Dunnellon, Florida Business Directory
Nestled between the Rainbow and Withlacoochee rivers in Marion County, you’ll find the charming little town of Dunnellon.
If you drive southwest on Hwy 484 past the rolling hills and fence lined horse farms in Ocala you’ll end up in this quaint little treasure of a river town. It’s a small community. Only a couple thousand residents call it home. But don’t let the size fool ya. It brings in a big crowd. People come in from all over the sunshine state as well as across the world to visit the famous Rainbow Springs State Park. This is an outdoor enthusiast’s wonderland. Fill your days in the water swimming, tubing, fishing, boating or kayaking down the river. Hiking, biking, horseback riding, and bird watching are other favorite pastimes at our parks. You won’t want to miss this must-see attraction in Florida or it’s beautiful waterfall. Put it on your Florida in the Slow Lane bucket list.
When you’ve had enough sunshine for the day, check out the Dunnellon Boomtown Historic District and beautiful homes that can be found on the National Register of Historic Places. Go shopping for unique gifts and one-of-a-kind treasures. Dine in at one of the best places to eat in town or grab a bite at one of the few restaurants on the river. Whether you’re a visitor looking for things to do, or a local who needs a reliable company in town, we’ve got you covered. We are your information resource highway to the sunshine state!
Taste of History
Dunnellon was founded in 1887 and named after a man called JF Dunn. Spanish explorer Panfilo de Narvaez crossed the Withlacoochee River and first discovered the town in the early 1500s. It wasn’t but two years later when Albertus Vogt found hard rock phosphate and Dunnellon became a “boom town.” During the next thirty years, many of the homes and buildings were built in town as well as phosphate mines along the Rainbow river. Phosphate was shipped down the river to the Withlacoochee River and onto the Gulf of Mexico near Inglis. This made the area a very important trade center. The largest phosphate mines were the Tiger Rag, Early Bird and Eagle but during the 1920s the phosphate mines began to run out of rock and the striving town began to
