Walking the trails was peaceful and scenic, with lots of shade and chances to spot wildlife (we saw a 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. read more

I liked this state park enough to buy a handsome t-shirt in the gift shop. The shirt doesn't say Florida on it anywhere which is pretty funny to me and actually makes me like it more. The waters here are absolutely lovely but even on a weekday in late December they were pretty heavily traveled. It might not be fair but the place being clogged with so many of my fellow pesky humans is the only thing that keeps me from putting SSSP in the vaunted five star category. I kayaked the river and saw birds and a gator. Bout time I saw a Florida gator in the wild! Only took five visits. I also got right over a manatee. I thought they were a big rock til they started moving. I could have clubbed em with my oar if I wanted to though it seems like that would be not just cruel but stupid, too. At any rate, no wonder they're endangered. Poor sluggish, dumb creatures. There were quite a lot of other kayakers and canoeers on the water. The guy dressed like Santa was pretty hilarious but for most of the trip I was denied the splendid isolation I longed for. Needless to say, the glass bottom boat tour didn't appeal to me, even with the clear view down. Beautiful scenery, though. Checking in and out was quick and painless even if the separate entrance briefly threw me for a loop. Afterwards I hiked a shorter trail and it was pretty mid, nothing special. For a while it ran too close to a road which kind of ruins the whole thing for me. And there was the aforementioned gift shop, chock full of wares. There was another t-shirt I liked a lot and had trouble choosing between the two, always a good problem to have. It's the end of the review here and I probably should have said this at the beginning but the entrance sign is just lovely, very classy and retro. I can see why this is a local icon but as an out of state visitor I don't know if this place has the staying power for many repeat visits for the locals. I was glad I came here once though. Funny to think this park is what Stevie Nicks wanted Lindsey Buckingham to be. Jk. read more

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We visit silver springs state park often because it's a close state park that lets you bring your dog( not on glass boat rides), they have open fields for picnics, walking trails, glass bottom boat rides and kayaking options. They have been upgrading the park with food and drink options. They now serve alcohol! We got a drink at spring side cafe. I had a vodka cranberry. The bartender was friendly and fast. My drink was $13.00 for a double. We went for the 30 minute glass bottom boat ride I have been a few times and this time was definitely better than most. Why? Because the captain of the boat was not only informative but hilarious and had a great personality. CAPTAIN REEF! He is definitely worth requesting if that's even an option! I can't wait for our next visit! read more

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Can't wait to get to explore more of this historical beautiful park. We did take the boat ride it's short a little too much $ but I do recommend doing it at least once. Dogs are welcome not on the boat tho! And they have a nice restaurant ice cream parlor and even adult cocktails! All around great place ! read more

we would like to know just what the heck you guys at kayaking florida are trying to do here to people, you take a married coulpe on a tour for hours, see more wildlife then they have seen in their entire life (and we are old) not only that but you all were all polite and considerate and very knowledgeable and then you turn around and only charge that amount of money for all of it?????????? you guys must be crazy!!!!!! we had a fantastic time and saw so much and went so many places and with the current.....very low impact. the movies and pictures you sent us were great not to mention "free". kevin o'conner was brimming with history and knowledge about the area, the water, the wildlife and a very sharp eye for spotting those gators and fish. he paddles backwards so you see him and hear him very clearly, but he doesn't run into anything??? again....had a great time, a must do in the sunshine state!!!! read more

Silver Springs State Park - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Saturday August 12th, we walked around Silver Springs State Park and took kids on Glass Bottom Boat Ride in the Lagoon of Silver Springs. We saw Turtles and lots of fish while learning the history of the park & area. It was absolutely beautiful day! No swimming in this Crystal Clear water because Alligators dominate this water. The boat ride was very nice. We had reservations on the 9:45am boat. They also enjoyed having their Paw Paw Lee with them. There is a lot of history here Including it was once owned by CBS and several movies including Creature from the Black Lagoon and series Seahunt with Lloyd Bridges. We didn't get to see Monkeys or Alligators..Definitely going back! read more

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No swimming unreal with all the state parks that has springs in Florida why doesn't this state park have swimming. Back 10 years ago we couldn't even get close to the water stupid why waste your money read more

We rented one of the cabins for a weekend. They are super cute and have 2 bedrooms, a gas fireplace, grill and fire pit. The reservation process and check in were easy. Reservations are available online 11 months in advance and go fast. The cabin loop was very quiet. We went to the other side of the park and enjoyed the glass bottom boat ride, I highly recommend. The captain was very informative and funny. I would return to the park during warmer months to do some hiking and kayaking read more

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An incredible tour for those who enjoy and appreciate nature, Ocala has several options but this traditional place has already been the setting for some famous films, we loved the experience we had here in 2023. read more

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In 1878, Hullam Jones invented the glass bottom boat for Silver Springs providing a unique and spectacular view if one the larger natural springs in Florida. After WW ll, Silver Springs was one of the most visited attractions in Florida, particularly with the glass bottom boat ride. It's off the main path of Florida today and is a quiet, slow paced wonderful experience. Manatees often frequent the springs and of course loads of fresh water fish. Overnight camping is available, and the Stare is updating the restrooms and snack areas in 2023. Open year-round from 8 am to Sundown, fall and winter are perfect times to visit. Check out website: Floridastateparks.org for entrance fees and camping options. read more

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Apparently this used to be the biggest tourist spot in Florida. Before Disneyland took over. If you love nature, and I do!, this is the spot for you. On the day of my visit it was very busy with kayaks but the tour boats have priority on the river. Basically it was one giant spring! Alligators, turtles, and manatees. Loads of birds and fish too. If you have your own kayak they have launching fees and places for that. Next time I'd love to rent a glass bottom kayak as it allows you access to certain areas not accessible by boat. Definitely must visit more than once place!! Wear sunscreen and a hat. Happy yelping. read more

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My BFF is visiting the USA for the fist time. We were very excited to make arrangements to visit the park and ride the glass bottom boats. I had shared with her the stories of my family trips to Silver Springs, back when I was a young girl and she was really looking forward to seeing manatees and alligators. (Certainly not something she'd ever seen in Austria!!!) We unfortunately had to cancel our first reservation due to the freak freezing winter storm that came to a hilt on the same day that we were meant to attend. When I phoned to cancel, I spoke with the nicest and most pleasant and helpful woman. Although she offered a refund, we requested rescheduling instead. Without hesitation, she did so and on Sunday we headed down to Silver Springs Park. All the way down we chatted about how much we were looking forward to the boat ride. For some unknown reason, my Google Maps app took me all over Ocala and, when we finally arrived at the park, we had only 15 minutes to get checked in and to the boat. By the time we made it to one of the windows, it was 2 minutes to 3p. This is where things went awry. We were called over to a windows across from the one we were at. It had previously been unattended and closed. When we walked over, the young man (his name is Jordan) inside the ticket hut first told me that we did not have reservations. When I showed him the email verification, he said that we were late, had missed the boat and then stated that we were not eligible to reschedule nor to receive a refund. He literally dismissed me and said 'Next'. I repeatedly attempted to ask him for alternatives and he told me that there was nothing I could do and literally said "Oh well". It was at that moment that I completely lost my temper and told him that I would get a refund when I filed a dispute with my bank. He proceeded to argue with me how "that will never happen". By this time, 20+ minutes later, I was seething, but because the focus of the trip was to share an incredible experience with my friend, I was not going to let this rude, incompetent, self important jerk, ruin and waylay my intent. I walked back over to the original ticket hut and was greeted by 3 of the friendliest and helpful women that within 5 minutes, had rescheduled our outing for three days later. This was actually after Jordan saw me approaching the other hut and like a child having a tantrum, ran over to warn them about what had just happened. Thankfully, they ignored him and proceeded professionally. The park is beautiful, the people (everyone except Jordan) are friendly, helpful and engaging. My friend was astonished by the attitude and treatment by Jordan. She said that in the month since being in the States, he was the one and only person that had actually been rude to her. If you've never been, or haven't been lately, I highly suggest checking out Silver Springs Park. read more

Great experience! We had Captain Reef and he was a great narrator. We got to see manatees, monkeys, and gators! Also, the food in the cafe is excellent. All around great place, definitely recommend! read more

We took the glass bottom boat tour (30min), it was great. We also did a little walking around the park, we saw two alligators and many different species of birds and fish. It was a great day and very inexpensive. Highly recommend read more

Silver Springs State Park is an "old Florida" park that is still very relevant! Amazing quiet atmosphere and the glass bottom boat tours are *not* to be missed! Captain Bill took great care of our boat tour, ensuring we saw an amazing variety of the local wildlife before he headed back to the dock. Turtles, a manatee that swam under our boat, birds, and of course, the obligatory gator were the stars of the show. I'm honestly at a loss of how to describe the total experience right now... I will be visiting again soon and will update my review. This is nature at its finest, and the folks there work extremely hard to maintain it. Thanks for this amazing place! read more

Love this park for the bike & hiking trails, Kayaking and glass bottom boat rides. Visit the very nice museum of some local history & a little cracker village of some old homestead homes. read more

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Good place for kayaking. They have rentals that you can get until 1pm or so. You can also bring your own and launch. Good amount of wildlife to see but can get crowded. read more

So, I tend to over research any place I plan on visiting so I'm not sure how I got the information wrong for this park; you CANNOT swim OR snorkel here (you can kayak and walk the trails). Ticket booth attendant was nie enough to information me of this limitation before I paid the $2 admission (I paid and decided to walk around anyway). Water is gorgeous and crystal clear as advertised but you just can't get your body submerged. I took a photo of the places that you CAN swim/snorkel in the area but I decided to drive over to Juniper Springs as it was the next closest park. Now, I'm ready to head in and apparently the swimming/snorkel area is pretty small. (This is apparently due to the many alligators that line the water areas outside the swimming "pool".) read more

Road entrance in horrible condition entire park has been abandoned. roof needs to be pressure washed looks like the administration doesn't have a maintenance program read more

I LOVE kayaking this park. They have kayak rentals that are reasonably priced, but it's cheaper if you launch your own. The springs are incredibly beautiful. They also have a nice park to walk in, a restaurant, and glass bottom boat tours. If you like hiking, the trails are great, and they have different ones of various lengths. Also, lots of wildlife to see. read more

Awesome little park. Entry fee is only $2 and totally worth it. Not huge, but big enough for the price and they also have add-ons like the glass bottom boats, kayaks etc. We did the glass bottom boat. It was nice, about 30 min tour. Worth it for the price, although next time I would like to try the kayaks that looked like fun. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area! read more

Silver Springs State Park - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

This review is for the cabins at Silver Springs State Park. There are ten cabins there and we rented eight of them. They are much nicer and cleaner than I thought they would be. Each cabin has all the comforts of home such as pots and pans, a microwave, a clean full sized refrigerator with an ice maker, a dishwasher, cutlery, plates and cups. There were clean linens for the queen and two twin beds and the ac worked great! There is also a fireplace. I was especially happy that it was clean and modern. There are several trails for hiking or bike riding. We took the swamp trail to a boardwalk that was on a river. It was beautiful and serene. I came kicking and screaming but I was pleasantly surprised! Publix is seven minutes away so you are close to City conveniences. read more

By far one of my favorite parks in all of Florida. Silver Springs is a staple if you live in North Central Florida and this park has everything you could think of. You pretty much are walking into a jungle oasis with critters running around, trails to hike, and the famous glass bottom boats to take a ride on. Located in the Ocala National Forest and Ocala, Florida is where you will find Silver Springs State Park. This park is one of Florida's oldest and most treasured roadside attractions. Before Disney World was even a thing, Silver Springs was entertaining guests. If you look around Silver Springs it may look familiar as many TV shows and Movies have been shot on the grounds of this park. When you enter the park, they have a giant parking lot. You park your car and pay a small entrance fee. From there you can do a lot. You can buy a ticket for the glass bottom boats or you can go hiking on the many trails. On many trips with many family members we have opted for the trail to look for the famous Rheus Monkey's. Did you know that their are wild monkey's in Florida? Yes, they have been in the park since the 1930's when a movie crew was filming and didn't realize monkey's could swim. My mother loved seeing them, but they scared her a little bit as well. We were there when it was elderberry season and monkey's I guess love these berries so they were pretty much on the trail with us. Do not pet the monkey's they are wild and this is not a zoo. If you want something less dangerous, try out the glass bottom boats that go over the spring water. You may see many fish, turtles, or even a Florida Alligator on your tour. The tour guides will take you out and show you the area. This is a really fun activity to do. If you are looking for more adventure, try out kayaking in the springs. This is a wonderful place to kayak and I have done it many times. This is a great park! One of the best parks in Florida! I cannot recommend this park more! read more

Enjoyed the boat tour, aqua blue springs. We took a beautiful scenic walk afterwards. We went back another time and took our dogs to the other side. We didn't see any Monkeys. We saw a lot of kayaks from the bridge and apparently you can rent them there. Next on our list. read more

This park was really nice! I loved Kayaking in the spring and I like the fact that you can choose the amount of time you would like to be participating in the activity (unlike another trail I went on where you were stuck on the trail until you finished.. a MINIMUM of 4 hours) Also, I saw wild monkeys which were really cool. EXCEPT there was people feeding them, which is not smart. That's like rule #1 .. don't feed the animals. Staff was super nice and prices were reasonable. Definitely want to go back to hike the trails. read more

Silver Springs State Park - Clear water - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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A very nice camping area with very large pull-thru gravel lots. The museum wasn't open this trip. It looks very interesting. We hiked the river trail to the water. Ot was a lovely hike. read more

Silver Springs State Park - Museum sign - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Such a nice day out and about. The springs are beautiful to walk by and look at but I would definitely recommend kayaking it.

We tent camped here and absolutely loved it! It rained a bit, but the site was fine. Many walking trails to enjoy and the entrance to the main park was right around the corner. We did the glass bottom boats there and walked more trails. Absolutely love this place! The bathrooms were also really clean. read more

Silver Springs State Park - Tent site - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Wow.. Talk about a great day and great weather hand in hand! So on the 17th Silver Springs had the Native American pow wow that featured an amazing display of Native American culture with dances, beautiful costumes, and great story telling. The music played by flutes and the drums was like food to the soul! There were a few food trucks selling Indian tacos which looked fantastic, however I did not get to try since I had eaten prior to arrival. This item seemed to be the #1 seller! We decided to walk through the most peaceful nature trails and take advantage of the perfect weather. That afternoon, we did the famous glass bottom boat tour! What a treat ....I highly recommend this for the whole family! The boat takes you out to see a different array of wildlife from below through that crystal clear water from the glass floor. Our tour guide was the best, taking us a bit further out then normal. The park is clean, employees are very friendly and the tours are very reasonably priced. I will definitely be back soon! read more

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This place is breathtaking. Kayaking through the Silver River we encountered so much wild life. Birds, Alligators and we even saw a family of monkeys crossing the river! It was incredible. The monkeys are not native to Florida, but rumor has it that they were brought to this part of Florida by a budding entrepreneur who wanted to create a theme park centered around monkey boat rides. Well, that didn't work out, but the monkey's adapted to the Florida environment and seem to be thriving along this river. Making the round trip kayak from the launch site to the where the park and glass boat tours are and back is a strenuous endeavor. I think it's at least a 10 mile paddle (half of it being against the current) and it took us over five hours. The first alligator I saw on this paddle freaked me out. It was my first experience encountering a gator (and thereafter I saw dozens), but when it moved and went into the water when we pulled up...and I thought it was swimming after us! I expected a gator to just jump up and chop off my arm, like they do in Gatorland with the chickens, but luckily it never happened. Apparently, they are more afraid of humans and tend to be pretty cautious. For those in the park itself without your own boat, you can take a glass bottom boat tour which costs $10 (2014), lasts half hour but you get to see through to the Spring bottom in crystal clear water. Absolutely beautiful. If you're out this way in Florida, please don't pass up visiting this park! Truly a Florida gem. read more

The campsites are paved with rocks so tents need special heavy duty metal stakes, and it may harm the tent floor. There will be puddles when it rains. The springs are fine, but the boats are pricey. It was nice to walk around the water and trails for a couple of hours, but it is sort of like visiting a garden. Much of the wildlife has become accosttomed to living with tourists. It was cute in an amusement park sort of way. read more

Managed to reserve a spot in the campground for four nights on our way back home to the Northwest. We arrived on a Sunday. At check in we were told the museum is open only on weekends until 5 pm. Closed during the week, used as a school. We found our site. Huge pull through. Very pleased. Water and electric. Dump station available on the way out. Very nice restrooms at each loop and each is equipped with one washer and dryer. One dollar to wash and one dollar for 45 min dry. Nice touch. We haven't run into that before. Got ourselves hooked up and went over to the museum. It was 3 pm, and closed. Quite disappointed. Quite a few hiking trails within the park. And at the other entrance, they offer glass bottom boat tours. We took the 90 minute tour and really enjoyed it. Learned a ton of the history of this park. Saw many alligators, fish, birds and even saw the monkeys. We felt it was worth the money. The next day we went back to the main entrance and rented a canoe. We rented for two hours, wish we would have done three. Really enjoyed paddling around and getting close to flora and fauna. Highly recommend this state park. Probably one of the nicest state parks we have ever stayed at so far. You will not be disappointed. read more

Wish I could give negative stars, Don't ever come here, wanted to take the family on the glass bottom boat, I am a Veteran and should have gotten in without any problems but according to a staff member since 2013 they charge separately for the ride. Well that's funny since I got out in 2017 we've been on 3x and never had to pay separately for it. DONT GO!!! read more

First time camping here and already I love our cabin! It's 2 rooms, high ceilings, private bathrooms, beautiful, big all u shape porch almost wrapped around the entire cabin! There's tubing, canoeing and horseback riding in the area so enjoy and make a whole plan for this Springs trip! read more

First off, we only spent one night here in our RV ... this is a huge park and would require a week to see and do everything ... we did not visit the commercialized portion of the park, but stayed on the camp grounds side and walked the trails ... There is a lot to do here, from visiting the spring to hiking to mountain bike riding (ok, trail riding ... this is Florida) ... Well maintained park, clean facilities, huge campsites that are private ... 30/50 AMP and H2O service ... good dump station. We've already tagged this park for another visit, only longer and with our bikes. The trails are well marked ... You can view a video of our overnighter here on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtGO9BV23l8 read more

We took a glass bottom boat tour with Captain Mike and it was amazing! He was so knowledgeable and told us so many interesting facts about the springs and all the films associated with the area. We saw so much wildlife and Captain Mike made sure everyone had a chance to see everything and take lots of photos. We plan to return soon! read more

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This park is beautiful. They offer a few trials to walk. The river is beautiful and the water is clear. We didn't get to see much wild life just saw an alligator. We did the boat tour which is about $10 per person. The park is pretty clean. We came on a cloudy day so it was easy to walk around. They do have a restaurant and you can sit outside but river. read more

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$8 to get in for a car with two people, $11 (plus tax) for a glass bottom boat ride per person. Not terrible. What absolutely RUINED our experience was being on a boat FULL of children. It was so loud that we couldn't hear anything the guide was saying. It was like the kids never saw a bubble, a fish, seaweed or turtle before in their damn lives. We were going to wait for another boat and we should have, but we already waited 45 minutes for the guide we heard was funny and good. Too bad get any of that besides children screaming. There is a lot of potential for this park to be awesome, and maybe I'll come back another day to hike the many trails... But for now, I am not really happy about my first experience here. read more

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We came here for an afternoon bike ride with my husband and had a wonderful time. The ranger at the gate was friendly and knowledgable. We brought our Mountain bikes and were told that we could use any hiking trail as a biking one. It is not paved nor is there a boardwalk, so keep that in mind. We did not have any issues with sugar sand (the enemy of bicycles) but it was muddy since it was rainy when we went. There are two sides to the park, there's the state park (with trails and camping) and then a mile down the road there is the theme park (with the spring and glass bottom boats). If you show them your receipt, you can get into both. There weren't many people there because of the weather but I don't believe parking would ever be a problem since there seemed to be tons of it. We mainly spent time at the state park where the trails are. If you go down the "river trail" there is a ramp for a canoe/kayak launch if you don't mind carrying it about half a mile down the trail. The water is clear and beautiful. The state park is well kept but there isn't much to do on this side if you aren't about unpaved hikes or bike rides and even though the trees are beautiful, there isn't too many scenic views. We didn't feel comfortable leaving our bikes on the car to go to the theme park so I only went in for 15 minutes while my husband stayed in the car with the bikes. I wish we could have explored further because the kayaking looked like a lot of fun, especially around monkey island. If you came here as a child (like I did) it still has a super nostalgic feel to it which made me smile from ear to ear. We plan on returning when there is better weather and where we can the majority of the day exploring around both sides of the park. read more

Beautiful...now the State has purchased the Silver Spring attraction and is part of Silver River State Park. It is home to 100s or wild monkeys. Park rangers are instructed not to tell you about or discuss. But they are there. Please do not feed them Cheetos or twinkies. They have plenty of food to eat naturally. Best private guide is Captain Tom pontoon boat tour or myself. See video for Nataional Geographic story followed by some of my footage here. https://youtu.be/BlEzx244LeM read more

Silver Springs State Park - Parks Near Me - Ocala, Florida