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.

We had a great day on the river. Derek and Ron were super helpful launching and loading our kayaks…read more Thanks for an awesome time!!

This place is 10/10 amazing! There are so many options along the river and I'm so glad we chose the…read moreright one. From the second we parked, we were welcomed and ready to go! Derrick took the time to tell our kiddos about "oh shoot" the alligator and explain the directions to the coolest waterfront swing along the path. They also took the time to make sure our littles had the perfect size life vests and loaded us into the comfy shuttle van. At KP hole we were unloaded and given time to pay the park entrance and receive our wristbands, then loaded into our kayak at the bottom of the boat ramp. We paddled upriver to visit the headwater then paddled back down to where we parked at RRCK. A few things I wish I had known: be sure to pack plenty of snack in reusable containers, it seems easy to dock and get concessions at the headwater park or Swampy's, but it is not. Also, be sure to bring a rope to tie off while you explore the streams or deeper areas. Overall, it's a perfect day in old Florida! We loved seeing otters, alligators and turtles...and being welcomed by Derrick who loaded up our kayak and asked about our paddle. Nothing better than all the adventures, with none of the clean up or pack up!

Affordable kayaks, friendly staff, great location near the Seven Sisters Springs. Rentals are all…read moreday so you get your money's worth. I would rent from them again if we come back to the area.

This is an older, very small campground with an incredible amount of charm. Management is extremely…read morepleasant, accommodating, and welcoming. If you're arriving after dark, be cautious--the entrance sign is not lit. I was driving a 40-foot motorhome towing a 30-foot trailer and mistakenly took the first turn instead of the second. The signage isn't illuminated, so headlights are helpful to confirm you're in the right place. I highly recommend arriving before dark. The campground is very quiet and feels like stepping back into "old Florida." It sits right on the river, where we saw otters playing and fish jumping--literally jumping two feet out of the water. Very cool. We stayed in Site 20, a pull-in site with excellent river views and located right next to the boat ramp. There's a small store on-site that sells firewood, fire rings at the sites, and it's perfect for a relaxing evening. The permanent residents were extremely friendly and helpful. Kayaks are available to rent for river trips (we didn't do that this time). They don't sell bait, but there's a great bait and tackle shop less than a quarter mile across the street with wonderful people--perfect for fishing off the dock. No problems at all, the dogs loved it, and my wife really enjoyed how relaxing it was. We'd happily stay again.

Saw over 40 manatees in February! Unbelievable experience. The staff from the front desk to the…read moredeck hands were helpful and kind. We even saw a gator in one of the coves! Bring a wet suit if you're sensitive to cold. 72 degrees sounds a lot warmer than it is. 10/10

Shauna was very helpful and accommodating. Everyone was nice and helpful. I thought it was very…read moreaffordable for the experience. This is actually our second time there and I want to support family owned businesses and some supplies here. Nice little boutique and just very friendly and helpful. Definitely would recommend it a lot of fun things in the gift shop. Hope hope you'll check it out and if you're lucky, you'll see a lot of manatees, but you can always call ahead!

We had a fantastic three-hour kayaking adventure with Paddles Outdoor Rentals. My friend and I…read moredecided to skip the guided tour and paddle out on our own. Our goal was simple: get a good workout in and enjoy being on the water. Manatees, if we saw them, would just be a bonus. Well... let's just say the bonuses showed up. The staff was super friendly, incredibly patient, and genuinely helpful. Their recommendations about where to paddle made all the difference and set us up for a great route. We got our workout, soaked in the beauty of the water, and had some wonderful manatee encounters along the way. Peaceful, magical, and just the right amount of adventure. Great people, smooth process, and a memorable day on the water.

This was my second time using Paddles Outdoor Rentals and I definitely would recommend them! They…read morehave knowledgable guides, great equipment, and are timely with everything. We saw like a million manatees and even got to go out 15 minutes early to take full advantage.

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!

MANATEES ARE MAGICAL! We saw well over 30+ manatees on our late January kayaking outing. We rented…read morea 2-seater top kayak (comes w paddles and life vests). And from the staff to the dock hands, to the quality of the vessel and cleanliness of the shop: 10/10. A guide handed us a laminated map (nice touch) and told us where to head for manatee sightings. And even pointed us to a cove that homes a lot of turtles and alligators. We saw it all! They have volunteers overseeing the 3 sisters springs, to help monitor the safety of the manatees (and scold ignorant people lol). Great time! If you're unsure, let me assure you.. just book.

Easy to find, very peaceful and secluded. Almost all the other amenities were closed (water park,…read morebeach, food) and the mermaid show wasn't for 2 more hours so we left after our kayak trip.

Extremely disappointing experience…read more We arrived about 15 minutes late and expected that, at worst, our tour would simply start without us or that we would be offered a reasonable solution. Instead, we were refused completely. What made the situation even worse was that there were six of us (three couples), and each couple was given a different explanation for why we couldn't go. The stories kept changing, making it feel like the staff were simply making up excuses instead of being honest. Good customer service isn't about never having problems--it's about how you treat people when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, this place chose excuses over professionalism. We wasted our time driving there, made plans around this activity, and left feeling frustrated and disrespected. Based on our experience, I would not recommend this business.

My friends and I have been using River Adventure Tours over 5 years now for our annual scalloping…read moreadventure! A day out on the water with this outfitter has always been super fun regardless of the number of scallops caught. My group has gone out with a few different captains, all of which have been knowledgeable & safe. The booking process is pretty easy. I always book online - you can even sign the waiver through their website so there is no paperwork to take care of when you arrive at the dock. The boats are comfortable for the short ride out to the scalloping site and we always bring along a well stocked cooler of drinks and snacks to enjoy during our trip. All the snorkel equipment needed to dive for scallops is included in the tour. In general, the equipment is nice and well maintained. The conditions have been a little different every year I have gone - sometimes we catch a lot, sometimes a little. The captain has always dived with us to help search for scallops and moves to new locations as necessary. Cleaning the scallops after returning to the docks has always been easy - sometimes there is a group of high school students who will clean them for you for a fee. If they aren't around, there is a station to clean them yourself, and the captain has always been around to help / walk us through the best process. We will be back again!

It is about 3.5 stars for the experience. The river is nice where they located. It is located near…read morethe intersection of Halls River and Homosassa River. Basically has a lot of options to explore the area. You can take an 4 hour tour or two hour tour on kayak. If you really explore in one day use the motor boat is better. The rivers are wide and not much of cover. Sunny day will have big sun on you body, sun cream protection is recommended. The kayak trail have 4 different rout. We choose the homosassa spring head route. They need to improve on facilities. Such as changes clothes area when wet, better rest room facilities instead of potable station, better educate the people who rent the kayak and give details tours recommendations and direction. One thing for sure is they are nice to meet with us. We went to the spring head trail. And we did not know we need to get under the small bridge then further down. Nice to have proximity map. But better instruction to get there is equally importance. We also miss the tunnel river. We found out this point of interest when we get back docking.