You can see how Marianna got the title of "The City of Southern Charm" from its quaint downtown area. Stop into Historic Russ House, an old home that has been converted into a visitor center and little museum in 1936 and has suggestions about sites you should not miss. The city’s Civil War past is recalled by the state memorial in Confederate Park which occupies a small section of where the Battle of Marianna took place. Near the obelisk-like marker you’ll find yourself in the center of an area surrounded with plantations and farms that indicate that this was one of Florida’s most prosperous counties in 1864. Marianna is also famous for its Florida Caverns State Park, the state's largest cave and the only dry caverns along a quarter-mile trail.
The park was originally settled by Native Americans over a thousand years ago and the cave was used for burials and as a shelter. During the Seminole war the Indians would hide in the cave to escape Andrew Jackson's troops. During the Civil War southern refugees would hide from union troops in the cave. The cave has a beautiful collection of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone and rimstone pools. The cave also has the Hidden River, a small creek that flows underground and re-emerges to the surface in two places in the park. The park also offers camping, canoeing, hiking, and horseback riding. You can enjoy more of the great outdoors in Blue Springs Recreational Park, which has a cool spring located in the pan handle and Bear Paw Escape, where you can go tubing or rafting down Spring Creek Route. After each day of exploring this quaint, historic city, you’ll have a convenient location to all the options when you stay at one of our Choice Hotels in Marianna, FL. Book a room online now!