Nice local park near the big springs. It is a short walk to the spring area. I'm bias because not…read morethe biggest fan of any park with a walk to the water since I always bring a paddle board, but it's not a crazy walk. The springs area is small, and the water is not as clear as most of the springs are. In general it is nice park to do a bbq in. Entry fee: $6 per car Bbq grills: yes Must be out of the water by 7:30pm Park closes at 8pm

Poe Springs Park is located in High Springs, Florida, 25 miles northwest of Gainesville. This is…read morejust one of a bunch of swimmable springs in the area making it a hassle-free visit. For $6 per passenger vehicle (cash only), hike 1/4 of a mile on a boardwalk pathway to reach a natural oasis of crystal-clear, 72 degree waters. When the sun is shining, Poe Springs lights up like out of a storybook moment from paradise. The olive waters can appear so strikingly translucent, I was deeply thinking how lucky I felt to be surrounded by it all. Next to Poe Springs is the Santa Fe River where you can continue swimming or get out on kayaks and paddle boards. There's even a tree with rope for swinging into the river. Near the front entrance are all-day tube rentals for $10. They have a concession stand to buy lunch or guests can bring their own food and barbecue underneath picnic pavilions. Overall, if you visit Poe Springs in the middle of the day when the sun is shining brightly, I believe you will be mighty impressed. Getting to swim among sparkling clear green waters makes for a rewarding experience within the heart of nature.

Fantastic river experience. River guide Chloe was very knowledgeable about the plants, animals, and…read morehistory of the area. The two springs and the river between them are breathtakingly beautiful.

There are so many springs in Florida I've been wanting to visit. I finally made the time to check…read moreout Ichetucknee in Fort White, FL. This spring was one hour 45 minutes from Jacksonville. My friend and I traveled to Alachua Friday after work and stayed in a new Hampton Inn. I didn't want to get up early Saturday to drive nearly two hours and Alachua was roughly 20 minutes from the park. Lake City, the same distance as Alachua, had higher priced hotels. No thanks! I reserved our tubes and paid for the tram ride online a few days prior. We arrived at the park about 8:45 AM, with a 9 AM reservation for the tubes. There was a bit of a wait to enter the park. I suggest having $6 cash (park entry fee) ready as this will shorten your wait time. They do accept credit cards too. Parking was open so we found a shaded spot. We checked in at the wooden canapy and were given wrist bands and a key tag and advised to get in line to drop off my car key (they will hold for $3). You don't want to lose your key in the river;) We were also given a paper to pick up our tubes. Be sure to pick up a water proof pouch for your phone prior to arrival. I found one at Walmart for $5. And bring a metal cup if you want water while floating down the river or checking out any of the springs as they DO NOT allow plastic water bottles. Lastly we picked up our tubes which was pretty quick. Then we followed the path to the river entry. There was a park employee there checking bags including our water proof phone pouch (we had to show both sides). Check the website for items you are not permitted to take on the river. The tube ride was roughly 45 minutes to an hour. We saw birds, turtles and fish. Thankfully we saw no snakes or alligators, but they are around as it's a 2,000 acre park. The ride was relaxing as well as nature's sounds! Highly recommend! Once at the end, we hopped off our tubes and walked to the tram pickup spot. If you don't want to pay for the tram there is a walking trail leading back to the parking lot. No thanks lol! You can ride as many times as you want. We only did it once as we wanted to check out the Blue Hole. We had to leave the south entrance of the park and drive 10 minutes to the north entrance. One park entry fee allows you to access both park entrances. We walked a 10 minute shaded trail back to the Blue Hole. I slowly entered the 72 degree water via metal stairs. I swam for a short period as it was cold lol. But gorgeous blue water with a strong current due to the underwater caves. I suggest bringing snorkeling gear so you can see the caves below. There was also a bigger area of springs you could relax and swim a short walk from the parking lot. It was a fabulous day at the springs. I look forward to going back again!

Rum Island Springs County Park is located in the Fort White/High Springs area of North Central…read moreFlorida, 28-miles from Gainesville. It's $5 entry per vehicle and hours are 8am - 7pm daily. Rum Island is a tucked away natural springs pool that's catered towards younger crowds (imo) with mostly shallow waters. There's a row of buoys separating the springs from the Santa Fe River. Visits here can be real quick, under an hour unless you're launching kayaks or barbecuing with family for the day. The white sands of the springs are crystal-clear most times throughout the day and the waters showcase vibrant aquamarine colors when the sun breaks from the clouds. There's even a turquoise limestone cavity that pumps out the pool's 72-degree spring waters. There are some opportunistic moments for worthwhile picture takings and recordings, but...Rum Island is so small and shallow that it feels like standing in the center of the kiddie springs at a waterpark. As much as I enjoyed the views, I felt out of place. It wasn't my favorite Florida springs park to visit, but I still respect it for its scenic surroundings. Finally, there are plenty of kayakers and paddle boarders floating past the springs. Visitors can leave their belongings anywhere on the grass. Overall, I'm glad I got a glimpse into what Rum Island Springs Park is about, which has me motivated to visit the local gold standard benchmarks...Ichetucknee Springs, Ginnie Springs and Gilchrist Blue Springs.

Although the spring is nice, parking is horrible. The park has no one enforcing proper parking and…read morepeople will block you in, block the road. It is a nightmare. Definitely need some regulation here.

GREAT place to take the family! This is our favorite springs…read moreto go to. We try not to go on days we know its going to be super crowded because we like to use our snorkels and a look in the little cave at the bottom and the water is just way less murky. There is a lot of spots to hang out and a have lunch or a little party. We had a small BBQ there for a graduation party.

One of our top 5 favorite springs to visit, perfect for the family and great spot to visit when you…read moretrying to cool down from the sun. You can rent kayaks here and go down the Santa Fe. Lots of parking but sometimes can reach capacity on the weekends. No inflatable floats in the spring is kind of lame but you can bring noodles.

Beautiful place! The springs were closed but we went to Poe springs 5 minutes away and have a…read morenatural pool and river current with stairs, restaurant and bathrooms

County-owned and run park with a beautiful natural spring. There is a "dive platform", which I put…read morein quotes because as a platform diver myself, it's not high enough to be a proper dive platform but still you can do basic stuff or just jump off. Most of our state parks sadly have removed their dive platforms (Fanning, Madison Blue, Gilchrist Blue) so it's nice to find one. There are picnic tables and a I think a playground for little kids plus a sand volleyball court which gets very popular on weekends. Actually, the entire place gets very popular on weekends and I'd advise going on a weekday if possible. Otherwise, it's super-crowded and mostly rowdy teens. There are a lot of fish in the springs but if you want to freedive or snorkel and see them, come on a weekday, ideally in the morning. Once kids come around after school, the dive platform is the highlight and there's enough kids jumping off it to make the water very murky so you won't see anything then underwater. Tips: --It's cash-only, $2 admission for adults, not sure what for little ones. --No footballs: volleyballs are allowed, but no footballs! I asked why and was told by the girl at the concession stand "two boys playing football trampled a Karen who complained". So yeah, that. --The focus is very much on family fun: again, if coming to see nature come on a weekday, ideally early. --If you dive/jump off the platform, swim clear off it immediately. There's likely a middle schooler jumping right after you. Some run, jump, and don't look down and I've been hit before by flying tweens. --The road leading to the park is pretty long and paved. People drive like proverbial bats out of hell on it, 60 MPH or more. Be careful.

This is a historic CCC park! Lots of great trails and campgrounds. Close to many other springs and…read morewithin minutes to some places of interest outside the park!

I normally do beach camping but when your friends ask you to camp in the woods you gotta do what…read moreyou gotta do. It was so fun, though I miss my sunset/sunrise beach fun. O'leno state park is a big park 1.5 hours from Jacksonville's northside, so it's pretty close. The campsites are well maintained, big and pretty level for tents and RV camping. Plus they have water and electricity. One of my must haves when camping is a nice bathroom and good showers. Luckily every state park I've camped has had big, clean bathrooms with disability access showers and O'leno is no different. Winner winner chicken dinner. It's cool waking up in the morning to all the birds, several barn owls were heard too. The trails are varied, walk along the river or through the limestone scattered trails, it's all awesome! Oh and it's close to Ichetucknee so you can easily go do the springs too. O'leno's river is rusty looking because of the tanin but it's still good for swimming. If you like camping in the woods, seeing fireflies, millions of stars and a good hike among friendly campers this place is definitely worth visiting. The only downside is the ticks...had to throw that in for full disclosure.

​A rare Florida waterfall beauty!…read more Falling Creek Falls is a stunning little park. The trail is a quick 0.6-mile loop that is mostly a beautifully maintained, elevated wooden boardwalk, making it highly accessible. You can hear the roar of the falls before you even see them! The water drops over a limestone ledge into a ravine, creating a beautiful contrast with the surrounding cypress and magnolia trees. ​Tip: The water volume depends heavily on recent rainfall, so it's especially impressive after a good storm! There's also a great playground and clean picnic areas at the trailhead. Just note that dogs aren't allowed on this trail.

It's very nice waterfall when there's enough water to actually fall. A cute little park for the…read morekids to play picnic area for parties and a nice walk in the woods to the fall.

A fave for sure! Although lately we've been wanting to get there right at opening (9am) and have…read morehad to wait an hour due to them doing maintenance. We thought it was the same day weekly but it was not. Other than that, it's a great springs to visit. We have littles and it's perfect for them as there's a spot with a beach like area to ease into the water and has a shallow area. When the tide is low and no boats around, it's absolutely clear and gorgeous but once that changes, the murky water can come in quick. There are a few areas to jump which is also nice. And you can float down to where the Santa Fe feeds in. Watch out for gators though. We've seen our fair share. Overall, I highly recommend this spring!

Hart springs is a beautiful park that has a glorious swimming area, a tall jump into the deeper…read morearea of the spring. The park offers many tables and walk ways to truly explore the property and get a great look at this little arm of the Suwanee River. Come out and experience old Florida

I came across this park by chance. It's smaller compared to other well-known springs, but the water…read morewas beautifully clear. Alcohol is not allowed, and neither are diving, dogs, fishing, bicycles, or smoking. Parking costs $6 per vehicle. It was a quiet, peaceful spring where you can really enjoy nature.

Rangers and staff super friendly and knowledgeable…read more kayaking experience beautiful. Manatees amazing; just be patient and let them come to you.

Been going here since I was in college and came back for the first time in years. The staff is…read morefriendly and accommodating. The springs are absolutely gorgeous! There are about 8 boils/spring openings. Easily walkable to float and walk back to your start. You can also do a short float with small children that lasts about 10 minutes and is a 5 minute walk back to your start (Devils Spring to Ginnie Spring). Great memories and a great place to cool off in the summer. You can rent tubes, snorkel equipment, and life vests.

We came out Ginnie Springs with a large group over the course of 4 days. Some stayed the whole time…read moreand others came for a night or two. We were celebrating several birthdays while we were out here, which made the overall camping trip a blast. When compared to another campsite's this one is a bit more expensive that what is typical. It's $25 just to enter the park for the day and $40 to stay the night in a basic tent. Fortunately, our friends who planned the whole trip brought their modified truck turned camper; three enclosed 20' x 10' and two 10' x 10' enclosed tents; and three portable AC units with a multitude of other electronics including a huge blowup screen and projector so we could rock out through the evening. I have no idea what they paid for the water and power site for four days but I'm sure it wasn't cheap, plus they rented three camp sites and a golf cart so we could all get around with our tubes. Some of the downsides were: this is a privately owned park so there are more stringent rules/regulations. They shut us down at 12am and basically told us we couldn't have any lights on or music playing and we would need to keep our voices down. Not like we were getting out-of-hand, but it put a damper on our party. The restrooms are not super clean and are not maintained really well. They had toilet paper, soap, and running water, but the toilets were not cleaned for days, and the shower drains were backing up. There were also dirty clothes and towels left in the men's shower for days. Be sure to bring plenty of toiletries, sanitary wipes, disposable gloves, and wear sandals in the showers. The tubing experience was fun. We brought our own tubes and it takes about an hour to ride start to finish. The water had a lot of algae bloom's floating around which is weird. We were covered in it on the first day and because of it, I declined going a second time. Regardless, the water was nice and cold and very refreshing on a hot July day. It rained several times during our visit. If you do decide to stay, here be prepared to clean dirt out of every crevice for the next week. It took me about 4 hours to clean my vehicle, shoes, and other odds and ends when we got home. Staff were overall friendly. Even though we were told to tone things down a bit they did it in a kind way. I don't know if I would come out here again to camp because it's 3-hours away from home and it's a lot of stuff to take when staying for just a night or two. I would still recommend them if you're looking for a fun spot to camp where tubing is offered.