Dating back to the 1800s, Silver Springs is known as one of Florida’s oldest tourist attractions. Located in the small town of Ocala, in north central Florida, it’s pretty far off the beaten path and kind of in the middle of nowhere. Well, Ocala isn’t exactly nowhere, but it’s not a coastal resort town, there are no white sandy beaches, and it’s not sexy like Miami Beach or romantic like Key West. But for anyone who grew up in Florida, they no doubt heard about Silver Springs and its famous glass bottom boats their entire lives. I was one of those people. I had always heard about this famous Florida tourist attraction but had never been.
Let me explain. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, in a blended family with six kids, our vacations were pretty limited, and by that I mean low-budget. No flights to Europe, Hawaii, or even nearby Mexico or the Bahamas. We were very middle class and my parents were not about to dish out the money for eight airline tickets. So we always stayed close to home. Every summer, year after year, we packed up two cars, an old boat, a kayak, two dogs, and drove off to Homosassa Springs. We always had a great time, snorkeling, fishing, water skiing, and kayaking, so I’m not complaining. It’s just that we never went anywhere else, and we never made it to Silver Springs and those famous glass bottom boats.
Since moving back to Florida in 2014, I have set about exploring as much of this beautiful state as possible. Now that I’m a grown-up with a car, I can finally visit all those fantastic Florida towns and attractions I never saw growing up here. But I have to admit, Silver Springs has not been on my Florida bucket list since my return. Like many Floridians, I always assumed that the glass bottom boats at Silver Springs were probably a goofy, overrated tourist attraction.
Be that as it may, my partner recently decided he wanted to explore the small Florida towns of Ocala and Gainesville. Having graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, I was less than enthused, but despite my objections, off we went!
Kayakers enjoying the scenery at Silver Springs State Park
Experiencing Silver Springs
Silver Springs, to my surprise, is absolutely beautiful — much more so than I ever imagined. It’s not just a tourist attraction, it’s a nature lover’s paradise. Between the springs, the crystal clear blue water, the lush subtropical forest, it all feels somewhat otherworldly. Up until visiting Silver Springs, I thought the most beautiful place in Florida was Highlands Hammock State Park. Now, I think it could be Silver Springs.
View of kayakers from the Ross Allen Boardwalk trail at Silver Springs, Florida
The glass bottom boats also highly exceeded my expectations. I thought the glass would be dirty, scratched and hard to see through, like the fish bowl attraction was when I visited in Homosassa Springs, but the glass was perfect, like new. Not only that but the short boat ride goes over five different springs, each with its own name, history and trivia. Our tour guide, an older man who’d been a tour guide with Silver Springs for over 20 years, really gave us a lot of interesting geological facts about the springs as well as movie trivia and other interesting information. Over the years, dozens of underwater scenes for movies and television shows have been filmed at the park.
The glass bottom boat tours at Silver Springs take visitors directly over of 5 different freshwater springs
One of the best things about Silver Springs is how accessible the springs are as well as the surrounding rivers and waterways due to the wooden boardwalks, the glass bottom boats, kayak rentals and other trails. One doesn’t need to snorkel to experience this incredible natural wonder. In fact, snorkeling, scuba diving and swimming are prohibited in the park.
The Ross Allen Boardwalk is a short wooden boardwalk trail that showcases the park’s beauty
Florida’s Many Natural Springs
Silver Springs and all of the other freshwater springs in Florida, are a natural wonder — truly something to behold. Florida has one of the largest concentrations of natural springs on the planet. While Florida’s beaches are lovely, especially the protected beaches that haven’t been developed, it’s Florida’s wild interior that I find most stunning — its wild rivers, natural springs, and subtropical forests. I encourage anyone who has yet to visit these unique rivers and springs to make the effort and experience the pristine beauty of Florida’s wild interior.
Visitors in kayaks and on paddle boards explore the park alongside the glass bottom boats
There are many other natural springs in Florida, over 1000 total, including 27 first magnitude springs, a spring that discharges over 64 million gallons per day. Florida’s springs attract visitors from all over the world. Some of the other popular springs in northern central Florida include Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Wakulla Springs, Ginnie Springs, Devils Den, Peacock Springs State Recreation Area, Rainbow Springs, Blue Springs, and Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (famous for its live mermaid show).
Florida’s springs produce crystal clear cold fresh water (unlike the many hot springs out west) which stays at a constant temperature of 72º Fahrenheit year round. This perfectly clear fresh water comes from Florida’s aquifer.
Sadly, Florida’s freshwater springs are in decline and have been for decades. Some of Florida’s springs have completely run dry. Mostly they are under threat from population growth and pollution, including agriculture runoff, fertilizer, and sewage, and the over-pumping of water from the aquifer for both bottled water companies and farming. Nitrates from this pollution contributes to the growth of fur-like algae, a major problem for the health of these springs and rivers and the wildlife that live in them. Our glass bottom boat tour guide didn’t mention any of this, but every month volunteer scuba divers remove tons of algae from the Silver Springs and the bottom of the boats.
Kayakers abound at Silver Springs State Park
Visiting Silver Springs State Park
Silver Springs became a Florida State Park in 2013, and now includes 4000 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the original tourist attraction area. The park is huge and visitors can easily spend two or three days just exploring the trails and the river. Aside from the glass bottom boat tours, there are multiple hiking the trails, kayak and stand up paddle board rentals, a museum and education center, a restaurant, bicycling trails, and even equestrian trails (you must bring your own horse).
The park is easy to get to, being just on the outskirts of town in Ocala. There are plenty of hotels in town, the nicer area being the hotel chains on the south side of town right off of Interstate 75. The area we stayed in was pretty run down and I wouldn’t recommend it (a small cluster of the hotel chains right off of Interstate 75 on the north side of town). There are some really old funky mid-century motels right near the park’s main entrance which looked cute as well, if you’re not very fussy.
Important tips for visiting Silver Springs State Park:
- Entrance to the park is only $13 ($12 for seniors and children) and includes a 30 min. glass bottom boat ride
- There is a 90 minute Glass Bottom Boat tour for $25 ($20 for seniors and children)
- Cabins (with kitchens) are available for rent as well as campground sites for RVs and tents
- There is a restaurant on the premises
- Swimming, snorkeling, and tubing are prohibited
- Fishing is prohibited
- Dogs are allowed, but dogs must be on a leash
- Bikes are allowed on the trails
- Horse owners can bring their horses and enjoy the equestrian trails
For more information visit the Silver Springs website.
Ocala and Nearby Attractions
Ocala, Florida may not be on everyone’s bucket list, being such a small town and not on the coast, but for horse lovers it’s a “must-see” destination. Ocala is big-time horse country, and with over 400 thoroughbred farms, Ocala’s motto is “The horse capital of the World.” Some of the horse farms even give guided tours.
Furthermore, the World Equestrian Center (known as WEC), completed 2019 and the largest equestrian complex in the U.S., has really put Ocala on the map. This massive equestrian complex is more than just a horse show arena, it has a huge upscale hotel, a show jumping stadium, numerous indoor horse arenas, barns, a bevy of high-end boutiques, restaurants, and more. It’s worth seeing, even if you’re not a horse person. It has the look and feel of a huge, brand new Las Vegas casino, but with show horses instead of gambling. There is no charge to get in and visitors can stroll around the grounds and even watch an equestrian competition.
I can’t say that there is a whole lot to do in the town Ocala, but it’s worth visiting if you’re a horse person, or you want to visit Silver Springs, or you love the outdoors, hiking, kayaking or mountain biking, and places like Rainbow Springs State Park or Ocala National Forest.
About 45 minutes north of Ocala is the historic town of Micanopy, which is like going back in time. I loved this little town. It felt like something out of the past with its one-street downtown, old buildings, antique stores, and massive old oak trees. These are the kind of places you’ll only find inland and off the beaten path. Florida is truly a fascinating place with so much more to offer than just beaches and theme parks.
@ Rebecca Pavlik | TravlGusto — All Rights Reserved