By Ken Paul Mink

If you long to go nowhere, a place where you can relax, enjoy Nature and forget all your troubles and pains -- and recapture a bit of the aura of turn of the century America, then check out Steinhatchee, Fla.
Forget the beach. Nix on the neon. The only nightlife is a cacophony of crickets.
Located on the cusp of the Gulf of Mexico about halfway between Tallahassee and Gainesville, Steinhatchee offers a laid-back, lazy lifestyle in a little corner of Florida passed by the commercialism which dominates much of the rest of Florida's coastline.
Steinhatchee Landing Resort, a series of about 50 buildings constructed to capture the aura of small town Florida of the turn of the century, Steinhatchee Landing borders the Steinhatchee River where it flows into the Gulf.
The architecture includes Victorian, Georgian, Florida Cracker and Key West styles, along with some original designs. The 35-acre landscaped area includes a 100-year-old barn, fruit trees, vegetable garden, vineyard and petting zoo. Gazebos and wooden bridges cross over a meandering creek, with walking paths throughout. Huge moss-draped live oak trees punctuate the property.
Each of the cottages is designed and located to highlight resort's natural beauty.
Some 31 of the cottages offer rental accommodations, with prices ranging from $160 to $1,430 a night, depending on the season and day of the week. Most facilities include fireplaces, decks and/or screened porches. An outdoor pool and spa, children's playground, horseshoes, shuffleboard, tennis, church, basketball and boat dock are part of the amenities. Bicycles, canoes, pontoon boat and horsedrawn carriage are available for rental. Dogs up to 28 pounds are allowed in rental units (no cats allowed).
Steinhatchee Landing Resort is the brainchild and baby of owner Dean Fowler, whose love of everything historic is mixed with a desire to make his facility as modern inside as any housing facility anywhere.
"We want everyone to have a feel they are taken back in time when they walk around here, but we want them to experience the latest comforts when they go back inside," said Fowler.
Fowler built his own home just down the Steinhatchee River, on a cove featuring beehive rock and overhanging trees. "This is a dream home, right next to my life's work," he said.
For more information contact the Steinhatchee Landing website at www.steinhatcheelanding.com or call 800-584-1709. To arrive by vehicle, take U. S. Highway 19 from Tallahassee or Tampa, then State Route 51 to Steinhatchee.

This story was published on 24 Jul 2005.