This may seem like a silly thing to post about but I think many people come visit our town and never stroll around. I blame this on the fact that nobody has written a post about how it is important to just wander the town :). So here we go.
For the moment, we will assume you will visit the center of Lake City at some point. We will call this the Town Park or Bushwhack Lodge area. This is a great chance to take a break from eating or buying or playing and just go for a stroll. From the middle of town you can loop to the north or south. North is a bit longer than south but both are easy strolls for all ages. Both loops will take you by the river and by some historic buildings. You can start with historic buildings or with the river in either case.
In our case, in the video, we took a northern loop starting with the river. To repeat this path you will walk eastward on the sidewalk from the the middle of town past the Silver Spur down 3rd St. The sidewalk will turn you north or south at Henson St. Go North. The sidewalk travels couple blocks and then turns you to the gorgeous bridge that crosses the river at 5th st. You are now on the nature trail and you can follow it until it pops you out into Ball Flats (named thus because there was a baseball field there… I think there is even a plaque there somewhere explaining).
This trail travels one block through a neighborhood that most people never know is in Lake City. You could wander this neighborhood for a second or just follow the sidewalk back across 8 1/2 st. This is a good moment to grab some groceries or bakery goods if you need them. You unfortunately have to walk on the highway for a block. So you may as well get an errand in.
Head west to the visitor center. Pick up all the pamphlets and ask all the questions. Usually, we head west from here and get on Silver street or an alley to walk home. However, if this is your only walk around town, go north to Petes Lake. It is a great marshy preserve. The reason we do not usually go that way is because it can be a multi-hour detour. My kids like to enjoy all the creatures.
Now you head back down south on Silver or Bluff and enjoy all the lovely historic homes. This quick loop gives you a feel for the town and takes very little time. Again, it seems silly but unless someone tells you to do it you might not see any of this. If you just drive through town, you will miss this walkable aspect.
