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    Ichetucknee Springs

    4.9 (12 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Ichetucknee Springs Photos

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    Hayli Z.

    Always a beautiful day at the Springs. The temperature of the water is the same year round so I go in the winter before it gets too busy in the summer. If you aren't from here, know ahead of time that there are gators. Leave them be and they won't bother you. During the winter there's also manatees. Tubing, kayaking and canoeing available or you can bring your own. There's also a restaurant in the visitor's center.

    Katie O.

    So beautiful here! If you plan to paddle or kayak I recommend starting at the south entrance and going upstream to start. This makes the ride back easy and enjoyable! I saw lots of fish, turtles and birds. And luckily no gators. The water is probably too cold and there are lots of people. Was a great day! There is a place to get food and gear at the south entrance if you want a souvenir or snack. Excited to come back!

    Marcia F.

    This was our 3rd visit to Itchatucknee Springs. On our first two visits, we let in with our kayaks at the North entrance and floated downstream for the most amazing wildlife tour. This time, the north entrance launch was closed so we put in at Dampier landing and rowed upstream. This was a much more physically challenging experience. The hard work paid off when we encountered two manatee. The photos show how amazing this experience was.

    Gar
    Kerry S.

    What a beautiful park! Springs were gorgeous but cool. 72 degrees cool. The Blue Hole and Head Springs did not disappoint! We launched our paddle boards in at the North River, floated and paddled down stream, stunning! Saw otters, Gars, turtles and various fish. We didn't have a way back to float the whole river, so after a mile we paddled up stream. Wasn't bad on our boards, but could be harder in a kayak or inflatable paddle boards. We then went and enjoyed the Blue Hole and Head Spring. Take a lunch and enjoy the beautiful park. Or they do have a food trailer that serves burger and fries, and maybe a few other items, we didn't know that, so we packed a lunch.

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    1 year ago

    this place is great. there toilet paper is immaculate and surprisingly thick and it is a perfect calming experience for everyone.

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    7 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Ichetucknee Springs

    Review Highlights - Ichetucknee Springs

    We think the shorter excursion would be excellent due to the quick downstream current and ease of the first segment of the River.

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    Ginnie Spring

    Ginnie Spring

    3.2(281 reviews)
    9.2 mi

    Been going here since I was in college and came back for the first time in years. The staff is…read morefriendly and accommodating. The springs are absolutely gorgeous! There are about 8 boils/spring openings. Easily walkable to float and walk back to your start. You can also do a short float with small children that lasts about 10 minutes and is a 5 minute walk back to your start (Devils Spring to Ginnie Spring). Great memories and a great place to cool off in the summer. You can rent tubes, snorkel equipment, and life vests.

    We came out Ginnie Springs with a large group over the course of 4 days. Some stayed the whole time…read moreand others came for a night or two. We were celebrating several birthdays while we were out here, which made the overall camping trip a blast. When compared to another campsite's this one is a bit more expensive that what is typical. It's $25 just to enter the park for the day and $40 to stay the night in a basic tent. Fortunately, our friends who planned the whole trip brought their modified truck turned camper; three enclosed 20' x 10' and two 10' x 10' enclosed tents; and three portable AC units with a multitude of other electronics including a huge blowup screen and projector so we could rock out through the evening. I have no idea what they paid for the water and power site for four days but I'm sure it wasn't cheap, plus they rented three camp sites and a golf cart so we could all get around with our tubes. Some of the downsides were: this is a privately owned park so there are more stringent rules/regulations. They shut us down at 12am and basically told us we couldn't have any lights on or music playing and we would need to keep our voices down. Not like we were getting out-of-hand, but it put a damper on our party. The restrooms are not super clean and are not maintained really well. They had toilet paper, soap, and running water, but the toilets were not cleaned for days, and the shower drains were backing up. There were also dirty clothes and towels left in the men's shower for days. Be sure to bring plenty of toiletries, sanitary wipes, disposable gloves, and wear sandals in the showers. The tubing experience was fun. We brought our own tubes and it takes about an hour to ride start to finish. The water had a lot of algae bloom's floating around which is weird. We were covered in it on the first day and because of it, I declined going a second time. Regardless, the water was nice and cold and very refreshing on a hot July day. It rained several times during our visit. If you do decide to stay, here be prepared to clean dirt out of every crevice for the next week. It took me about 4 hours to clean my vehicle, shoes, and other odds and ends when we got home. Staff were overall friendly. Even though we were told to tone things down a bit they did it in a kind way. I don't know if I would come out here again to camp because it's 3-hours away from home and it's a lot of stuff to take when staying for just a night or two. I would still recommend them if you're looking for a fun spot to camp where tubing is offered.

    Photos
    Ginnie Spring
    Ginnie Spring
    Ginnie Spring

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    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds

    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds

    3.9(29 reviews)
    2.6 mi

    There is nothing else like this campground! It is a fun and interesting destination trip. Animals…read moreabound; chickens, goats, sheep, Keets, pig, dogs, ducks and cats have the run of the place. Hear a rustle in the woods, it's probably Ginger the Kunekune making her rounds. There are two donkeys and a cow as well. The staff is flat out amazing, from Brian who often checks on me, to the family that runs the place. Spacious sites in a bucolic setting and the bonus is an Esther Williams delightful spring two miles away at the State Park.

    I am giving these folks 5 stars - but one of my buddies camping with me would score them much…read morelower. So, I guess it depends what you are looking for in a campground. Check in was easy, our campsite was clear, no bugs or refuse, and it was as easy walk back to he office with the showers and other general store type items. There was wooded space between the campsites - providing a sense of privacy. My only complaint would be those of nature... early in the morning some crows were very interested in what feels like our specific campsite and flying around the trees above it and cawing back and forth with each other. On the other hand, my buddy -who was an Eagle Scout in his youth- was not impressed. We had a primitive style campsite. No electric or water hook up where we were. There was a port-o-potty nearby- but if it didn't meet your standard you had to walk about two blocks to the general store. The showers felt more like hostel showers then camp showers. My take away was that his past camping experiences have been a lot more pampered than I am use to when I camp. I could easily camp here again in the future.

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    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds
    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds
    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds

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    Adventure Outpost

    Adventure Outpost

    5.0(3 reviews)
    12.5 mi

    Had a great time kayaking with Lars, yes like Mars but with an L…read more I was apprehensive at first as to how it was going to go since I have a very limited experience with kayaking. A few times in the past two decades with a few friends who knew what they were doing. It was going to be 4 hours or so on the river. The weather was beautiful and it was so wonderful to soak in all the greens surrounding us. Quite a few herons, osprey, and some kind of warbler. Very nice distance to drive from Gainesville and everyone in there kayak trip today was from Gainesville and they were all very nice. The drive to kayak destination and back in itself was a nice trip with change of scenery and getting out of town on a weekend to avoid the hussles and bussles of every weekend stuff with groceries and errands. Some people saw some alligators and were trying to point them out hiding but we didn't see any on the same trip! We are told that they don't bother people much in general:) When I expreeesed the concern about not being able to keep up with all other kayakers, my husband said that he would leave me behind and if an alligator has not gotten to me on the way back, he will bring me back home if I fall behind. Yes, he is the perfect picture of support!!!! Lars is very laid back and knowledgeable and easy to talk to and we learned a lot during this trip and would love to come back for more. It was such a fun great nature trip!!!!!

    The place is long gone and shut down, he was a nice person , then the guy got caught up with the…read morepeople causing overtourism on our river which has contributed to the decline of the river and the area, so good luck with the one guy.

    Photos
    Adventure Outpost - Tri-colored heron with a couple of wild "haired" babies.

    Tri-colored heron with a couple of wild "haired" babies.

    Adventure Outpost
    Adventure Outpost

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    Rainbow Springs State Park - Rainbow Cafe!

    Rainbow Springs State Park

    4.2(207 reviews)
    62.0 mi

    From Tampa, it took an hour and 30 minutes to get to the river. We first wanted to take a swim in…read morethe swimming area so we went there first before it got really crazy. The area is a bit small and there isn't really a lot of sun spots for you to chill at. It is cool to experience once but I think if you tube, you still will be able to get a swim in because parts of the river are pretty deep. After the swim area, we headed to the tubing section. It is a 15 minute drive from the main park entrance. The fee was 54 for two people that had an annual pass. Highly recommend bringing a small cooler with snacks and drinks and an extra tube for it. It took us about 2 hours to float back to our car and the river is very calm and relaxing. I've floated a river in San Antonio but wasn't as nice as Rainbow springs. Very clean and the water is sooo clear. Overall, really enjoyed our day visit to this state park!

    Do not go tubing. The experience was dangerous and life threatening. You go in sign a wavier that…read morebasically "signs your life away" and that the park is not responsible for your safety if anything happens like all waivers do these days. I went with my group and it was a horrifying experience. The tubes are only adult sized and if you bring little kids your kids will not fit. I got stuck multiple times along the shallow vegetation, luckily had a swimmer help me on my side. The workers said it would only be 2 hrs. I ended up getting heat exhaustion due to being out stuck tubing in the river out in the sun for 4-5 hours. Fell asleep basically out in the sun and I got sunburned to a crisp, I did apply sunscreen and still burned. The heat and exhaustion to being exposed for far too long got me to pass out. All of the people in my group had burns as well, even if you applied a tremendous amount of sunscreen. Someone could get seriously hurt or even killed by participating in this activity. I ran into some wildlife along the way such as alligators. Yes it is normal in Florida but the lack of safety is my main concern. No lifeguards or people stationed anywhere along the river to actually Help you if you are going to be drowning. Heck, the whistle attached to my own life jacket that was offered at the beginning was actually broken when I actively tried to use it. These people probably don't get paid enough to be concerned about our actual safety. If you do end up wanting to go down the river try going kayaking along the trail instead. It is much faster and you won't get stuck since you can the paddle to go forward. Even then its better to be safe than sorry, do not go on this experience.

    Photos
    Rainbow Springs State Park - Absolute Beauty~

    Absolute Beauty~

    Rainbow Springs State Park - The beautiful spring.

    The beautiful spring.

    Rainbow Springs State Park - Gift Shop Items!

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    Gift Shop Items!

    Ichetucknee Springs - rafting - Updated August 2026

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