Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Where the living is easy

In Micanopy, Southern charm practically drips from the oaks. Slow down and drink it in.

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published May 6, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Special to the Times] In the early 1900s, a pine farmhouse was encased in brick in a Greek revival style, becoming the grand Herlong Mansion.

MICANOPY - The afternoon sun drops, the wide veranda at the Herlong Mansion cools, and the only sound is the click-click of a rocking chair lulling me toward a nap.

So this is the attraction of molasses-slow rural living.

Here at the Herlong, the signature bed and breakfast of this sleepy town 10 miles south of Gainesville, the stresses of modern-day life fall away.

Cell phones seem unnecessary. Traffic is nonexistent. There are no Starbucks with free Wi-Fi, no fancy gyms with all the latest equipment. No deadlines. No hurry.

Amid this quiet, the Herlong stands as an elegant, beautiful queen along Cholokka Boulevard, Micanopy's main street.

The four massive Corinthian columns anchor a deep porch, where guests can sip tea or wine and look out on the massive oaks covered in moss.

There's a gazebo in the yard and a patio out back.

Down the two-lane street is a charming strip of well-stocked antiques shops, stained glass studios, cafes and knick-knack boutiques that draw a regular stream of tourists all year.

Locals call this "downtown." It feels like a downtown from 100 years ago. Think HBO's Deadwood, but friendly.

I'm too much of a type-A city person to make such a slow-moving place home. But for a relaxing weekend with my husband, the Herlong in Micanopy was perfect.

A long history

Florida's oldest inland community, Micanopy remains in a simpler time. Fewer than 700 people lived here when the 2000 Census was taken. The biggest excitement in recent history came during the '80s and '90s, when Hollywood discovered Micanopy's charms and used it as the backdrop for Doc Hollywood and Cross Creek.

Micanopy was officially settled in 1821, but there are records as far back as the 1500s of a village of Timucuan Indians discovered by explorer Hernando De Soto. Around 1845, the Simonton family built a simple pine farmhouse along Cholokka Boulevard, an Indian trading route.

When one of the Simonton girls married a prosperous entrepreneur named Z.C. Herlong, they built - over the original structure - the Greek revival mansion that stands today. The Herlong Mansion was born.

The Herlongs raised six children in the home. It fell into disrepair, as these massive family estates often do, before two Orlando couples renovated it into a bed and breakfast in the 1980s. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Romance in bloom

The Herlong has 10 fireplaces, mahogany inlaid floors, mission oak woodwork and leaded glass windows. Visitors can choose from 14 types of accommodations, including rooms within the house, private studio-size cottages out back, and two larger cottages with full kitchens a few blocks away.

On the Saturday afternoon when we checked in, a young couple was getting married on the lush green lawn before a few dozen friends and family. I stepped onto the front porch just as they sealed their vows with a kiss.

We stayed in the Pump Room, a studio-sized cottage behind the main house that once held the original water pump and generator. Now it's a romantic hideaway with a big rosy-pink bathtub, a queen bed and tons of charm.

Sunday morning, we sat in the dining room with a friendly couple from Lakeland. Breakfast was a generous plate of blueberry-apple French toast casserole, cream cheese scrambled eggs, sausage, little blueberry muffins and banana bread slices, and fresh citrus fruit.

A few hours and a short nap later, we ventured down Cholokka Boulevard for lunch and more window shopping.

Two casual cafes serve similar menus of hot and cold sandwiches, salads and fresh soup. We ate chicken salad on a shaded porch while two local guys played guitars and violins.

A younger man in denim overalls, a white T-shirt and a red bandanna walked up and asked the violin player for tips on how to perfect his technique.

Then the violin man played some more.

We looked at each other and smiled.

"See?" I said. "Deadwood, but friendly."

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at 850 224-7263 or svansickler@sptimes.com.
 

If you Go:

Micanopy B&B

For information on the Herlong Mansion, 402 NE Cholokka Blvd., Micanopy, call toll-free 1-800-437-5664 or e-mail the innkeepers at info@herlong.com.

Rates: From $99 to $249 during the week; from $119 to $269 on weekends and holidays. Price includes a full breakfast. For information, go to www.herlong.com.

Amenities: An all-day supply of coffee, tea, hot cocoa, fruit and fresh-baked goodies. Wine and cheese in the evenings. Port and brandy always available. Private baths, telephones and cable television in rooms.

[Last modified May 4, 2007, 21:07:10]