Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

Updated on Dec 29, 2023

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Nearest city White Springs, Florida Established 1950		Phone +1 386-397-4331

Location Hamilton County, Florida, USA Governing body Florida Department of Environmental Protection Address 11016 Lillian Sanders Dr, White Springs, FL 32096, USA Hours Open today · 8AM–5PMMonday8AM–5PMTuesday8AM–5PMWednesday8AM–5PMThursday8AM–5PMFriday8AM–5PMSaturday8AM–5PMSunday8AM–5PMSuggest an edit Management Florida Department of Environmental Protection Similar Mike Roess Gold Hea, Lafayette Blue Springs S, Forest Capital Museum, Troy Springs State Park, Fanning Springs State Park

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is a Florida State Park located in White Springs off U.S. 41, along the Suwannee River in north Florida.

Stephen Foster is famous for having written the song "Old Folks At Home," also known as "Way Down Upon the Suwannee River." The song, referring nostalgically to "home far, far away," is Florida's state song.

Stephen foster folk culture center state park florida

FaunaEdit

Among the wildlife of the park are gopher tortoises, box turtles, American alligators, white-tailed deer, wood ducks, and a variety of birds.

Recreational activitiesEdit

Activities include picnicking, hiking and bicycling, as well as horseback riding, canoeing, and wildlife viewing.

Amenities include picnic tables, wooded trails, boat access to the Suwannee River, and riverside rental cabins.

There is a craft shop which sells Floridian and Southeastern folk art and crafts.

Stephen Foster MuseumEdit

The Stephen Foster Museum honors the accomplishments of American composer Stephen Foster and features dioramas and exhibits about his famous songs, including Old Folks at Home, more commonly known by the words of its first line as "(Way Down Upon the) Swanee River."

Honoring Foster, who never visited Florida, was the idea of Josiah K. Lilly, Sr., the son of Eli Lilly. He proposed the memorial in 1931.

CarillonEdit

The Stephen Foster Memorial Carillon, the park's 97-tubular bell carillon tower, was built in 1957 by the J.C. Deagan Company. Over four decades, the company built and installed in excess of 500 carillons worldwide based, on their own 1916 design. The setup at White Springs was their largest and last carillon. It is noted as the "world's largest tubular bell instrument" from the company.

The carillon plays Foster's songs throughout the day. A second museum area inside the tower also features exhibits about Stephen Foster and the carillon.