Bird Creek Beach, Florida, United States

4sounddude 5:00 PM Apr 26, 2019

Bird Creek Park, Beach, Boat Ramp And Elvis
Bird Creek, Bird Creek Park, Bird Creek Beach, and Bird Creek Boat Ramp are all at the end of Highway 40 west of Yankeetown, Fl. Known pretty much mostly to the locals that live there, its other notoriety is being the principal filming location for the 1961 Elvis Presley movie "Follow That Dream". There are many great remembrances and stories posted online about the movie, the filming, what it meant for the locals, etc. Basically this section of highway had just been finished and was perfect for the movie location since there was not much traffic on it. The bridge over Bird Creek featured prominently in the film as did a five acre beach that had to be constructed for the movie set. That beach no longer exits as nature has reclaimed it as Florida wilderness. But the bridge is still there and you can still sit on the very same bumper anchor that Elvis sat on throughout the film. I did just to say I did. The real Bird Creek Beach is part of Bird Creek Park which is just over a half mile further down the road. This little park is where the production company parked their vehicles during filming and where Elvis and cast and crew would go to eat lunch and use the rest rooms. Everything is still there and today used by visitors and fishermen who used the park to launch their kayaks. We spoke to a couple who where there after a day of fishing and they said the park usually was deserted, its nice white sand beach vacant of any sunbathers. We walked down to the beach and around the small park just picturing all the trucks, equipment, movie stars and Elvis right where we were. It's a fun excursion if you are in the area and have a few extra minutes, and are an Elvis fan. Another quarter mile down the road is the Bird Creek Boat Ramp which has minimal parking but launches right into the Gulf Of Mexico. I was an Elvis Presley fan in my youth and had seen this movie. So this was a fun side trip for me since we were in the area. Granted, there's not much here to see but at least you could say you walked where the King Of Rock 'N' Roll walked.

3OcalaHomeFL 5:00 PM Jul 18, 2020

Good Kayak Launch area!
Bird Creek is a small, natural beach with sand and grass. It's entrance is on Rte. 40, Yankeetown, a right just before the Boat Launch (under construction ). That's the end of the road! This beach is an excellent area to launch kayaks for fishing. That is what we use it for. There are a couple of under-roof picnic tables and also one or two toilets. People do swim here and we've seen crabbers pulling in nets from shore.