While tooling around Ocala recently, my husband and I stumbled upon the Scott Springs Park. 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 read more

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Scott Springs Park is a great park in Ocala, Florida. 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. read more

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I often come to this park since it's close by. It's a 21 acre park with a natural spring Grotto which is very beautiful and relaxing. It has a playground and children's exercise equipment that adults can use as well. Just a few things but they are fun. There are picnic areas, pavilions, lot's of trails for walking, hiking and even a health trail and a small cave! There is a bike section that include a skills area/jump lines a berm and a skinny ! There are areas where you can fly kites and go for a run. This is a park for the nature lover and for everyone to see. Many families come here but it's never appeared crowded due to how spacious and the variety of activities. There is even a little free outdoor library box at the entrance. Restrooms for everyone and lot's of parking! I need to get more pictures my phone was on 1 percent. I will definitely go and get pictures soon! The park is opened from sunrise to sunset ! Address: 2825 SW 24th Avenue Ocala, Florida 34471 Phone: (352) 368-5517 I hope that you will visit and enjoy the park as much as I do! read more

Two things set what would be a pretty average park in bland surroundings apart - the scenic grotto which it's named after (go ahead and call it a sinkhole and not a springs if you want; it's still cool and unique in my book) and the Jordan Shapot painted panels lending the place a bit of culture and history. The bike trail is smooth but boring. It just circles the big field with picnic tables and playground equipment without even a small diversion into some woods. I had my dad's janky garage sale bought bike so I wasn't about to attempt the ramps and obstacles they have set up for mountain bikes. The deck next to the grotto could be bigger but there was no one down there when I went so that wasn't an issue. I could see how it could be though. It's a nice little spot of serenity. So if you get sick of the rat race come hang here with the turtles. (I didn't see any but I hear they got em.) read more

We had been out for a long afternoon drive on a Sunday, and had just finished eating supper at a local barbecue restaurant, and it was time to work off a couple of calories from the meal. This was before the time change, so we had some daylight still. The park is laid out around a decent sized sinkhole that has filled with water. I am sure at one time or another it was considered to be a nice swimming hole for locals, but today that option is no longer a thing. There are also walking trails, bicycle trails, and a children's playground available as amenities. My mother and I took a good little walk down to the sinkhole, enjoyed watching a couple of turtles swimming about, then walked back to the car. There were a decent number of people at the park while we were there, so it is a popular place for those that want to get out into nature for a while. read more

Very nice park. Quiet and peaceful. Picnic tables with BBQ's set up throughout, art along the main entranceway, children's playground and equipment to exercise, bicycle obstacle course, walking paths, bathrooms, water fountains, plenty of parking, gazebos, and an aquifer to explore. It's a beautiful park with plenty of nature to experience. Take the kids, family, or just go for a stroll and relax. read more

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Very nice park, we enjoyed the walking trail, the weather was perfect. The birds were singing and there was a very nice breeze. The park is well maintained, highly recommend visiting for a picnic or taking your kids to the playground. read more

If you want to see a massive sinkhole with clear water and unique rock formations, this is the place. I won't tell you where it is in the park since I didn't know either. I explored the whole place and found it and so can you! On the downside, I didn't find the Spring and the name of the park includes the freaking word! Maybe next time! read more

Scott Springs Park - Huge sink hole - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Yes, it's a fairly small park but there's a lot here and I really appreciate the effort made to include different things for different people all the while preserving nature and educating people about it. The park is named for a spring that's here, which they call "the grotto"--it's a sunken spring with adjoining caves. To me, it's pretty impressive to see. Some other reviewers seem to not understand this IS the spring: yes, it looks like a sinkhole but if you read the educational signs on the property about karst formations, you'll learn how sinkholes form, the role of springs and the aquifer in them, and more. Not all springs, even in rainy times, have a lot of flow so that's why this one isn't pristine and blue like Manatee or Ginnie Springs are. What I came for however was the bike terrain park and bike trails. The terrain park is for mountain bikes but also good for BMX or dirt jump bikes and the trails are single-track and very much geared towards mountain bikes--these are not paved road bike trails, mind you. There is a paved "health trail" for joggers and walkers, and you can bike on that, too. In addition there are pic-nic tables and what looked like a nice kids' playground. The terrain park is such a cool addition though and a good place to refresh skills before heading on down to Santos where it gets pretty gnarly. The park was also very clean, tidy, and the signage clear about everything from where trails are to information on various trees species. And you may even see a hawk! read more

Scott Springs Park - The grotto, or springs, at the park. - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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A great out of the nature Florida Springs Park with an abundance of items for everyone. It is a small park but offers picnics tables, an obstacle course, children's playground, walking paths, water fountains and bathrooms. Service Canine RioTheBorzoi (see pictures) and I enjoy the tranquil surroundings and of course the spring which is a sinkhole about 25 feet deep with prestige fresh water, a cave and a large variety of threes (palm, oak and pine) Their path way and observation deck is nicely made and provides the security you need when you descend into the spring! We saw turtles, fish and abundance of wild life through out our adventure. A definite place to go chill in the heart of the city limits Cheers! read more

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Great park in Ocala, conveniently next to Walmart. Some city noise but mostly quiet. Great for a run or bike ride. See map. There are a few exercise stations (seated chest press, row, ellipicals) on health loop. There are many (7+) table areas (over 20 tables). 2 are under cover. Most have a grill to use. There are 2 public restrooms. There is plenty of parking including room for my 25' RV. I even saw a tractor trailer truck w/o trailer. I will definitely visit again when I am in the area. read more

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Stopped by to enjoy our meal in a bit of nature. Beautiful space and we saw a hawk... Or an eagle... It was cool. read more

All of 22 acres, one of Ocala's more recent parks is an oasis in the middle of box stores and our shopping mall. Central Florida is bursting with natural springs because of the aquifer. In Ocala there is only 2 though: our huge world renowned Silver Springs Park and our much smaller Scott Spring. This is currently a very small spring that opens only to make a pond. The erosion that happens around the surrounding area is beautiful in itself to me and this is only the beginning. Over time it will become larger but I'm not sure of the spring itself. Aside from the beauty of the spring area the park is comprised of several walking and biking trails. It's fine to bring the kiddies because there's a small playground for them to enjoy. Your well behaved, leashed furry friend is also welcomed but be sure to pick up after him. If you're nearby shopping and just want a break, grab a sammie and enjoy it on one of the picnic tables here. It's ideal! read more

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The place I heard is nice, but unfortunately I wasn't able to go in since it was full, the park ranger were not to friendly

Wow! If you have not been you've gotta go ! All paved or boardwalk style walkways. A short 1-2 min walk to what that's leads you down stairs to a beautiful sinkhole area ! I was amazed I was not expecting to see it. A sight to see. Saw people doing yoga and walking dogs. Seems like a great place to take a walk , jog or bike. read more

Scott Springs Park - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Very nice and clean park. There's a playground for the kids, an exercise board course, trails and bbq grills. In the playground area while the kids are playing you can exercise (cardio walker) yourself while watching them. I will definitely visit again. read more

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My daughter in law reserved for my granddaughters birthday and the pavilion was a mess. Trash cans over flowing. Bathrooms flooded. And she paid for this! What a shame. read more

Great place to burn off some carbs after having lunch at Moe's. Two laps around and I'm good. Bathrooms, nice playground, cool bike course with ramps (which I will never use lol) and some kind of water feature that seems to be drying up a and is kinda stagnant. read more

For a city park my family thought this park was really nice. We walked the wooden path to the "grotto/spring" but there was no water in it and it wasn't terribly exciting. The bike path and obstacles looked great, such a neat idea for a city park. The playground was nice and new and the attached walking trail with fitness equipment along the way was just the right length and partly shaded. read more

Park is nice. Small compared to other parks in Marion County. Dogs allowed but not in all areas. Bathrooms in desperate need of remodeling.