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If you’re planning on driving on I-75 and the urge to stop at a rest area hits you , a sign at one rest area near Gainesville is now urging motorists to beware  poisonous snakes. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the sign is becoming a tourist attraction of it’s own.

The rest area just south of Gainesville on I-75 is like no other in the state. It sits atop a hill overlooking one of the most wild areas in Florida; Payne’s Prairie.  Earlier this year, bright yellow signs went up warning of poisonous snakes.

Katie Mijares works maintaing the rest area. We asked her if she got many questions about the yellow warning signs. “YES WE DO!” she responded. We followed by asking what people ask.  “they want to know what kind of snakes we have. I say you’re in Florida…you got all kinds of snakes” says Mijares.

Snakes used to be a major problem here.

We found rachel Manning on her way to visit her parents in the Tampa Bay area taking a picture of the sign. We asked why. “I have a friend that’s sacred of snakes and I thought she’d get a kick out of it.”

“You’re Not?

“Not so much. I know that they don’t like noise and my kids are noisy” said Manning.

This is the only rest area in the state to post the snake warnings.

And when you look out here, you get a pretty good idea of where the  snakes are coming from.

It’s also the only rest area to sport a 325 foot long walkway over looking the prairie.

Ed Seifert is a communications officer for the DOT in nearby Lake City. He told us “So we realized we had an issue, we decided to put a barrier between the prairie and the rest area.”

Designed, as you might guess, to look like a snake.

Snake warning signs aren’t the only unique thing about this rest area. It was once a hotbed of illegal drugs….And after that, UF coeds were busted here running a major prostitution ring.

Drugs and prostitution are no longer a problem here. But the bright yellow sign warning of snakes can be a bit unnerving for some. Elaine Leclair is moving from Georgia to Tampa. We asked her if the signs worried her. She said no…“But I wouldn’t walk on the grass.”

“Really?”

“Would you?” I don’t think so!”

The message to motorists…you never know what you’ll find at this rest area.

No snakes were spotted by our crew today, but there was one small alligator living in the holding pond at the rest area.