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.

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.

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.

Great hidden place for locals off the main road. Great for families. Sliding rock, jump off rock,…read moreand small pool for swimming.

Wow!! Small park. Big Fun!! If you are in the White Springs area you have to check this place out…read more About an hour and a half west and north of Jacksonville. Just a 1.5 mile trail. 3 miles in all. The scenery is amazing. Beautiful views of the historic Suwannee River all along the trail. Hike ends at the majestic Big Shoals. Your experience will depend on the water level of the river, but ours was pretty impressive. Park is pristine. Trails are well maintained and easily accessible. We went in the middle of the week and were the only people there. It's really hot in the summer,so make sure you have water available. Don't miss the bat house at the very beginning of the trail. If the bats hear your voice they will start moving around and making noise. Great old Florida experience.

Jennings State Forest is a gem in NE FL. I ventured out with a group yesterday to do the Dunn's…read moreFarm trail. I've also hiked much of the Pioneer Trail. The trails are well maintained and well marked with blazes. The trails take you through a wealth of biological diversity from pine forests to uplands that hug Black Creek and other smaller creeks. I haven't camped so can't speak to the campgrounds but the camp sites are well marked. Cost to visit is $2 pass that can be purchased online. The parking lot does not have good reception so better to purchase in advance. Parts of the trail is shaded but a lot of it is in the sun so be aware if visiting during the hotter months.

Great place to hike .keep your eyes on the trail.hiking these woods you will forget there are…read morecotton mouths and rattle snakes out there.keep your eye on the trail ahead of you.

Called ahead and checked hours for rental operations, return time,etc. when we arrived we were told…read morethat whoever we spoke with was incorrect and that they stopped renting at 2pm!? This wasn't what we were told nor is that posted on any website or anywhere. Very random and wanton hours that must depend on the day or whims of operators.

1. Took several phone calls from two of our staff to secure our reservation. We spent time on the…read morephone when we did get through to Jay explaining that we had a group of seniors and we wanted an easy kayak for them. 2. When we needed to alter reservations, we received no return phone call. 3. When we arrived and asked for a change to the reservation we were told absolutely not. We pointed out that we called the number given to us to try and do this in advance, but were told that didn't change anything as we left a message when the outfitter wasn't open. 4. When we launched, no one explained safety gear, paddling procedures, that the kayaks had foot pedals, or where we would take out. When we asked for a map or chart, we were told to find one on our phones. 5. When kayaker had medical issue (heat exhaustion, accelerated heartbeat, and leg cramping), which manifested in the 1/4 mile before the spring run at at Gilchrist Springs, Deacon (the bright spot of the entire trip) tried to get someone to pick him up and was told we should switch his kayak and that no one would come get the person. 6. Deacon (again, the bright spot, perhaps put this kid in charge) tried, without success, to fix the broken seat for the kayaker in distress. He also showed him how to use the foot pedals to help keep the seat from sliding. He did offer to switch kayaks, putting the distressed kayaker in a tandem with one of the group leaders. He clearly wanted to do more and had empathy, but anything else was clearly above his pay grade. This brought the total of boats on the water down by one (which will come into play in a moment) 7. No one mentioned the rapids. Fairly mild for seasoned and competent kayakers, but for a group of seniors who stated they were seeking an easy paddle, a mention of this when Jay told us which would work would have been advisable. 8. When we reach the take-out, one of the men working commented that he thought the seat of the kayak in question (distressed kayaker) might have been broken when he set out the boats at the launch that morning. If so, why did no one attempt to remedy this at the time? 9. In response to this, I explained we had switched two kayakers to a tandem at Gilchrist, (at this point, the trip is over) to which he replied, "Oh, so that's why there's one less kayak coming back. I wondered about that." So... he noticed we were short a boat but didn't wonder or question as to what happened to the boat? What if someone had gone missing? Does this outfitter have any sort of safety protocols in place? 10. We called after roughly 30 minutes waiting to get picked up at the end of the run. That appears to be when someone send the van to get us, even though staff assured us when we took out of the river someone was already on the way. We will not use any AOA services again.

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.

Rum Island offers one of the only free entries into a spring in our state, and certainly the only…read morein the area. It is a county park managed by Columbia County, and is well taken care of. The porta potties are always relatively clean, and it is rare to find liter. The spring is not as deep, blue, or beautiful as other area springs, but you can't beat the free entry. It does offer a larger shallow area than most which is helpful on weekends, holidays, or summer days when it becomes overcrowded. The spring will "brown out" due to overflow of the Santa Fe river when it has rained a lot. It is still safe to swim in however it is not as attractive from the surface. The tanin does however create a neat effect when you free dive/look up. Rum Island Park is a great launch and pick up spot for those wanting to paddle the Santa Fe River. Many outfitters use it, as well as individuals. I personally frequently use it to launch with a paddle board. I like to paddle down to Blue Springs and back before work (in High Springs). Overall, Rum Island Park is a nice launch spot and free swimming hole.

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.

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.

Royal Springs is exceedingly pretty as long as it's not flooded out--which can happen with heavy…read moreseasonal rainfall and the Suwannee River creeping into the spring. When that happens, it becomes murky and not much fun--if even safe for swimming. But when clear, it's very beautiful and there's a dock to jump off into the spring which is always fun. In the warmer months on sunny days this spring can get very crowded and a bit rowdy too: it's not a State Park but a county park (I think, maybe in conjunction with the Water Management District) so it's not as sedate as a State Park, either. Expect a lot of teens and a party atmosphere but that's really part of the fun. If you've ever sought out an "ol' swimmin' hole", this really IS it--but when in its best shape. On several visits the water was too murky from the river getting up high to swim or dive in, though.

On our second day of glamping, January 25th, we were looking at a few things to do and settled on…read moregoing to the Royal Springs watering hole and diving platform. With temperatures around 67F as the high today, we got into shirts swimsuits n towels and piled into the vanmobile for a short drive over from our AirBnB (Margaritaville). Of course we have been having so much fun with lows 40s n 50s, so why not give a dip a try! LOL. Now I dare not jump off the diving platform due to ankle healing, but did follow a stairwell trail down the opposite side to the shallow entry into the water. Tested the water first was about 70 degrees ish...definitely warmer relatively speaking..lol, as the surround air was cooler. Oh and being much dryer air here than in Miami, I was surprised how easily I acclimated to the colder temperatures! We stayed awhile in this watering hole, gorgeous clear water colors, fun watching the shenanigans of my two friends up on the platform psyching each other out while trying to run n jump at the same time only to abort at last second. Eventually they went in. As for me, with water shoes put on, had made way carefully through the shallow are over slippery shallow area to the drop off point into deeper water, staring down and seeing fish swim underneath. Some of us went in, some stayed outside, hanging here awhile and treading water to stay somewhat warm. It was therapudic with the crisp water, the the surround woods, calmness. It was nice! Eventually the cold gets to you as the sun further descends around 4pm, so I got out dried off and warmed up. Not only is there a watering hole here, but after drying off warming up, I made my way down another path to a gentle babbling brook glistening in the sun to which I can see the trail of water coming from the Suwanee river! I also am able to briefly see a jet skier quickly pass back and forth. Later on learned there is a boat ramp as we walked about. This another perk of glamping / living nearby here! Having enough of this outing, we headed back to our AirBnb where I took a HOT shower to warm up my core :D