Florida's natural springs--which are your favorites?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

For anyone who's been to any of Florida's natural springs, which are your favorite?

Here are my top 3:

3. Wakulla Springs



2. DeLeon Springs



1. Ichetucknee Springs

[peekaloo]

1. Lithia!

haven't been there in a while though.

I'm having a CRS moment about another place in Central Florida that we used to visit years ago.

:hi:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. Where is Lithia Springs?

I've never been there before.

[peekaloo]

9. Hillsborough County.

and JCMach1 helped me remember Silver Springs.

:-)

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. Great!

I'll have to check it out sometime.

[JCMach1]

2. Silver Springs (big is beautiful), Salt Springs

there is no swimming required there. The spring heads are right near the surface. I also love Alexander Springs.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. Last time I was at Salt Springs...

...it was the day after Hurricane Charley and the place was virtually deserted. So it was pretty neat when I saw otters swimming and playing all around the spring area.

I've always wanted to swim at Silver Springs, but of course they don't allow it.

Alexander Springs is great! I love how you can wade out about 100 feet, and then you hit the bright blue boil area.

[JCMach1]

13. Salt Springs can get pretty busy :(

One thing I dislike about it.

I love seeing the Otters, Alligators, and feeding the fish. Also love the huge mullet that come into the spring. I could skip the crabs though.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

5. Gotta go w/ Wakulla.............

Saw my first real-life alligator there!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. I could dive off that diving platform there all day!

Something about it brings back the 11 year old in me.

[mcar]

7. Rainbow Springs, Manatee Springs

Your choices are great too! One of the good things about living in Florida is the springs.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. I'm thinking of stopping off at Rainbow Springs this weekend....

On my drive back down from Gainesville to visit my parents at their new place.

I wish South Florida had springs like the northern part of the state. (Coral Springs doesn't count...)

[RockaFowler]

21. Manatee Springs is beautiful

We have been to Fanning Springs in Chiefland (Mother-in-Law lives there). I love the Suwannee River there and the water is so clear. Now I gotta take another trip to the In Laws this summer just to go swimming again (coldest water anywhere).

[Shakespeare]

11. Juniper springs (near Ocala)

REALLY beautiful. And a little freaky, because they contain eels.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

16. Juniper's another great one

They have some nice hiking trails around the park.

[lumberingbear]

12. Wekiva Springs

in Central Florida.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

17. Wekiva is another one I might go to this weekend

Wekiva and Rainbow are the closest springs off of the road from South Florida to Gainesville. I might just go to them both.

[JCMach1]

14. Mannatee Springs and the Crystal River are also gorgeous...

[JCMach1]

15. Gornto Springs near Old Town

Named after an ancestor in my Mom's family



Not such a cool spring, but neat to have a piece of Florida named after part of your family.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

18. Neat!

Whereabouts is Old Town?

[JCMach1]

19. West of Gainesville

[Tommy_Carcetti]

20. Oh really?

How far west?

And is the spring open to the public?

[JCMach1]

22. It is a County park in Dixie County

Old Town is a town in Dixie County, Florida, United States. It is located at the intersection of US 19/US 98 and State Road 349... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town,_Florida

[FloridaJudy]

23. Poe springs

Very close to Gainesville

All photos used must credit Gainesville/Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau (okay. I credited them)


Also Otter Springs is in the neighborhood

[Tommy_Carcetti]

24. I love Poe Springs!

Right on the Sante Fe River.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

25. Homosassa

It'd be fun to swim with the manatees...

[Tommy_Carcetti]

26. I've done that....

....although I learned afterwards I wasn't supposed to.

At Blue Springs (where a large colony of manatees congregates in the winter), I was swimming and there happened to be two manatees right by me. So I slowly approach them and pet them....they didn't seem to mind at all. Their backs were literally mossy, which was interesting.

After I got out of the water, the park ranger nearby politely chided me and said as an endangered species I wasn't supposed to approach them. Still, I don't think any harm was done and the manatees didn't seem to mind in the least, so no harm, no foul.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. Well, I guess I can understand that...

They're such gentle, inoffensive creatures that some human is bound to take pleasure in destroying them. :(