I drove through here on the way home from the Panhandle. It reminded me of what I thought Florida…read morewas like when I was a child growing up in Massachusetts. Forrests and springs, fishing, canoeing, swimming, and yes, gators. There are over 400,000 acres in the Ocala National Forest. It needs more than one visit to fully explore this wonder. There are many opportunities for camping and backpacking. I want to come back soon to go on a nature hike. Like Dave O. says, this is the wilderness so don't be naive. You must go in prepared with water, protein snacks, and emergency supplies. This is not Disney, this is the real Florida adventure.

Another spot of beautiful nature in Wild Florida…read more I love going on nature hikes, and this trail has plenty of wildlife and plants to see. Even with the paths seeming wild and free, they're easy to follow and I wasn't afraid of getting lost.

While tooling around Ocala recently, my husband and I stumbled upon the Scott Springs Park…read more It has lush green space to picnic or frokic on. Its got a Bike track for BMX and a large playground with clean, modern styles. The highlight here for me was the walk down to the sink hole/spring. Its a lovely bit of Florida history. Last year, there was water in the sinkhole. Today it has mostly become a dry pit with a boil at tue back, beneath the rocks. There was a turtle taking advantage of the little pool of water. Truly a nice park to visit

Scott Springs Park is a great park in Ocala, Florida…read more I enjoyed my time here while getting some steps in and stretching my legs. Overall, the park has decent parking and is a nice place to escape the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. If you are in the area, go check out Scott Springs Park. As Ocala continues to grow, it is nice to have places like this to just go chill.

we would like to know just what the heck you guys at kayaking florida are trying to do here to…read morepeople, you take a married coulpe on a tour for hours, see more wildlife then they have seen in their entire life (and we are old) not only that but you all were all polite and considerate and very knowledgeable and then you turn around and only charge that amount of money for all of it?????????? you guys must be crazy!!!!!! we had a fantastic time and saw so much and went so many places and with the current.....very low impact. the movies and pictures you sent us were great not to mention "free". kevin o'conner was brimming with history and knowledge about the area, the water, the wildlife and a very sharp eye for spotting those gators and fish. he paddles backwards so you see him and hear him very clearly, but he doesn't run into anything??? again....had a great time, a must do in the sunshine state!!!!

Walking the trails was peaceful and scenic, with lots of shade and chances to spot wildlife (we saw…read morea few monkeys in the distance, which was wild!). The whole park is well-maintained, and the staff were helpful and friendly. Whether you're kayaking, hiking, or just relaxing by the springs, it's a great day trip that feels like a little escape into old Florida.

Silver Springs Conservation Area is a nice place to go for a walk/hike/run with another by yourself…read morebe cautious. It is dog friendly ( leashed ) and it isn't the kind of place that has all the frills. The conservation area is 330 acres and it's the largest intact property that is privately owned undeveloped adjacent to Silver Springs and had been purchased to protect our ground water and Silver Springs by preserving this recharge site. The conservation area consists of three types of natural communities ; Sandhill, Upland Mixed Forest, & Wet Prairie. Some of the wildlife seen here are Whitetail deer, Sherman's fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, black racer, yellow rat snake, northern cardinal, towhee, pileated woodpeckers. Today I had seen a beautiful butterfly but it was too fast for me. Unsupervised recreation and I did not see a bathroom. Some of this may come from someone being 60 and a little leery ( or maybe wise lol ) .

This is a forest area in the truest sense of the word with dense tall trees and a narrow rock trail…read morethat should be taken seriously. It's for hikers, bikers & 1 of the 3 entrances is for horses to enter. Though their website says it is good for fishing all I've found is a dried up creek bed. There are always things to remember when on a trail like this: always yield to the equestrian; be prepared with extra fluids; you can never take enough protection & make sure your cell is fully charged. It's a huge 4,600 acres so please also tell others where y'all are going - just from a common sense point of view. This only opened a few months ago and so far is very rudimentary. There's no doubt about it that this is back country trails. There is only 1 small shelter and in the heat of an intense summer there is no other shade though there's all types of wildlife. I've yet to see any wildlife and I'm thinking they were also taking shade behind trees. ;) Enjoy but keep in mind that this is a conservation area. Leave no footprints.

Great little camp ground next to the Santo mountain biking trail head. also conveniently located to…read morethe Greenway trails for hiking and horseback riding. Not a whole lot to do in the campground itself but if you are into biking, hiking, horseback riding, bird watching or just chilling at your campsite, this ciuld be the place for you.. This camp ground is located adjacent the start of the Greenway trail... Where there are miles of trails, both paved and wooded, for you to enjoy no matter which activity you prefer... The campground itself is small and mainly set up for RVs and trailers.. Most are pretty open but there are a few sites set back in the woods just enough to feel like your in the forest... Each site has electric and water as well as a picnic table and fire ring... Only things I can complain about are the location, middle of nowhere (or this ciuld be a plus) and the trains that pass nearby several times a night, blowing their horns. They sound like they're in the park... All in all this is a perfect place to get away for a little break.. Cheers..

I am reviewing based on camping in an RV. There's no sewer…read morehook up, only a dump station. Otherwise I would give them a higher rating. Lovely, peaceful campground with small hiking trails. If you're actually into BMX, then this is your spot. We were just looking for a campground close to Don Garlit's drag racing museum and so the lack of a pool and a playground and sewer hook up affected our rating.

Silver Springs State Park was an amazing experience. I came out with a group to kayak, and it ended…read moreup being one of the highlights of the trip. The water is absolutely beautiful and crystal clear, and we saw wildlife pretty much the entire time. We spotted tons of birds, turtles, fish, and even the famous monkeys! Kayaking was a great way to explore the park because you can get surprisingly close to the wildlife while still just enjoying the scenery. Seeing the monkeys out there in the wild was definitely something I won't forget. Beautiful park, plenty to see, and a great place to spend a few hours on the water. I'd absolutely come back.

My parents were reminiscing about when they were middle school aged and came here for field trips…read more I was surprised to find out that Silver Springs State Park and the glass bottom boat tours have been around for that long! It was about a 1.5 hour ride from Orlando. Woke up real early on a Saturday (on honestly one of the coldest days of the year) to arrive at the park around 8am. I highly suggest purchasing glass bottom boat tour tickets online about a week in advance atleast since time slots fill up! We purchased the 1.5 hour tour on the boats. Our tour guide was incredible and shared so much knowledge and facts about the wildlife and park. I got to see tons of manatees! Plus getting to see gators, turtles, birds, and even monkeys! The glass bottom gives such a cool perspective on viewing the wildlife and plants underwater. Aside from the tour, we walked several trails to enjoy the great outdoors. Also, we had coffee in the morning when we first got here and lunch after the tour. The food was pretty good and filling. At the gift shop I made sure to leave with a magnet and Christmas ornament to remember such a great day here.

Great place for family recreation. There is a big playground at the beginning of the trail for…read morechildren. Over five miles of bike paths and walking trails. Nice peaceful scenic views throughout the greenway. We live close by and have enjoyed this place for years.

A fabulous place to play & workout! Playground review toward the end…read more I've used the beautifully paved trails for skating, biking & running & walking for many years, it's a great place to be active. I did have to be careful skating as the trail is paved through natural FL brush & fields and twigs, stones & leaves can put you on your face quickly. There are clean bathrooms & water fountains before the trailheads. There are pet rules that I've not noted because I don't have pets. I assume the pet info is on the website. It's Florida, therefore it's hot & without preparation you're subject to dehydration, bring water bottles or stay near the fountains. There are also insects, so some type of repellant is always a good idea for outdoor activities in FL. & there's very little shade, so a sunscreen is suggested. The playground is clean with both natural ground (mulch covered) or a cushioned cover. It was designed for all ages & those with disabilities. My 8 year old nephew & 6 year old niece enjoyed it all immensely.

What an AWESOME day! Crystal River Kayak Company & Dive Center made for such a great experience!…read moreThe staff were friendly and informative, equipment was clean & well maintained, and check-in/out was simple and quick! We rented paddle-boards for 3 hours to go visit Three Sister Springs at the Crystal River Wildlife Refuge, and it did NOT disappoint! You cannot swim at Three Sister Springs unless you arrive by watercraft as the refuge is protected, so going on an adventure via paddle-board was a nice relaxing way to explore the area. We saw multiple manatees and even got to swim with them when they came in the refuge (SUCH A COOL EXPERIENCE)! The coolest thing about the manatees was how much trust they put in the people visiting their home. There was a mom and calf swimming right up to people, and I thought how cool it was that she put that much trust into her surroundings as to show off her baby. I highly recommend checking out this company next time you're visiting the area!

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!