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.

While tooling around Ocala recently, my husband and I stumbled upon the Scott Springs Park…read more It has lush green space to picnic or frokic on. Its got a Bike track for BMX and a large playground with clean, modern styles. The highlight here for me was the walk down to the sink hole/spring. Its a lovely bit of Florida history. Last year, there was water in the sinkhole. Today it has mostly become a dry pit with a boil at tue back, beneath the rocks. There was a turtle taking advantage of the little pool of water. Truly a nice park to visit

Scott Springs Park is a great park in Ocala, Florida…read more I enjoyed my time here while getting some steps in and stretching my legs. Overall, the park has decent parking and is a nice place to escape the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. If you are in the area, go check out Scott Springs Park. As Ocala continues to grow, it is nice to have places like this to just go chill.

Walking the trails was peaceful and scenic, with lots of shade and chances to spot wildlife (we saw…read morea few monkeys in the distance, which was wild!). The whole park is well-maintained, and the staff were helpful and friendly. Whether you're kayaking, hiking, or just relaxing by the springs, it's a great day trip that feels like a little escape into old Florida.

We had the best clear kayak tour with Colin! He was very informative, friendly, and safety minded…read more We were apprehensive about going with children and he was amazing! Very much recommend the clear kayaking tour.

Silver Springs Conservation Area is a nice place to go for a walk/hike/run with another by yourself…read morebe cautious. It is dog friendly ( leashed ) and it isn't the kind of place that has all the frills. The conservation area is 330 acres and it's the largest intact property that is privately owned undeveloped adjacent to Silver Springs and had been purchased to protect our ground water and Silver Springs by preserving this recharge site. The conservation area consists of three types of natural communities ; Sandhill, Upland Mixed Forest, & Wet Prairie. Some of the wildlife seen here are Whitetail deer, Sherman's fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, black racer, yellow rat snake, northern cardinal, towhee, pileated woodpeckers. Today I had seen a beautiful butterfly but it was too fast for me. Unsupervised recreation and I did not see a bathroom. Some of this may come from someone being 60 and a little leery ( or maybe wise lol ) .

This is a forest area in the truest sense of the word with dense tall trees and a narrow rock trail…read morethat should be taken seriously. It's for hikers, bikers & 1 of the 3 entrances is for horses to enter. Though their website says it is good for fishing all I've found is a dried up creek bed. There are always things to remember when on a trail like this: always yield to the equestrian; be prepared with extra fluids; you can never take enough protection & make sure your cell is fully charged. It's a huge 4,600 acres so please also tell others where y'all are going - just from a common sense point of view. This only opened a few months ago and so far is very rudimentary. There's no doubt about it that this is back country trails. There is only 1 small shelter and in the heat of an intense summer there is no other shade though there's all types of wildlife. I've yet to see any wildlife and I'm thinking they were also taking shade behind trees. ;) Enjoy but keep in mind that this is a conservation area. Leave no footprints.

We were looking for a campground for some primitive tent camping near Rainbow River and this place…read moreworked out perfect. Chad (campground host) was super helpful in getting us situated, and the $20/day rate was fair. Unfortunately the sites do not have electric hookups, but generators can be used until 10pm. They do have water hookups at each site. The grounds have a couple community pavilions, and about 22 total sites. Each site includes a fire ring and picnic table. Fire wood can easily be found by looking around. Most sites offer plenty of shade. The place is commonly utilized by equestrian groups, although there were none during our stay. We were 1 of only 3 occupied sites during our visit. They do have a large bathhouse on site that was very clean. There is a trailhead leaving the park but we did not have an opportunity to do any hiking during our 1 night stay. There are several stores and restaurants nearby if you need to stop for supplies. I wouldn't hesitate to come here again, and would recommend Shangri-La to any others looking for tent or rv sites in this area.

Fun place to stay. Quiet & nice grounds with big bathrooms and showers! We stayed for two nights…read moreand had no issues. We brought our dog and used the horse trough poles to tie her leash to and even our hammocks. Would stay again!

My parents were reminiscing about when they were middle school aged and came here for field trips…read more I was surprised to find out that Silver Springs State Park and the glass bottom boat tours have been around for that long! It was about a 1.5 hour ride from Orlando. Woke up real early on a Saturday (on honestly one of the coldest days of the year) to arrive at the park around 8am. I highly suggest purchasing glass bottom boat tour tickets online about a week in advance atleast since time slots fill up! We purchased the 1.5 hour tour on the boats. Our tour guide was incredible and shared so much knowledge and facts about the wildlife and park. I got to see tons of manatees! Plus getting to see gators, turtles, birds, and even monkeys! The glass bottom gives such a cool perspective on viewing the wildlife and plants underwater. Aside from the tour, we walked several trails to enjoy the great outdoors. Also, we had coffee in the morning when we first got here and lunch after the tour. The food was pretty good and filling. At the gift shop I made sure to leave with a magnet and Christmas ornament to remember such a great day here.

What a breathtaking location! From the parking lot, it doesn't look like much. They are redoing the…read moreentrance sign, and from the outside, it seems like the place might be pretty rundown. However, once you walk through, you are quickly transported. The entrance to the park is only two dollars per person, and honestly, in my opinion, they could charge just a little bit more. The glass-bottom boat tours run faster than you might expect, so if you have the time (which we didn't during our visit), opt for the longer boat ride; it doesn't cost much more. They also have little shops to explore and plenty of outdoor seating so you can take in the beautiful surroundings. If you're a water lover, make sure to plan ahead and reserve a crystal-clear kayak or paddleboard to enjoy the water--it'll be worth every penny. The only hiccup in our plan was that we booked everything on the day of our visit, so we ended up with a shorter tour on the glass-bottom boats and got locked into the last kayaking time slot. The woman at the reservation desk for the kayaks was not very pleasant. She told us that despite showing a 5 o'clock slot, they were no longer taking reservations. I showed her the option on my phone, but she still refused to let us sign waivers. Luckily, we found the manager in charge of the rental hut, who advised that we could still make our reservation online. I showed him on my phone, and although we'd have to pay full price and probably have less than an hour, that was perfectly fine with us since we were in the last slot. The lake was practically empty, so we had the entire waterway to ourselves--so beautiful and peaceful. Honestly, it felt like we were in another country, surrounded by nature. If you don't have the chance to kayak, there's also a walking path where you can see monkeys left behind from one of the movies that was filmed on location. We walked part of the path, and it was just as beautiful. Any chance my kids and I get to be outside in nature, we gravitate towards it, putting away our phones to enjoy everything around us. What a great way to spend your day and your vacation!

Great place for family recreation. There is a big playground at the beginning of the trail for…read morechildren. Over five miles of bike paths and walking trails. Nice peaceful scenic views throughout the greenway. We live close by and have enjoyed this place for years.

A fabulous place to play & workout! Playground review toward the end…read more I've used the beautifully paved trails for skating, biking & running & walking for many years, it's a great place to be active. I did have to be careful skating as the trail is paved through natural FL brush & fields and twigs, stones & leaves can put you on your face quickly. There are clean bathrooms & water fountains before the trailheads. There are pet rules that I've not noted because I don't have pets. I assume the pet info is on the website. It's Florida, therefore it's hot & without preparation you're subject to dehydration, bring water bottles or stay near the fountains. There are also insects, so some type of repellant is always a good idea for outdoor activities in FL. & there's very little shade, so a sunscreen is suggested. The playground is clean with both natural ground (mulch covered) or a cushioned cover. It was designed for all ages & those with disabilities. My 8 year old nephew & 6 year old niece enjoyed it all immensely.

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.