About Withlacoochee Gulf Area

Withlacoochee Gulf Area Community, home of Yankeetown & Inglis and the beautiful Withlacoochee River designated as one of Florida’s Outstanding Waterways.  Our small towns are located at the south end of Levy County and are part of the Nature Coast of Florida.  We consider our beautiful “old Florida” towns your gateway to the Gulf of Mexico where you can actually “Follow That Dream” to an abundance of outdoor activities including boating, sailing, fishing, camping, hiking, bicycling, paddling and birding on the river or on the Gulf.  When you visit Florida, be sure to come see our neck of the woods as Florida was meant to be.

Withlacoochee means "little great water" or "little river runs deep" (depending on the translator). So named by the Ocali or "island people" who inhabited the Ocala area when that highland ridge region was an island. The Timucuans inhabited the area after 1700 and were predominantly fishermen and fisheaters.

Today the Withlacoochee River is a Federally Navigable Waterway and designated as an "OUTSTANDING FLORIDA WATERWAY" by the State of Florida. It is one of the most picturesque, tranquil and traditional "Old Florida" locations on the Nature Coast and is an environmentalist and sportsmen's paradise. The river winds between islands studded with oyster bars and shores covered with dense jungle growth with an abundance of wildlife and birds.

In the early 1920's A.F. Knotts discovered the wilderness between Inglis and the Gulf of Mexico at Port Inglis. He marketed the area to his friends and business associates in Indiana as a fishing resort.

The new resort community was reportedly called "YANKEETOWN" by a mail carrier in contrast to a part of the adjacent upriver Town of Inglis called "Crackertown." Commercial fishermen and boatmen acted as guides for wealthy sportsmen during the winter months.

During the "Great Depression," residents of the river and coastal communities survived largely on the basis of the commercial fishing industry and discovered they could not only feed their families, but earn a meager living from the waters. A new breed of rugged, hardworking, independent commercial fishermen emerged. In the 1950's shrimp trawlers moved into the area and have added to the fisheries and aquaculture economic base of our towns.

For visitors and residents alike the scenic allure of picturesque shrimp boats, stacks of crab traps or fishing nets drying in the sun is still part of our fishing village charm.

As you can see, our villages haven't changed much during the past century and we hope they stay this way for a long time to come.

As a part of Florida's Nature Coast the Towns of Inglis and Yankeetown can still offer our visitors the Real Flavor of Old Florida.

ELVIS WAS HERE!

The King of Rock and Roll was actually here in Yankeetown and Inglis shooting the movie, FOLLOW THAT DREAM.

Elvis starred in the movie with and You can take “Follow That Dream Parkway” (CR40) to the bridge at Bird Creek and see where the beach scenes for the movie were shot. While in our area Elvis rented a house in Crystal River and enjoyed some of our local down home hospitality.

Several residents of Inglis and Yankeetown were "extras" in the movie.

Well, folks that's our only claim to fame here on the banks of the Withlacoochee River, but there's lots more to see, lots to paddle and lots of fish to catch.