I've paddled the Emerald Cut a few times now. Initially I didn't like the idea of paying to launch…read moremy own paddleboard. However, it's only $10 now that I have my own life jacket (saving me additional cost of $5 to use one of theirs, as required). Well worth the low cost for some soul-enriching, communing with nature. I have never made a reservation. I normally arrive around 10:30, most recently on a Friday. Parked for free on Baptist Camp Rd. Just a bit of a walk from there with my inflated paddleboard, but I don't mind the extra exercise. You can unload your stuff closer, if preferable. There are port-a-potties available. You can count on there being a line in the check-in office. Various recreation supplies are available there for purchase. The process moves reasonably enough. A reservation will guarantee your entrance, however, and possibly aide quicker personal info collection. I always plan to do the Emerald Cut in roughly 3 hours round-trip, allowing myself several stops to enjoy the surroundings. You do run into (quite literally at times) novice paddlers along the way, which can be a bit tricky, yet not a real nuisance for me. In general, there's friendliness along the waterway. Slighty rowdy, party vibes in some spots, but also opportunities for solace and zen in various nooks. Encountering wildlife, fragrant elderberry, and other captivating flora along this stretch is always gratifying. It's a popular recreation destination for good reason.

Many tourists don't realize Florida is home to stunning crystal-clear spring rivers--perfect for…read moreswimming, kayaking, and tubing aka "hidden gems". My Hubby and I love kayaking, so we booked an excursion months in advance for Rock Springs through TripAdvisor. Our Tour Operator was Get Up And Go Kayaking located at Kings Landing in Apopka, FL. I LOVE saying Apopka ;) The good news: Apopka is a quick 1 hour drive from Orlando. Make sure you don't miss the turn to King's Landing, because the entrance is located on a narrow dirt road. You must drive past Kelly Park (which fills up fast). There is a Park Ranger located here who will guide you to King's Landing. As you get closer and if you see a parking spot, grab it! Check in is located in the Cabin like office where you will have to sign a waiver. If you do not want to take a clear bottom, guided Kayak tour, you can either rent or BYO Kayak versus taking a semi private, clear, guided kayak tour. NOTE: ONLY use their Sunscreen/lotion which is provided at no cost. It protects the wildlife and the Springs. We wanted the full experience as we have previously enjoyed renting clear Kayaks. Our guide for the morning was: Megan, who was fantastic! Full of energy, information and helpful tidbits about the Springs and its human and wildlife inhabitants. Our group was small and capped at 10. We paddled through both narrow and open stretches, and stopped to swim in the warm, crystal-clear water. One highlight was a banyan tree with an 8-foot natural "jump hole"--such a cool experience! It was a serene, memorable day, and fun fact: this is the very spring featured in the Visit Orlando commercials! Yeah, definitely take a day away from crowded Orlando to relax and enjoy Mother Nature! You will Thank Me ;)

We love a family raft. The stated time for the lines was way longer than the actual time spent in…read morethe line, and we got threw it pretty quickly. Family rafts are great for us because we can all ride together. It was a fairly standard family raft ride, but we will go on one every time at every park. I did enjoy the winter theming, it was adorable and fun.

When it comes to water slides, they pretty much all scare me to death. I am not much of a risk…read moretaker. Even though I'm a strong swimmer and have been swimming my entire life, there's just something about these slides that scare me. Put me on roller coasters all day long... but water slides? No way! LOL I was told Teamboat Springs is a pretty tame one and I liked the fact that up to 6 people could get in one of the rafts, so I could experience this water slide with my entire family. I was definitely safer with them surrounding me! =) Well, they were right, this is a pretty tame slide and I had such a blast the first time I went down it that I immediately wanted to do it again and again and again and again. I drove my family nuts; they thought they'd never get me away from this water slide! LOL There are drops and curves and you get turned about this way and that. You never really know who's going to get splashed or who's going to be facing forward or backwards. The entire journey is just a really fun experience and every time we went down, my entire family was smiling and laughing the whole way! There are no height requirements to meet for this one, so your little ones can climb into the raft with you. Just make sure to hold onto them tight because it does twist and turn. I honestly don't think it'll scare any of the kids even if they generally scare easily. It's so much fun I'm sure they'll be begging to do it again! Make sure to take the Chairlift http://www.yelp.com/biz/chairlift-orlando?hrid=enq7nyWpMBlLK4seEdLXzg up to this one so you don't have to make the high trek up the mountain on foot. This one is definitely fun for the entire family and should not be missed!

The girl at the front desk was an air head when I first arrived I went inside because it was…read morefreezing and she made me walk around to the outside front of the building so that I could grab a clip board and walk inside which she could have easily handed me. That was weird Then she didn't tell us we had to pay for parking at the dock neither did the guy that was at the dock when we got there! I overheard him telling someone after we were done for the day he said that they can park at the rental place and walk so they don't have to pay but we were already unloading and done with our rental. We got back to the car and had a $50 ticket. I would be fine with paying but I didn't see any of the signs or where to meter even was. I also told her I wasn't swimming and she said to get in the water you have to have an wetsuit which costs extra and I kept saying I'm not getting in the water but I she just ignored me and then I saw SO MANY PEOPLE not in wetsuits so that was irritating. And the wetsuits were in terrible shape they had holes and stains all over it she handed it to me and I was like thins is what I paid $100 for ? And she was like yeah they are all old. This is a CRAP Buisness!!! Especially what you get for the price!! The manatees are cool and I recommend doing it but NOT using this company.

Pros: easy online registration and scheduling; Front desk…read moregirl for check in was great super sweet. Very nice and informative. We were a bit late and she extended our reservation. I was quite thankful. The kayaks were fun and we were left to our devices to explore. Isaiah was cool and very laid back. We were also a half hour late coming back and they were totally cool with it. Thank you! I can't believe I saw the baby manatees. I literally cried. Cons: I was surprised they just let us out with no real guide! It was cool but I'm surprised they trusted us. We kinda got lost the first 90mins and didn't know where we going but eventually we got to the area where the manatees were gathering. A bit crowded and I felt bad everyone so close to the protected species. Overall a super a cool experience. We went during manatee festival in January so it was a bit crowded but not overwhelming. It was a beautiful day with beautiful site seeing. Def recommend!

My wife, Emily and I are local and wanted to try kayaking at our local park at Shingle Creek. Emily…read morehasn't ever kayaked on her own before in a single person kayak. Josh showed her how to do it, quickly and efficiently. Josh and Tia's knowledge of the creek, the wildlife, the vegetation, kayaking, etc. was truly awesome. They made our Labor Day special. We won't seen forget the experience and we'll certainly be back. Check out the Paddling Center at Shingle Creek!

We had a great time with the Paddling Center. Staff was helpful and courteous. We were especially…read morehappy with our tour guide who was very knowledgeable. He pointed out many items of interest. The experience could be done by beginners and experienced paddlers alike.

Had a really great family adventure with an amazing guide, Stevie! He was so knowledgeable and…read morehelpful. The tour was so relaxing and we saw so many animals. Highly recommend!!

My friends and I visited on Feb 22nd and Ben was our amazing guide. He had a lot of interesting…read morefacts and information about the springs and all the animals we came across -- he also had great sense of humor! It was so cool gliding ontop of the crystal clear waters and watching the fishes and HUGE turtles swim beneath us. We were lucky enough to see a manatee and a bunch of Macaques (babies and adults!) that day too. So happy we all agreed on the 1:45 hr trip out to Silver Springs from Orlando, definitely worth the hype!

If you're planning a trip and don't know what to do, jump in a kayak with Adventures in Florida…read more Our guides were super knowledgeable about all the wildlife. We were able to see crocodiles, numerous types of birds, fish. Unfortunately because of the rain we were not able to go further. But our guides were going to extend our trip to potentially see some Manatee. We stopped about halfway through our adventures where our guides had a snacks (crackers, carrots, various grapes, hummus cups, various cheese platter and assorted meats)

Tour Guide was Jeff. We had a great time. It was my first time and Jeff made it easy. Good…read moreinstruction and was fun to follow. He had great knowledge of the area and the animals. Would definitely do it again!

We had a wonderful day exploring wildlife and learning about the environment and natural habitat of…read morethe Lake. Our Captain Randy explained and pointed out spots that alligators, birds,fish, and turtles survive and thrive in. A BIG shout out to all the staff that were so kind and friendly and made our experience great. !!!!! Thank you guys for taking care of us, and especially for taking care of Floridas Wildlife and preserving the Lake. I highly recommend booking a tour, and I recommend Randy as your boat Captain.

Captain Chad did not disappoint. We saw more than 20 gator and turtles, fish and birds. The ride…read morewas amazing and the location beautiful. Captain Chad was very knowledgable ! Highly recommend!!

Overall: We went for the bioluminescent kayaking The guides were great and very informative - it…read morewas an amazing and unique experience. While the luminescencee wasn't the brightest since we were at the tail end of the season, it was still super cool to see! The Service: The guides were really friendly and provided a lot great facts while we were kayaking. We even spotted a gator. The groups are small so it's very personalized. They had great stories abou the area. The Experience: This is perfect even if you've never kayaked before. The staff gives tips on how to paddle and the water is calm so you don't have to paddle too hard. While the luminescence was hard to pick up on camera, it was super cool to see the blue on the clear bottom kayaks and the oars as you paddled. Make sure you bring your deet free bug spray! The mosquitoes bite a lot! Price: For a unique experience, the price was extremely reasonable! I would definitely go again on a different tour since I noticed they do a lot of different tours across Florida. Parking: Parking is on the side of the road. Get Up and Kayaking provide coordinates on where they meet and where to park.

Awesome time kayaking with Anthony and Celeste!!! They're very knowledgeable with everything in…read morethe area.