Article from the Northwest Florida Daily News. Baker is only 15 minutes from Crestview, Florida. It is commonly called God's land. It is a beautiful place to visit.

Baker is a gem in our own back yard

By BRIAN HUGHES

    "Daytrippin' " readers know that I love good eatin', small all-American communities, and unpretentious "home-made" museums. Baker has all three, allowing us to play tourist in our own back yard.
    Shortly after Hurricane Katrina blew me over to Crestview, friends took me to Baker for the Heritage Festival. Jessianne Fortune, a little girl from Laurel Hill, came running up and asked if I'd like a demonstration of the late-1800s corn-shucking machine. Before I could answer, she grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the device, fed it an ear of corn, and began grinding the handle. Corn kernels trickled into one container, followed by the shorn cob, which dropped into another. Thus was I introduced to Baker. (And to Jessianne, the festival's unofficial, self-appointed corn-shucker.)
    We'd heard about Baker's Gator Café and had been meaning to revisit the delightful Baker Block Museum. Well, the Gator lived up to its reputation. Outstanding burgers, an awesome patty melt and scrumptious homemade coleslaw filled our plates. (I'm real picky when it comes to coleslaw. It must be homemade, and will inevitably be compared to Nanny Hughes', so don't even think about feeding me something bottled!)
    A highlight was our malteds, thick, malty, chocolately and generously sized, topped with whipped cream and cherry. The cheery ambience with its vintage toys, advertisements and paintings of life-size and lifelike patrons and a short-order cook adds to the Gator's appeal.
    The Baker Block Museum is housed in a turn-of-the-century brick building with a history nearly as rich as the artifacts within. Since 1908 it's been a post office, drug store, dry goods and millinery, grocery, theater, general store, and the Baker Mercantile Co. Its warm aroma smells just like my grandparents' attic, also a fun place to explore.
    Operated by the North Okaloosa Historical Association since July 1996, the museum's collection is representative of the region's rich culture, heritage and commercial history. Nothing is editorialized or "interpreted." Exhibits are grouped by topic, including the timber and turpentine industry, mercantile goods, farm tools, Indian culture, music, and military history.
    Artifacts aren't roped off. Visitors can get close and examine them and are trusted not to touch or sit on them. Friendly, helpful volunteers, or curator Jeanette Henderson herself, are around to answer questions.
    The museum's research library is a haven for amateur and professional historians and genealogists. Outside is the museum's collection of pioneer buildings, many donated by benefactors and restored by the association.