Wander Here: Wild Adventures in Florida - The Springs Edition

Jan 16

Wander Here: Rainbow Springs State Park // Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Florida

You may have heard me say this before, but when we first decided to head to Florida for our first stop on our 50 state/50 national park adventure, I only could think about one thing…

the beaches😍

In fairness, the Florida beaches are pretty damn dreamy. And also, I have a constant ache deep in my soul for the ocean, so if it’s at any proximity, you will find me booking it over there.

But because of this story, we unexpectedly ended up in north central Florida for a couple of weeks. Our first week, I deep dove into some research of all the best adventures in that area, since we were pretty far from the closest sandy beach. I only pouted a little bit haha.

Thankfully, it only took about .5 seconds to realize that Florida has some of the most insane natural springs in the US, and they just so happen to stay at 72 degrees year round. This meant two things to my brain: ☝️snorkeling in winter and ✌️manatees. Okaaaaay now.

Best Things to Do With Kids in Florida

One of the things I’ve learned since turning our life upside down to travel the US in our airstream is to never assume anything and always be open to new experiences that you think you don’t need. Our preconceived notions about life (what John Acuff calls soundtracks) can rob us of some of the best experiences in life. What stories are we believing that might actually not be grounded in truth? Or if they are somewhat truthful, aren’t helpful or kind?

After spending over 2 months around Florida the last couple of years, we have fallen in love with these beautiful springs. I can’t ever shake the feeling that I’m in some resort in south Thailand or Costa Rica. Manatees, birds, otters, turtles, fish, alligators…the wildlife has blown our minds. Every paddle or swimming trip we have taken has been so mesmerizing - 1000x better than any theme park or movie or video game.

Just take your kids on a paddleboard or kayak, set them loose with a paddle (and a lifejacket of course:) and watch them fall in love with nature. Let them dive in and snorkel the crystal clear water…the fear of alligators adding just a little more thrill and excitement.

There are about a trillion springs around Florida, and I couldn’t even begin to pretend to be an expert on them…but there are lots of sites like this one with all the info you could want. That being said, there are a couple of springs we’ve explored that are both alike and uniquely different…and we love to shout about them from the rooftops because they’re just that EPIC.

Swimming, Snorkeling and Birding at Rainbow Springs

The headspring is found within this park and provides the most idyllic place to snorkel and swim. While you won’t find manatees near this spring, we’ve seen fish and turtles and a plethora of tropical looking birds. Both times we’ve gone has been in January, the dead of winter, and while it was slightly chilly out of the water, the spring swimming area is almost like being in a really giant lukewarm bathtub except with cerulean blue waters, wildlife and 10-18 ft deep water to traverse.

Rent a canoe/kayak or bring your own paddleboards + kayak like us and start out by paddling over to the swimming area to jump in and swim before heading down river. There are enough springs along the Rainbow River that it really never loses its beautiful clarity. Paddling along, watching for alligators, otters and other wildlife is the ultimate adventure that barely costs anything, even for a family of 6 like us.

We started our paddle at the headspring in the state park and paddled 5 miles downriver to Blue Run of Dunnellon (paddle trail called Rainbow River Paddle: CR 484 to Rainbow Spring on All Trails). One of the pros of this paddle trail that is also a con in some ways is that the last part of the paddle, as you get closer to the town of Dunnellon, is in a more urban area. The downside is it feels less remote, quiet and naturey than some other paddle trails, but the upside is you can grab an uber after you take out to get you back to the state park (and your car:). So handy!

Nature is WILD at Ichetucknee Springs

This paddle at Ichetucknee Springs is similar to Rainbow Springs in that the water is beautifully clear for most of the paddle and it also features a TON of wildlife. But there are a lot of differences that move this one to the top spot on our list. It’s a lot more remote, which means it’s quieter, more secluded and more vibey. You’ll see no houses, no cars, no bridges….just spanish moss, massive oak trees, palms, sapphire blue water and of course - wildlife.

One of my top favorite outdoor adventure moments this past year was encountering manatees on the Ichetuknee River. I was speechless and overcome with emotion as she floated under my board, lifting her head and nose out of the water as if to say hi just as she passed through. Gorgeous and mind blowing. We also saw lots of fish, turtles, birds, and yes…two alligators chilling on logs by the bank🐊😍

For this paddle, we put in at the North entrance to Ichetuknee Springs State park and paddled 6 miles downriver to the South entrance takeout spot. Because it’s a lot more remote, we did have to take a risk, not having another car to park at the end. But even with it being winter and hardly any other people, we met a lovely lady on the river who was happy to give one of us a lift back to the north entrance where our car was parked.

We also came without our boards and kayak a different day and hiked a short trail before swimming the Blue Hole Spring, a crazy underwater world of adventure and beauty. Blue Hole Spring is the only first magnitude spring in the park and puts out over 60 million gallons of water each day…which is obvious when you swim near it as the force of the water makes it difficult to swim down very far. The spring is also the access point to a 600 foot cave system, which you can explore if you’re dive certified. It’s pretty creepy but equally cool to swim here and see the giant blue hole with the sun beaming downward through the clear water, illuminating the entrance to the cave. Nature is WILD, ya’ll.

We visited both of these springs in the winter months, which I highly recommend. While it can be a little chilly out of the water, in the water is dreamy and there are hardly any people, which means you basically have the spot almost to yourself! The experience might be different with a summer trip.

So are you putting Florida Springs on your bucket list now??