Welcome to Ocklawaha, Florida!
Old Ocklawaha River postcard
Untamed wilderness...
A quiet country community in Marion County. Located just north of Lake Weir and dappled with lots of untouched wilderness and dappled with many lakes and the famous Ocklawaha River (also know as "The Ock" by locals).
A spectacular waterway that is 110 miles long, snaking it's way through Florida's mid-section. Flowing from North Central Florida until it meets up with the St. John's River near Palatka. The name Ocklawaha is a derivative of a Creek Indian word "ak-lowahe" meaning "muddy."
The Ocklawaha River from Sharpes Ferry Bridge
Tracing the river to it's source at Lake Griffin in Lake County it finds it's way through parts of the Green Swamp, a large portion of Lake County and can also be found in parts of Marion, Alachua and Putnam counties. One of the largest lakes included in the Ocklawaha River watershed is Lake Apopka near Orlando.
The Ocklawaha River Basin
The Ocklawaha River is one of the main tributaries to the St. John's River. The most famous and important tributary to the Ocklawaha River is the Silver River - fed from Ocala's extremely popular Silver Springs. Another important tributary is Orange Creek that flows into the Ocklawaha from Orange Lake.
Beautiful untouched wildlife preservation on the Ocklawaha River, FL.
The Ocklawaha River first received it's fame from steamboat transportation in the 1800's and early 1900's. Because of the river's winding and twisting nature, narrow steamboats were used not only to transport goods - but also people.
The Astatula Steamboat traveling down the Ocklawaha River.
This created great tourism in the area for folks who wanted to see the pristine waters of Silver Springs. Prominent figures that traveled via steamboat to the area were Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom's Cabin), Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas A. Edison and Mary Todd Lincoln to visit the springs.
Steamboat heading up the wild Ocklawaha River.
Visitors really seemed to enjoy the wild and scenic ride up the river to view the springs and it was rivaled to be "a great adventure." Unfortunately the steamboat rides became less popular with the introduction of the 1881 railroad service that came to the Ocala area.
Getting back to nature on the Ocklawaha River...
The Ock also narrowly escaped being incorporated into the Cross Florida Barge Canal (a project to connect the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean across Florida for barge traffic, the project was cancelled mainly for environmental reasons of contaminating the fresh interior waters of central Florida with salt water from the ocean & gulf).
Kayak down the untouched waterways and get in touch with nature.
If you are a nature lover or just looking for some good clean adventure, you will enjoy taking a meandering kayak trip down the River. It is a popular place to canoe, kayak and fish.
The awesome Florida black bear...
Many portions of the river not only touch on the Ocala National Forest but so much of the river is left untouched by man. Wildlife abounds in the lush natural landscapes that include wild turkey, white-tailed deer, wild boar, alligators, and an abundance of wading birds, turtles, fish, etc...
Sunning Alligator on the water's edge on "The Ock River."
If you do not have your own equipment for navigating the waterways, there are plenty of kayak, canoe & boat rentals throughout the river - making for a rather inexpensive day's worth of entertainment.
White tailed deer abound in the Ocklawaha River Basin
The Gore's Landing Unit of the Ocklawaha River WMA consists of almost 3,000 acres along the Ocklawaha River in eastern Marion County.
Gore's Landing, Ocklawaha River, FL
Other activities but are not limited to nature walks, hiking and horseback riding...let Florida's natural beauty reel you in...
Wild boar also make their home in the river areas.
Simply gorgeous largemouth bass are exhilarating to fish for! A very aggressive fish and is one of the most popular freshwater game fish in Florida.
Ocklawaha River fishing offers a variety of different species and offers a very enjoyable fishing experience, from dock, boat or waders. Some of the popular fish you might try for is the Black Crappie (also known as Specks or Perch), Catfish (Blue Channel Catfish, White Catfish, Yellow Bullhead Catfish or Brown Bullhead / Creek Catfish), Largemouth Bass (Black Bass or Florida Bass), Redbreasted Sunfish (Bream, Robin or Sun Perch), Spotted Sunfish (Stumpknocker or Bream) and last but not least, the might alligator (you don't technically "fish" for alligator, but gator hunts have been growing in popularity and are now permitted hunting with the season running from August 15th to November 1st).
Black Crappie or "Perch" are a great game fish and are found all throughout the river... perfect size for kayak fishing!
Spotted Sunfish, stumpknocker or bream,
a lovely panfish that puts up quite a fight once hooked.
Both the majestic bald & golden eagel are common Florida sights, fishing right in the waterways in front of you...
A king at fishing - the stunning Osprey hunts the Ocklawaha shores.
Gorgeous turtle basking in the Florida sunshine on the Ocklawaha River.
If you are brave enough to be out and about in the evenings or early morning fishing you can also catch a glimpse of the magnificent barn or screech owl.
Please allow The Shultz Team to be of assistance to you for all of your Ocklawaha Real Estate relocation needs. We are more than happy to provide you with information on subdivisions, golf courses, adult communities, schools, beaches, riding trails, equestrian events, recreation, etc...we are your one-stop real estate source!
(800) 243-4087
(352) 291-1276
Markets Served: Belleview | Dunnellon | Lady Lake | Marion County | Ocala | Summerfield
