any advice for 1st pilgrimage to cave country

[RN]

Another vote for the Mill Pond. Even if you spend 3 days at Jackson Blue and never make it to Hole or tiwn (I'm not recommending this), you still won't get bored.

[aainslie]

You've got a lot of driving and hotel changing in there. I'd suggest that this is going to get more exhausting than you think. I would plan a set of sites based around a single location for my first trip. It's nice to only set the hotel room up once.

Also your sequence makes this even harder. Your later stuff is in between your first two stops. Plan your trip geographically. This is a great resource for this:

http://www.cavediving.com/aftp/cave_map.pdf

Another suggestion - no one mentioned madison. I've only dived this a couple of times but it's very pretty. Might make a good replacement for Manatee. I agree with everyone that manatee is scooter territory.

Have fun!

[sskasser]

You've got a lot of driving and hotel changing in there. I'd suggest that this is going to get more exhausting than you think. I would plan a set of sites based around a single location for my first trip. It's nice to only set the hotel room up once.

...

Have fun!

Yes, YES, YES!

You will likely enjoy the whole experience a whole lot more if you get to hang out and soak the ambiance, without having to hurry up and load up and drive drive drive.

The Mill Pond is great for this, as is the Luraville Area (Peacock and Little River).

Slow....caves ain't goin' nowhere

Have fun and dive safe!

[Sludge]

Excellent point. People forget that Branford, the "heart of cave country," and Marianna, the "heart of the panhandle caves," are 175 miles apart. That's close to three hours of driving.

[FW]

If I lived in TX, I would do the Millpond on the way home, not on the way to Ginnie.

[DA Aquamaster]

I agree changing hotels is a pita. We tend to stage out of Dive Outpost in Luraville. Peacock is in the backyard and Little River, Madison and Manatee are all within an hour drive or so. Millpond is a bit of a drive, but worth the trip and worth a night in a different hotel at the beginning or end of the trip. It's all relative though. After a 13 hour drive to get to NFL, a 3 hour drive to Millpond is no big deal.

[Webmaster]

Yes, but you're 3 hours closer to home on the way back if you do that last is what I think Forrest was getting at.

That could be the difference in getting in a quick morning dive on the last day before you head back too.

[MORGAN]

We tend to stage out of Dive Outpost in Luraville. Peacock is in the backyard and Little River, Madison and Manatee are all within an hour drive or so. Millpond is a bit of a drive, but worth the trip and worth a night in a different hotel at the beginning or end of the trip. It's all relative though. After a 13 hour drive to get to NFL, a 3 hour drive to Millpond is no big deal.

Yup - we always stay at Dive Outpost, convenient to all the usual cave diving spots. Often we'll do an overnight trip out to the Mill Pond - well worth the drive! And after a 24 hour drive to get to NFL, a 3 hour drive to the Mill Pond is like stepping out to get a quart of milk!
Two dives in Jackson Blue, then next day rent a boat from Edd to do Twin and Hole in the Wall.

I'm not a scooter pilot, but still enjoy Manatee, especially getting in at Friedman's. You don't need a scooter to have some great dives in high flow caves.

Other favorite North Florida activities: University of Florida Natural History Museum in Gainesville, visiting with other cavers at dive sites and shops, sitting around the fire behind Dive Outpost having a beer and visiting with old and new friends, and working on our quest to try every barbecue joint in cave country!

Mike