Jennings State Forest — Attraction in Macclenny

I really enjoy this place. It has everything you need and its not too far away from from civiliization. Its a historical turpentine forest which reached a climax in World War 2 production of turpentine and ship stores. You will see that it is still a very popular place for horseback riding. There is bootlegger camp if you'd like to back in a horse trailer and spend the night. Its primitive though and has no power or water. There is a well just down the way that has a turn around for big trailers and it still runs to this day. I use it to wash off. Several families have been living in the area prior to the 1900's and still have a church with a cemetery in the middle of the forest. The church does not have electricity or plumbing. A hand pumped well in the back still works and a generator is brought out and connected on service days. You can still see where horse tie off are.

If it gets too hot, you can go to the end of Indian Ford road and a really nice creek is there with a pebble bottom, clear and cool without a bunch of mud. I cool off in it sometimes. There is another camp site just north of it. If you have a horse, You can cross the creek using an old "ford" that was used to cross back and forth. There are some old cemeteries and plenty of history out there. I have done some research and found where and old settlement was and I found the accompanying dump which still has visible bottles in it. Tic's are a problem, You should look into treating clothing if you plan on getting deep into the woods. There is a U-pick farm close by where you can buy a variety of fresh produce. One of my favorite activities is to soak a watermelon in the creek to get it real cool and then eat it. I'm...

Jennings Forest is my back yard. Every day, we have turkeys come into our yard and graze on our Bahia grass and eat bugs. They are lovely organic pest control, and very intersting to watch. One day we were visited by a flock which had a white turkey in it, and we were delighted to see them taking sand baths on the banks of the flood-control ditch at the back of our property. The deer, however, have earned my enmity by eating everything I plant, not to mention that they drop ticks, which disgusts me.

To the individual who wants permisson to run four-wheel ATVs in the forest, I would say that generally I think that is a fine idea, as long as you do not run them too close to people's houses -- either that, or put mufflers on the darn things! It is most annoying to have the quiet interrupted by one of those noisy things! And it is even more annoying early on a Saturday morning when some of us like to sleep in. A little thoughtfulness and courtesy is always appreciated.

I have also had interactions with the foresters, and they have always been courteous and very knowledgeable. One of them took time to point out unique flowers we have growing on our property, and it was delightful to find...

Yes, yes, yes. I was so surprised with how much I loved Bootleggers camp ground. It is fairly new and well maintained (the official who came and maintained it this Monday was thorough!). The sites are large and well spaced. Google can't find it so navigate to Nolan Baptist Church and it is just beyond the church. Just before you enter the state park you will see an AMAZING old train box car on your left in a front yard. (Picture below).If your kids read the Boxcar Children, here it must be stored. That book, by the way is a great travel read aloud for younger kids. The church is fully inside the state forest property and worth a notice. There are hitching posts that the members hitch their horses to on Sunday morning ( yes, they ride to church). We had a neighbor camper who had attended the church Sunday morning and he told us how one of the elderly men counseled him and prayed with him after the service. The cemetery is also unique. It is a forest set up for horseback riding. Anyhow, we loved our time and the uniqueness...