Every Memorial Day weekend thousands of people head to the Stephen Folk Center State Park in White Springs, Florida, just off I-75.

It’s time for the annual Florida Folk Festival featuring three days of music, dance, folk tales, arts and crafts, and food of all types. The Seminoles will be there in force for they have a Seminole Camp and every one who can play a fiddle will hit the stage.

Since its start in 1952, the Florida Folk Festival has been the place to recognize the diversity of Florida’s people and culture. Stephen Foster whose song about the nearby Suwannee River NEVER got to Florida, but dozens of Southern artists and entertainers do show up for some down home action.

Advance admission tickets are available from the Festival website and while there are some large nearby towns (Gainesville, Lake City), a lot of people like to look at the rustic hotels and lodges around White Spring and other Suwannee Valley villages.