When we went to Disney a few weeks back, we had a day before we could check in when my husband was off work and we didn’t quite know what to do. We decided to leave Georgia early and venture out to Silver Springs State Park. Silver Springs State Park is Florida’s first tourist attraction and one of the largest artesian springs in the world! At Silver Springs, you can enjoy Glass Bottom Boat Tours every single day of the year! I thought I’d share a few tips for visiting Silver Springs that you might find useful if you take a trip.
6 Tips for Visiting Silver Springs State Park in Florida:
- Be prepared to see wildlife and be aware of your surroundings: We saw an alligator not far from a walking path and had a black rat snake slither out of a bush and right across the path in front of us! Signs are also up in various places to beware of monkeys!
Source: http://www.silversprings.com/
- Glass Bottom Boat Tours are a MUST, but can cause motion sickness! This is quite an incredible attraction, but not everyone may enjoy it. Please know that when the boat driver gets to one of the springs, the boat goes very slow and somewhat turns to give everyone a great view. If you’re prone to motion sickness, you may want to bring medicine with you. I enjoyed the first spring and after that, spent the rest of the time with my eyes close and trying to not lose my lunch!
- Allow time for exploration: Since we drove down from Georgia, we arrived early afternoon. After waiting for the boat, we didn’t have much time to explore. There are fun things along walking paths like the frog slide and then you can always grab an ice cream or snacks from their eatery.
- Use this as an educational field trip! There is so much to learn from the signs and facts to the types of springs and more. We were able to use this as a homeschool day for our family since there was so much to learn.
- Keep an eye on their event calendar: This park often has extra events such as garden tours, music events, ranger programs and more!
- There is a wonderful hotel across the street! We stayed at the Holiday Inn and Suites Silver Springs during our visit. It’s conveniently located right across the street from the Silver Springs State Park! We could walk with the stroller across the road and be in the park’s parking lot. This hotel was pretty nice and comfortable and had a decent free breakfast in the morning.
Overall we had a great time. Whenever we go back, I will definitely be brining motion sickness medicine with me! It would have made the boat tour more enjoyable, but it was still an amazing experience. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it and my husband and I did as well. Definitely recommend taking the drive!
Have you been to Silver Springs State Park? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Brendan Shelton says
It’s pretty amazing that you saw an alligator basically on the path you were walking on. My brother is trying to take his family to FL this year so that they can see all the beautiful nature. He should book some events and hotels now so that he is prepared way ahead of time.