Experiences
Geocaching is an outdoor game using hand-held global positioning systems (GPS) devices. It's effectively an inexpensive, interactive, high-tech treasure hunt that's a great way to learn geography. Participants use location coordinates to find caches. Some caches are easy to find; others are more difficult. The biggest reward is the thrill of the search and the discovery of a place where you have never been.
Geocaching should have minimal impact to the environment and conscientious land-use ethics should be followed.
Two 15-minute nature trails lead away from the farmyard and into the woods.
The East Grove Trail is a wide trail that begins directly in front of the historic house. It was once the access road to a young orange grove that Rawlings planted and now moves east through a hammock.
Behind the house, a narrow jungle trail leads through fern forests to a cypress grove. The short walk north from the parking area to the farmyard is along a trail through the citrus grove.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings House Tour
Guided tours at the park begin at the barn, walk through the farmyard and then through the historic house. Tour guides will talk about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' life, her writing, farm life in the 1930s and Cross Creek.
Interior guided tours of the farmhouse are available Thursday through Sunday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
- Tours are limited to 15 visitors. When more than 15 visitors are on a tour, a walk-through of the house will be conducted or the group will be split, dependent on staffing levels.
- There is no fee for guided tours.
- Tours are not conducted in August and September or on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Access inside the house is by guided tour only. Without taking the guided tour, you can see inside the historic home as you walk around the outside with our self-guided brochure. You also can enjoy the grove, trails and seasonal garden.
To help ensure a quality experience for our guests, groups larger than eight individuals must make a reservation to guarantee entrance into the historic farmhouse. Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance via telephone (352-466-3672) – a reservation is not final until a staff member confirms it. Group tours are typically scheduled Thursday-Sunday except for school groups which are scheduled on Wednesdays.
Amenities
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park is committed to providing a variety of amenities accessible to all of our visitors. These amenities include:
- The grounds around the historic home are accessible.
- A full-color display of the interior home is available outside.
- Interpretive exhibits.
- Due to the historic character of the home and farmyard, all paths are dirt or maintained grass.
Service animals are welcome in all areas of Florida State Parks. Due to the historic character of the home and farmyard, all paths are dirt or maintained grass.
Near the cracker farmhouse are ornamental plants of the varieties Rawlings cultivated. A seasonal kitchen garden with herbs, flowers and vegetables is grown in the fall and spring every year, just as Rawlings would have done.
A citrus grove of orange, grapefruit and tangerine trees surrounds the house.
Two 15-minute nature trails lead away from the farmyard and into the woods.
The East Grove Trail is a wide trail that begins directly in front of the historic house. It was once the access road to a young orange grove that Rawlings planted and now moves east through a hammock.
Behind the house, a narrow jungle trail leads through fern forests to a cypress grove. The short walk north from the parking area to the farmyard is along a trail through the citrus grove.
Follow the trail from the duck pen to tenant house reading selected quotes from Cross Creek and Cross Creek Cookery immersed in the land that inspired them.
Well-behaved dogs are welcome at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. They must be kept on a 6-foot leash at all times. Pets are not permitted in any park buildings.
- View our Pet Policy for additional information.