Wekiva Springs is absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite spots in Central Florida. The water…read morestays a refreshing 72 degrees year-round, which makes it perfect no matter the season. The springs themselves are stunning--clear, clean, and so relaxing to swim in. If you're not in the water, there are also walking trails where you can enjoy nature and get some fresh air. They offer kayaking as well, which is such a fun way to explore the area and take in the scenery. There's also a snack bar on-site, which is super convenient if you want to grab something quick without leaving. Whether you're going for a relaxing day or something a little more active, Wekiva Springs has a little bit of everything. Highly recommend checking it out!

It was a fine outing on a winter afternoon. Place is full with littles. I decided not to go in the…read morewater and chilled in watering hole cafe sitting area. I ordered a boca burger and fries which was edible but next time I will bring my own food. Squirrels were extremely rowdy and did not let me eat in peace as they wanted a share of fries which I refused to give. I will never come here in summers as I can imagine how packed this place would be. My kids rented a canoe for 50$ for two hours to go to wekiwa island and they ate there . If you are not a swim or water person there is not much to do other than that.. water is a natural spring and pretty but also smells in areas .. Good place for little kids but not for me

Such a beautiful place to spend a day with endless activities! You can walk the boardwalk, swim,…read moresnorkel, scuba, tube, kayak, or paddleboard down the spring. Fishing is permitted from the fishing dock on the St. Johns River. There is also camping, cabins for rent, hiking, and manatee viewing. You can even rent an all-terrain tracked wheelchair for accesible hiking! You can find a gift shop and a concession stand inside the park. Follow the Blue Spring State Park Facebook page to stay up to date on fun activities and events like Manatee Bingo, Meditate & Move with the Manatees, guided moonlight hikes, and the Junior Ranger Program. My favorite event of the year is Firefly Nights from around mid March to mid April. You get to walk the boardwalk after the park closes to see thousands of Florida fireflies! It is absolutely magical, and a little surreal. Weekdays are less crowded, but honestly if you can only go on a weekend it's worth braving the crowd. It's a separately-ticketed event, and it does sell out some nights so make sure to get your tickets in advance!

The Baseline: For a park/monument the site must be informative, have great attraction, and have a…read morepark rangers that are knowledgeable of one of the park we are visiting. Park: This was one of the cleanest and best organized state parks I have ever visited. The parking was easy and the access to the main attraction was easy to get to. The walkway trail along the spring was well taken care of and safe. There is no graffiti or vandalized buildings in the park. Thank you State of Florida and California you should take notes. Attraction: The Springs are the main attraction with options to swim, tube, snorkel, and scuba dive in the spring in the summer. When we visited that was all restricted because the manatees were here to nest in the winter. This was awesome and it was great to see these amazing creatures in their winter respite. This is a must if you are visiting the Orlando area in the winter. Cost: Six dollars to come into the park with up to 8 people in the vehicle. Great price for an unforgettable experience.

From the seamless check-in process to obtaining a high floor room with an amazing view, this…read morestaycation was definitely worth it. From the amazing staff in the roaring Fork quick service.; her name is Carolina, she displayed exceptional guest service to the highest level. She assisted my mom and I make coffee choices as well as she told me I had a cute hat. I mentioned she could find the hat in animal kingdom. We also dined at Roaring Fork last night and I had a great Mediterranean salad with chicken. After eating at roaring Fork, we went out to gyser point for some late refreshments and snacks, which I will be doing a separate review for those. The cast members to mention are Josh the chef, Anna the server from geyser point, and Josh the bartender from Geyser Point. The hotel grounds around the property are serene and have a calming quality. 10/10 Definitely recommend this stay cation

Safety NOT First at Disney?…read more It's midnight on day 1 of our 13 person biennial vacation with extended family and the fire alarm for our hotel just went off. My family, as well as the large group of guests that we evacuated with, ended up with traumatic experiences for our kids, a crowded/dangerous escape route, and an impression that safety came second here at Disney World. Upon hearing the fire alarm, my wife and I grabbed our still sleeping kids and headed to the closest stairway for our 4th floor room. The stairway was backed up with the large number of other people attempting to use it and it was here, where in addition to the loud repetitive klaxon alarm, we first heard an automated message repeatedly announcing "An emergency has been identified in the building." This seemed to give what was happening a bit more urgency and pushing among the group. When we eventually managed to evacuate from the hotel, we were met with a large group of guests standing immediately outside the building in the 41 degree temperatures with their own crying kids and no hotel employees. The group started moving away from the building, and a few minutes later, started getting sprayed by landscaping sprinklers that were set on timers. ~10 minutes after the fire alarm started, the only employees we did see outside were a person hosing down the pool area and an employee leaving the closed for the night Geyser Point Bar and Grill carrying what looked like a bag of food for themselves. The "friends," standing outside of the loud flashing building in the cold with their crying kids, were now none of their concern and not as important as their food or pool washing duty. About 15 minutes after the alarm started, people started hunkering down at the Raging Forks Bar and Grill when the first employee showed up and very quietly informed us that the fire department was enroute and to hang out. A separate employee came to turn on the heat lamps but before those worked, we were allowed back into the hotel. My disappointment isn't that there was a midnight fire alarm, it's that as people's kids were having a scary experience at "the happiest place on earth," Disney rather than showcasing their contingency training and focus on their "friends," was quiet as a mouse.

After a week at theme parks suck as Hollywood Studios and Epic Universe - we tackled Spring break…read moreby adding nature and make it peaceful. Crystal-clear water, shady trails, and total calm at Juniper Springs in Ocala National Forest. Skipping the crowds never felt so good.

What a gem of a campground. Immerse yourself in nature here with the family. Has something for…read moreeveryone. Well maintained trails, a beautiful turquoise water spring swimming hole with and old working water mill built in the 1930's. Bathrooms and showers available. Park was dog friendly as well. Kayak rentals available for a 7 mile paddle. All of the sites seemed nice and large. Easy to get in with a camper/rv. Quite at night for small camp fires in built in pits - picnic tables included. Honestly, this could be the nicest camp site I've ever been to.

Garrett was a blast! We are just coming into the warm season and most manatees are back in the…read moregulf, he still got us to 7 manatees, 2 gators, and we caught a dolphin in kings bay towards the end. He gave us plenty of time to look for things to come up out of the water which was great for my 2 year old. Boat was shaded and was enjoyable even with a small child. Other tours wouldn't let me book because she was under 3- we brought our own lifevest but they did also have some on board that were her size.

Thank you Piper and Wade (best guide and captain combo ever!) for an experience my wife and I will…read morenever forget! Amazing! We learned so much and got to go face to face with a big old male. Piper's encouragement and direction kept us calm when things got exciting! Would recommend to everyone who loves nature. Also the office staff were gracious and made great recommendation for lunch at a local deli. 100% glad we chose these guys.

Overlook Park is located on Lake Jessup near the southern end of the beltway bridge. Lake Jessup is…read morenotable for being the home of over 13,000 alligators giving it the highest concentration of alligators in Florida. The park is surrounded by two sulfur springs of historical significance, one to the east and one to the west that give you the feeling as if you are on a small island. The three acre park has a pavilion with several picnic tables and a grill. Throughout the park are large oak trees covered in moss that provides a shaded canopy from the sun. Around the water's edge are Cyprus trees with their interconnecting roots, also known as Cyprus knees, that stick up out of the ground. As you look out towards the water, you can see a newly reconstructed boardwalk popular with local fisherman. I especially enjoyed the wildlife at the park which is home to osprey, various Florida wading birds, and the alligators of Lake Jessup. This is an especially picturesque and peaceful park with a rich depth of area history.

If you like the sound of the highway as you gaze across the St. John's you…read moreMight like it. There is no trail. A nice long boardwalk over the river. Right now there is an algae alert so wouldn't recommend fishing

Thank you to Heidi and Andy for the awesome time! So special getting to swim with manatees, and…read morethanks for answering all my many excited questions!

This was our second time using Birds to swim with Manatees and we will choose them every time now…read more Had an amazing experience with Captain Misty and Guide Gina. Highly recommend the 6am tour as you get viewing time before it gets really busy. I really appreciate Birds Underwater as they do a great job educating you about the manatees and how to passively observe. Made the manatees more comfortable and as a result we got to have some amazing interactions with them.

I drove through here on the way home from the Panhandle. It reminded me of what I thought Florida…read morewas like when I was a child growing up in Massachusetts. Forrests and springs, fishing, canoeing, swimming, and yes, gators. There are over 400,000 acres in the Ocala National Forest. It needs more than one visit to fully explore this wonder. There are many opportunities for camping and backpacking. I want to come back soon to go on a nature hike. Like Dave O. says, this is the wilderness so don't be naive. You must go in prepared with water, protein snacks, and emergency supplies. This is not Disney, this is the real Florida adventure.

Another spot of beautiful nature in Wild Florida…read more I love going on nature hikes, and this trail has plenty of wildlife and plants to see. Even with the paths seeming wild and free, they're easy to follow and I wasn't afraid of getting lost.

Service: 9/10 Ambience: 8/10…read moreShoe rentals: 9/10 Overall rating: 8.5/10 Nice bowling alley with newer shoe rentals and clean sitting areas. Chill place to take the family for an outing.

There are a lot of "entertainment centers" in the area that offer bowling but aren't *made* for…read morebowling (i.e. the lanes aren't great, it's more expensive, etc.). This alley is a great option if you just want to bowl. They also have leagues and daily specials. Now, there is a bar -- but the drinks are super expensive. I'd stick to classic bowling alley fare, imo.

One of my favorite pavilions because of their food and drinks is the Germany pavilion, at World…read moreShowcase in EPCOT. This pavilion is almost half way around World Showcase, so if you are grabbing drinks at each country, by the time you get to Germany, you are ready for a nice large hot German pretzel! It hits every single time. Germany pavilion has no rides or shows. It's one of five that does not have a show or ride. Personally, I think every pavilion should have a show or a ride, but that's just me. But what Germany does offer is a quick service restaurant, a table service buffet, some beer stands (carts), the Weinkellar, a candy/chocolate store, and then some gift shops. I believe there are 4 different gift shops in the pavilion. The cast members who work here are also from Germany, so it's great to get to chat with them and learn about their home. They are always very friendly and willing to chat or teach you a German word or two. I really enjoy this pavilion, my wife and I always stop at the Weinkellar to grab a wine or beer and of course a Mozart moment (shot of the chocolate Mozart liqueur). We also enjoy grabbing a giant pretzel to snack on. There are not many seats in the pavilion so be prepared for that. The quick service is great if you want a bratwurst and the table service buffet is fantastic. They have live music and tons of German food to enjoy. Overall this is a great spot, great German beers and wine. Great food. Definitely make this a stop when you are at EPCOT ACES!

The Germany pavilion is designed to look like a small German village. I felt the detail was done…read morevery well! There's a huge selection of food options here as well as different beers. Theres also a selection of different shops and beer steins to purchase.