Visiting Florida Natural Springs - Decompressing after finishing the book!

Have you visited the wonders of Central Florida’s natural springs?

These grottos of crystal clear blue water are magical places.

My husband and I made a trip mid-week in mid-October to celebrate after turning in my first domestic thriller, The Adoption, to my editor. Yeah!

Silver Springs kayaking from the headsprings

The second book in the Agent Nadine Finch series, The Hunted Girls, takes place in Ocala, Florida in the national forest and surrounding area. This week I visited Central Florida again. The interior of Central Florida is vastly different from the coasts. Often called, the real Florida, the landscape is more rural, pastoral and there are rolling hills, lovely rivers, lush forests, and some very special natural springs.

This trip, I stayed in a cabin in one of Florida’s state parks. The influx of travelers has booked those cabins solid until the summer of 2022! They are so popular; I felt lucky to snag a few days.

My goal was seeing as many natural springs as possible. We made it to four in two days including: Silver Springs, De Leon Springs, Alexander Springs and Juniper Springs.

You can read all about the springs on the web and marvel at the amount of fresh, clear water emerging from these limestone boils. The water aquifer comes from as far away as Georgia and Louisiana. The rainwater makes its way underground and emerges into pools so blue you would think you were in the Caribbean.

At Silver Springs, there is no swimming, but I did take a kayak excursion from the headsprings five miles downriver for a pickup and return. On route, there was a profusion of birds, turtles, and a few alligators. I even spotted a manatee this time. Just a bit of history, several movies and at least one television series were filmed here including: Thunderball (1965), Moonraker (1974),Sea Hunt (1960s), Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Once a private tourist attraction, the monkey’s brought in to entertain visitors remain, though I didn’t glimpse one.

At Juniper Springs, we swam in a blue pool so clear that my family thought the photos were of a swimming pool. It was here that we met a local couple who suggested we visit a nearby spring just to the south. So off we went to the next.

Alexander Springs looks more like a blue-green lake. There is a white sandy beach before a shady hill. The springs, in the center of the lake, have at least three boils in a hole about thirty feet deep. I did free dive down. The force of the water thrusts you right back out. I read that this spring pushes out 50 million gallons an hour.

All the springs are 72 degrees year around. So we enjoyed cooling off at De Leon Springs next. This one, like Silver Springs, was once a privately owned tourist attraction so it is ringed in concrete. But it does have a gristmill and restaurant, kayak rental and allows floats.

Rainbow Springs and Rainbow River allows both boating and tubing, which is super fun. We made it here on a previous visit. The park rents clear acrylic kayaks. These allow you to view what is beneath you. Expect to see fish and turtles in the grasses pushed by the constant current.

Blue Springs was my first experience at a natural springs shortly after moving to Florida. This park allows swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. I know because I was snorkeling when I spotted something huge swimming beneath me across the limestone opening to the springs. Visions of the Creature from the Black Lagoon flashed through my mind. But it was just a diver. Cave diving is dangerous. Be aware that not all divers survive this adventure.

Me preparing to dive into Silver Glen Springs

Silver Glen Springs is interesting because we made our approach in a houseboat several years ago. This spot is extremely popular with house boaters. The spring itself is deep and the boil powerful. The water was so clear, I had no trouble seeing turtles.

Weeki Wachee Springs was once a private tourist attraction and the performing “mermaids” (which are women wearing fish tail outfits) continue to perform here. There is a nice boat tour but swimming is not allowed. One of the women we saw performing here, about five years back, was a third-generation mermaid with a mother and grandmother who both once preformed at Weeki Wachee.

The rules at the springs vary, so check before you go. These springs are spread throughout hundreds of miles in Central Florida, the northern Gulf Coast and Northern Central Florida so you’ll have to pick one or two on most visits.

Alligators. Yes, they are here but generally uninterested in the kayakers, boaters, and swimmers. Some springs close to all swimmers in mid-November to mid-March to allow the manatees to winter and raise their young there. They eat the grass, and the warmer spring water allows them to maintain their body temperature.

If you have the chance, be sure to visit Florida springs. They are a jewel of this state and well worth a detour from the theme parks.

Drop me a line if you have a chance to explore a spring. I’d love to hear about your trip!

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