Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Ichetucknee Springs

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

    Ichetucknee Springs Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Ichetucknee Springs

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    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.

    See all

    29 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mimi V.
    5
    66
    22

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

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

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dan N.
    14
    17
    0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jordan K.
    239
    11
    3

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    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.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Rafting/Kayaking 155 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Ginnie Spring

    Ginnie Spring

    3.2(277 reviews)
    9.2 mi

    Since my last review was over a decade ago, probably time for an update. I don't come to Ginnie as…read moreoften as other area springs but it's worth a visit now and then--on weekday mornings ideally if you want to freedive, swim, and miss the crowds of the weekend. It's a good camping destination, too. For me, the main draw however is freediving and there's plenty here to see. You cannot and should not by any means enter caves as a freediver--it's forbidden and even for highly-experienced freedivers, dangerous. If we freedivers don't want to wear out our proverbial welcome, yes, we need to behave. Cave-certified SCUBA divers are the only ones to enter caves. I want to address some things which came up between my own observations and what I've read in other reviews here. For one, the food. This isn't a good place to get good food. If you want something nice, get it "in town" in High Springs or bring something to cook if camping. For that matter, bring your snacks and gear because expectedly things are a bit overpriced at the merch store here. If you don't what the place to be loud, busy, and long lines then don't come on weekends and holidays. It's that simple. This is a business and they'll let in as many people as they safely can let in. As far as loud music and uneven enforcement of rules, I think this just comes down to different employees acting their own way. Most summer help is students, they're not going to have the discernment and acumen of a veteran police officer in dealing with people. Most are nice, some are lax, some overzealous. About the bath houses and other facilities. I think things are in pretty good shape--on par with bath houses at campgrounds in the Ocala National Forest, in example. Nothing was horribly dirty any time I was there but folks--this is camping. Remember that. I don't see the need for tram or shuttle, either. Maybe for disabled or infirm folks but most of us can simply walk between springs and should. Overall I feel Ginnie is well-run for what it is, with your normal business caveats like they'll charge what they can get away with in their store which is exactly why you want to buy stuff at Walmart or whatever prior to coming here. It's a great place to camp and unique, beautiful, springs you'll remember your entire lifetime.

    Ginnie springs is an amazing private property camping spot for trails, swimming in the springs and…read morea great weekend camping. Highly recommend not coming on the holidays. You get this mix of ghetto hick thugs speeding through the park flashing whatever bs they think is cool. They are trying to crack down but the park is big and there's always someone has to ruin it for visitors. Great spot on week days. One of the few places you can drink and float down the river and hit some springs. I've had many great times

    Photos
    Ginnie Spring
    Ginnie Spring
    Ginnie Spring - Beautiful!

    See all

    Beautiful!

    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.

    Photos
    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds
    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds
    Ichetucknee Springs Campgrounds

    See all

    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

    See all

    Rainbow Springs State Park - Rainbow Cafe!

    Rainbow Springs State Park

    4.2(201 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!

    Our tubing trip down the river was pretty, but it was quite boring. It took us two hours to float…read morefrom the entrance to exit, and it was extremely slow. We kept getting stuck in trees and bushes. The fun part was getting to swim in the clear water and passing off our tubes to a floating friend to hold onto. We also saw an otter. The lady at the rental station was very generous and let us borrow multiple pairs of goggles and masks. There were a bunch of motorboats passing by and blasting their music. They disturbed us with their waves and noise. It was around $27 per person in addition to $5 for one vehicle, and we paid all the fees upon entrance to the parking lot. They take you on a safari-like tram to get to the tubing entrance. I strongly recommend water shoes because my friends were suffering while barefoot on the hot ground. The walk was unexpectedly long and painful for my barefoot friends. They don't have showers or any sort of water spout/hose, so it was kind of gross to not be able to rinse the river gunk off then drive hours back to a major city. They have restrooms, but they were already closed when we walked from the river exit back to the tube station, even though the actual park wasn't closed yet, and there were still employees there. This was very inconvenient, and I wish they had at least told us in advance because we didn't have a place to change. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the restrooms to stay open while the park is open. Also, they have you sign a waiver that says you must wear a lifejacket at all times. They didn't even offer us one, so I was baffled why they made us sign a waiver that said that. Can't they get into legal trouble if they don't actually provide lifejackets? I was troubled by the fact that we had to sign something that wasn't in the slightest bit enforced.

    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!

    See all

    Gift Shop Items!

    Ichetucknee Springs - rafting - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...