimes confused our geo-seeking visitors. Yes, we have a hidden box in the farmyard area that is fun to find. Check out the geo-seeking page before you come so you can find our geocache. We are proud to have been visited and liked by many!

Plan Your Visit

A typewriter sits on a table at the homestead.
Learn

Manager's Message

Have you ever been somewhere and immediately felt at home? That’s exactly the feeling I have when I walk up to Marjorie’s farmhouse.
a side view of a yellow and green house surrounded by orange and palm trees
Learn

Historic House Tour

Interior guided tours of the farmhouse are available Thursday through Sunday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
a small wooden brown sign points to the Hammock Trail and Tenant House
Learn

Walk on the Wild Side

Entering through the small rusty gate, the dirt path that winds through the orange grove allows a moment of bliss. Life’s worries begin to fade replaced by the wonderous feeling of youth, when adventures were what we lived for.

Experiences

Geo-Seeking
Geo-Seeking
Hiking
Hiking
Tours
Tours

Amenities

Accessible Amenities
Accessible Amenities
Gardens
Gardens
Historic Site
Historic Site
Interpretive Exhibit
Interpretive Exhibit
Nature Trail
Nature Trail
Pets
Pets

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park Photo Gallery

pink flowers bloom next to an old wooden gate leading to a garden
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Park Staff and Voluteers
candles light a path and sign
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Ducks
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Homestead
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Inside of House
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Garden
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Park Staff and Voluteers
a pile of old firewood overgrown by weeds and white flowers
Learn

A Feeling of Enchantment at Cross Creek

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings moved to Cross Creek later in her life, and it is clear from her writings that she loved this place, its people and her way of life.
Two rocking chairs sits on the porch of a wooden cabin
Learn

The Tenant House

During the 25 years that Marjorie lived at Cross Creek, many different workers lived at the tenant house and worked on her grove and farm.

People Make the Parks

a man in period dress hugs a small girl with a copy of the book the yearling

Staff Spotlight

Rick loves conducting tours and relating the story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings to the many visitors who feel the pull to come to see where this writer lived and worked.
Anne Pierce

Volunteer Spotlight

Anne has received the 2020 Volunteer of the Award for Administration. She has also been recognized for 20 years of volunteer service.
Friends of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm

Friends of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm

Friends groups help individual parks meet their critical needs and are vital to the success of the entire state park system. They all share one thing in common – a passion for Florida State Parks.

This Park is Recognized by:

National Historic Landmark
Florida Black Heritage Trail
Florida Women's Heritage Trail

Park Map

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Florida State Parks

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