Nice place to float down the river. Clear, beautiful water. Easy hiking trails. A great place for…read morefamilies.

Amazing adventure sliding along the river in a doughnut except your bottom in the water and I was…read morescared of alligators that was also scared of me))) anyways great experience definitely worth driving and we will be back. The only thing is not mentioned on the website you can't swim here it's in the other direction but again you can stop in the middle of the slide and dip in to cool off.

Since my last review was over a decade ago, probably time for an update. I don't come to Ginnie as…read moreoften as other area springs but it's worth a visit now and then--on weekday mornings ideally if you want to freedive, swim, and miss the crowds of the weekend. It's a good camping destination, too. For me, the main draw however is freediving and there's plenty here to see. You cannot and should not by any means enter caves as a freediver--it's forbidden and even for highly-experienced freedivers, dangerous. If we freedivers don't want to wear out our proverbial welcome, yes, we need to behave. Cave-certified SCUBA divers are the only ones to enter caves. I want to address some things which came up between my own observations and what I've read in other reviews here. For one, the food. This isn't a good place to get good food. If you want something nice, get it "in town" in High Springs or bring something to cook if camping. For that matter, bring your snacks and gear because expectedly things are a bit overpriced at the merch store here. If you don't what the place to be loud, busy, and long lines then don't come on weekends and holidays. It's that simple. This is a business and they'll let in as many people as they safely can let in. As far as loud music and uneven enforcement of rules, I think this just comes down to different employees acting their own way. Most summer help is students, they're not going to have the discernment and acumen of a veteran police officer in dealing with people. Most are nice, some are lax, some overzealous. About the bath houses and other facilities. I think things are in pretty good shape--on par with bath houses at campgrounds in the Ocala National Forest, in example. Nothing was horribly dirty any time I was there but folks--this is camping. Remember that. I don't see the need for tram or shuttle, either. Maybe for disabled or infirm folks but most of us can simply walk between springs and should. Overall I feel Ginnie is well-run for what it is, with your normal business caveats like they'll charge what they can get away with in their store which is exactly why you want to buy stuff at Walmart or whatever prior to coming here. It's a great place to camp and unique, beautiful, springs you'll remember your entire lifetime.

Other springs you could visit in the state that are better:…read more1) Itchetucknee 2) Rainbow 3) Wekiwa 4) Gilchrist Blue 5) Kelly Rock 6) Silver Glen Purchased 3 day passes ahead of time and when the day came around there was a severe thunderstorm. Staff refuses to reimburse or move reservation for a different date. Paid $60 for absolutely nothing. Staff do not answer phone, ever. Born and raised in Florida and always heard Ginny was trash, now I know.

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.

This is a small and very accessible park that has one swimming hole open currently. It was quite…read morewarm the day we were there and don't was pretty crowded. Water is a bit chilly but you get used to it. The blue hole (spring source) is about 20-25 feet down - a pretty easy snorkel. Not a lot of current. Shallow areas are good for kids and there is kayak/canoe rentals to paddle downstream to the Santa Fe River. Bathrooms were a bit disgusting. Smelled of raw sewage. A good place to spend a few hours.

Very accommodating. Friendly staff. Good information and…read morecommunication. The equipment is sturdy. Many options for

They were able to accommodate us on their day off. Luckily another group had also booked. So they…read morefit us in as well. Definitely got the VIP treatment.

My family picked up our tubes just two streets away from the river. They attached them to the car…read morequickly and the staff were polite. Plus they sale boiled peanuts if you want to give those a try.

I'm going to go ahead and give these guys 3 stars because though the bathrooms gave me the heebie…read morejeebies and are a solid 1 star, driving up and tubing down the spring was sooo nice! This made the trip worth it and I imagine why any and all choose to stay here. When walking to the bathrooms after dark you may need a flashlight depending on where you're parked. Definitely take Lysol too, because well, yuck. You're pretty much in the boondocks, so we had no cell service and bugs, bugs, bugs, and more bugs! Tube rentals are very reasonably priced ($6-10). If you can get the tahiti lounge "tube" I highly recommend it! Also, don't think twice about bringing your flip flops. Do it! Those bad boys will come in handy, as they can be used as paddles to help you navigate and flow down the spring. Staff was friendly! There's a little convenience store that has an assortment of things you may need or have forgotten, which is cool.

Came here for my wife's birthday and hoped to see a manatee. Got to see 3. It was amazing and…read morebeautiful. Cant wait to do it again.

Great communication and beautiful river! Safety is #1. The owner Dawn is very informative!read more

Best river I've ever kayaked, gorgeous springs and beaches. Untouched nature at it finest. Thanks…read moreto the crew who shuttled us around, yall are awesome! I'll be back very soon.

There is nothing else like this campground! It is a fun and interesting destination trip. Animals…read moreabound; chickens, goats, sheep, Keets, pig, dogs, ducks and cats have the run of the place. Hear a rustle in the woods, it's probably Ginger the Kunekune making her rounds. There are two donkeys and a cow as well. The staff is flat out amazing, from Brian who often checks on me, to the family that runs the place. Spacious sites in a bucolic setting and the bonus is an Esther Williams delightful spring two miles away at the State Park.

I am giving these folks 5 stars - but one of my buddies camping with me would score them much…read morelower. So, I guess it depends what you are looking for in a campground. Check in was easy, our campsite was clear, no bugs or refuse, and it was as easy walk back to he office with the showers and other general store type items. There was wooded space between the campsites - providing a sense of privacy. My only complaint would be those of nature... early in the morning some crows were very interested in what feels like our specific campsite and flying around the trees above it and cawing back and forth with each other. On the other hand, my buddy -who was an Eagle Scout in his youth- was not impressed. We had a primitive style campsite. No electric or water hook up where we were. There was a port-o-potty nearby- but if it didn't meet your standard you had to walk about two blocks to the general store. The showers felt more like hostel showers then camp showers. My take away was that his past camping experiences have been a lot more pampered than I am use to when I camp. I could easily camp here again in the future.

Had a great time kayaking with Lars, yes like Mars but with an L…read more I was apprehensive at first as to how it was going to go since I have a very limited experience with kayaking. A few times in the past two decades with a few friends who knew what they were doing. It was going to be 4 hours or so on the river. The weather was beautiful and it was so wonderful to soak in all the greens surrounding us. Quite a few herons, osprey, and some kind of warbler. Very nice distance to drive from Gainesville and everyone in there kayak trip today was from Gainesville and they were all very nice. The drive to kayak destination and back in itself was a nice trip with change of scenery and getting out of town on a weekend to avoid the hussles and bussles of every weekend stuff with groceries and errands. Some people saw some alligators and were trying to point them out hiding but we didn't see any on the same trip! We are told that they don't bother people much in general:) When I expreeesed the concern about not being able to keep up with all other kayakers, my husband said that he would leave me behind and if an alligator has not gotten to me on the way back, he will bring me back home if I fall behind. Yes, he is the perfect picture of support!!!! Lars is very laid back and knowledgeable and easy to talk to and we learned a lot during this trip and would love to come back for more. It was such a fun great nature trip!!!!!

The place is long gone and shut down, he was a nice person , then the guy got caught up with the…read morepeople causing overtourism on our river which has contributed to the decline of the river and the area, so good luck with the one guy.

From Tampa, it took an hour and 30 minutes to get to the river. We first wanted to take a swim in…read morethe swimming area so we went there first before it got really crazy. The area is a bit small and there isn't really a lot of sun spots for you to chill at. It is cool to experience once but I think if you tube, you still will be able to get a swim in because parts of the river are pretty deep. After the swim area, we headed to the tubing section. It is a 15 minute drive from the main park entrance. The fee was 54 for two people that had an annual pass. Highly recommend bringing a small cooler with snacks and drinks and an extra tube for it. It took us about 2 hours to float back to our car and the river is very calm and relaxing. I've floated a river in San Antonio but wasn't as nice as Rainbow springs. Very clean and the water is sooo clear. Overall, really enjoyed our day visit to this state park!

I almost lost my life at Rainbow River, and I feel like I need to share this for anyone considering…read moretubing there. I came expecting a peaceful, relaxing experience because that's what you see in the pictures and reviews. Instead, I ended up in one of the scariest moments of my life. I fell out of my tube and got stuck in deep mud. My water shoe was literally sucked into the mud, and I couldn't push myself up from the bottom. I couldn't get back on my tube because my legs were stuck, and I had already gone underwater and was coughing. What made it even worse was that my daughter, who cannot swim, had drifted away and I couldn't see her. I truly thought I might drown and that something could happen to my daughter. I was panicking, crying, and shaking. By the grace of God, I saw the only boat nearby and flagged them down. They went back and picked up me and my daughter too. I will never forget the people who helped us. I truly believe they prevented a tragedy that day. Another important thing to mention is that this happened toward the evening on a weekday, and there were almost no people left on the river. We were some of the last people out there. I got incredibly lucky that there happened to be a boat nearby because otherwise, I don't know what would have happened to me or my daughter. What upsets me the most is that there was no real safety briefing or warning about the risks. We were given tubes and sent off. No one explained the currents, deep areas, muddy bottoms, or what to do in an emergency. No one recommended life jackets to us, even though not everyone in our group could swim. Please understand that there are no lifeguards. Depending on the time of day, you may find yourself with very few people around to help in an emergency. If I hadn't been able to flag down that boat, this story could have ended very differently. I later learned that other people have had similar frightening experiences here, and I understand why. Please, if you decide to go: * Wear a life jacket, especially if you are not a strong swimmer. * Do not assume the water is shallow because it's a spring. * Do not bring children or adults who cannot swim without extra precautions. * Understand that there are no lifeguards and you are responsible for your own safety. This experience was so traumatic for me that I still have flashbacks and cannot imagine ever returning. A beautiful place can still be dangerous, and I wish I had known that before I went. Please stay safe.