Fanning Springs State Park centers on Fanning Springs in the town of Fanning Springs along U.S. 19/98. The spring was long counted among Florida’s 33 first-magnitude springs, although by 2008 reduced flow made that rank a historical designation. The site’s significance reaches far beyond the modern park: Paleo-Indian people were present here beginning about 14,000 years ago, and several related archaeological sites have been identified within the park. Before public acquisition in 1993, the springs area was used for recreation. Management shifted to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 1997, and nearby the Nature Coast State Trail links the spring to a larger corridor built on former railway lines.