As the oldest inland settlement in Florida, Micanopy has a well-established tradition of Southern hospitality. Pronounced (Mick-can-oh'-pee), Micanopy is often called "The little town that time forgot." However, Micanopy possesses warmth and charm as well as an eclectic array of antique shopping. Micanopy was voted "Best Antique Shopping" town and Paynes Prairie was voted "Best Place to View Alligators" by readers of Florida Magazine in 2006.

Today, the streets are lined with historic buildings each housing unique shops and cafes. Here, visitors can find unique sites; friendly people; shops brimming with antiques, collectables, folk art, and decorative fare; and beautiful vistas and parks nearby such as Paynes Prairie, Orange Lake and Cross Creek.

If Micanopy looks a little familiar, chalk it up to Hollywood - whose directors can't resist Micanopy's quintessential small town charm and Southern hospitality. This jewel of a town has served as the backdrop for films "Doc Hollywood," with Michael J. Fox, Woody Harrelson, David Ogden Stiers, and Bridget Fonda; and, "Cross Creek," with Mary Steenburgen, Peter Coyote, and Rip Torn.

Most of the buildings are on the National Historic Register. As early as 1539 there is record of a village located at the site of Micanopy when explorer Hernando De Soto found the Timucuan Indians living here. A Seminole Indian village named Cuscowilla was located on the site when the naturalist William Bartram visited in 1774. The town was included in a land grant made by the King of Spain in 1817 to Don Fernando del la Maza Arredondo of Havana and St. Augustine. Eventually the fertile soil was used to produce sugar cane and then citrus.

A fort, established there about 1831 to protect settlers from hostile Indians, remained until after the Second Seminole War (1835-42). Micanopy has been continuously settled since 1821 and was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The town was simultaneously referred to as "Micanope" after the Seminole Indian chief, head chief of the Seminoles in the Seminole War; Micanopy means "head chief." The name was officially changed to "Micanopy" in 1834.

Today, the streets are lined with historic buildings each housing unique shops and cafes, and it is quiet! Here, visitors can find unique sites, friendly people, shops brimming with antiques, collectables, folk art, and decorative fare. There are beautiful vistas and parks nearby such as Paynes Prairie, Orange Lake and Cross Creek.

Website: welcometomicanopy.com

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