Hi there!
Some of the beautiful springs near Orlando are some of the best springs in Florida!
There are many springs in Central Florida, and this means that going to Florida springs can be a perfect day trip from Orlando or from Disney World!
Best natural springs near Orlando and Disney World
1. Blue Spring State Park
The best natural springs near Orlando with manatees is located in Blue Spring State Park!
In the winter, there are sometimes over 500 manatees at Blue Spring!
The driving time from Orlando to Blue Spring State Park is around 40 minutes. (map)
The driving time from Disney World to Blue Spring State Park is around 1 hour. (map)
What can you do at Blue Spring?
- Manatees? Yes! You can see manatees in Blue Spring State Park in the winter! Sometimes there are 500+ manatees at this Florida spring!
- Swimming? Yes! You can go swimming in Blue Spring in the summer when manatees are not around.
- Kayaking? Yes, you can go kayaking in the Blue Spring Run and St Johns River. There are kayak rentals and canoe rentals.
- Boat tours? Yes, there are boat tours on the St Johns River.
- Camping? Yes! There is a Blue Spring State Park campground!
- Cabins? Yes! Blue Spring State Park is one of the Florida state parks with cabins!
See more about visiting springs near Orlando:
Blue Spring State Park is not to be confused with Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park which is a different “blue spring” for swimming and kayaking!
It’s also not to be confused with the Blue Hole Spring of Ichetucknee Springs State Park or the Blue Hole Spring of Florida Caverns State Park!
Another one of the Florida state parks near Orlando with cabins is Lake Louisa State Park! There are Lake Louisa State Park cabins!
2. Wekiwa Springs State Park
The driving time from Orlando to Wekiwa Springs is around 30 minutes. (map)
The driving time from Disney World to Wekiwa Springs is around 50 minutes. (map)
What can you do at Wekiwa Springs?
- Swimming? Yes, you can go swimming in Wekiwa Springs!
- Kayaking? Yes, you can go kayaking in the Wekiva River and Rock Springs Run. There are kayak rentals and canoe rentals.
- Camping? Yes! There is a Wekiwa Springs State Park campground!
See more about visiting springs near Orlando:
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3. Rainbow Springs State Park
The driving time from Orlando to Rainbow Springs State Park is around 1.5 hours. (map)
The driving time from Disney World to Rainbow Springs State Park is around 1 hour and 45 minutes. (map)
What can you do at Rainbow Springs?
- Swimming? Yes! You can go swimming in Rainbow Springs.
- Kayaking? Yes, you can go kayaking in the Rainbow River. There are kayak rentals and canoe rentals.
- Tubing? Yes, tubing is very popular in the Rainbow River.
- Camping? Yes, there is a Rainbow Springs State Park campground, although it is located in a different area from the springs.
4. Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area in Ocala National Forest
The driving time from Orlando to Silver Glen Springs is around 1 hour 15 minutes. (map)
The driving time from Disney World to Silver Glen Springs is around 1.5 hours. (map)
What can you do at Silver Glen Springs?
- Swimming? Yes! You can go swimming in Silver Glen Springs.
- Kayaking? Yes, you can go kayaking in the Silver Glen Run.
- Hiking? Yes, you can do a short nature trail from Silver Glen Springs to some bubbling springs! You can also hike to Lake George. It’s a nice walk through the forest, but there are no springs, though!
- Camping? No, there is no camping at Silver Glen Springs. But there are other Ocala National Forest springs with campgrounds!
See more about visiting springs near Orlando:
5. Juniper Springs Recreation Area in Ocala National Forest
The driving time from Orlando to Juniper Springs is around 1 hour 15 minutes. (map)
The driving time from Disney World to Juniper Springs is around 1.5 hours. (map)
What can you do at Juniper Springs?
- Swimming? Yes! You can go swimming in Juniper Springs.
- Hiking? Yes! You can take a nature trail from Juniper Springs back to see more springs, including bubbling springs at Fern Hammock Springs! You might even see an alligator! This means there is no swimming at Fern Hammock Springs!
- Kayaking? Yes, you can go kayaking in the Juniper Run. The US National Forest Service says it’s been named one of the top canoe runs in America.
- Camping? Yes! There is a Juniper Springs campground.
See more about visiting springs near Orlando:
6. Silver Springs State Park
The driving time from Orlando to Silver Springs is around 1.5 hours. (map)
The driving time from Disney World to Juniper Springs is around 1.5 hours. (map)
What can you do at Silver Springs?
- Swimming? No, there is no swimming at Silver Springs State Park.
- Glass bottom boat? Yes! Silver Springs State Park is most famous for its glass bottom boat ride!
- Kayaking? Yes, you can go kayaking on the Fort King paddling trail. There are rentals for kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards SUP.
- Camping? Yes! There is a Silver Springs State Park campground.
- Cabins? Yes! Silver Springs State Park is one of the Florida state parks with cabins!
More road trips from Orlando:
What can you do at these springs near Orlando?
The most popular things to do at springs as a day trip from Orlando or Disney World are swimming and kayaking!
According to the Florida Park Service, there are over 1,000 springs in Florida!
👆 There are over 1,000 springs in Florida! There are several springs in one of Florida’s most popular national forest, and there are many Florida state parks with springs! Some of these are in Central Florida so you can do a day trip from Orlando to springs!
👆 You can go swimming and kayaking at springs near Orlando! One of the most popular springs to kayak in Florida is Rainbow Springs.
Yes, there are a lot of springs in Florida for swimming and snorkeling!
Most of the springs are in Central Florida and Northern Florida.
So with Orlando and Disney World being in Central Florida, this means that a road trip to Florida springs can be a perfect day trip!
Many springs in Florida have a designated swimming area.
It’s like swimming at an outdoor pool!
You’ll be swimming at a natural outdoor swimming pool when you go to Florida springs!
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the water temperature of springs in Florida are a constant 72 to 74 degrees year-round.
This means that in theory, you can go swimming at springs in Florida any time of year.
In terms of water temperature, the 70s can be considered warm enough for swimming for many people!
As long as you can handle coming out of the water wet to a cooler air temperature, then you can go swimming in Florida springs any time of year – summer, spring, fall, and even winter!
It really just depends on your tolerance for colder water and just how much you want to go swimming in natural springs!
There could be areas of a spring that are shallow enough that you can stand.
And there may also be areas that are deeper where you can’t reach the bottom.
👆 Add a personal float to your Florida springs packing list! This way if you are in deeper water you won’t have to constantly be treading water!
👆 Add swimming goggles to your Florida springs packing list too!
👆 Florida springs have some of the clearest water on earth, according to the Florida Park Service. You can find some of the clearest springs in Florida state parks, including Rainbow Springs State Park!
👆 You can do a glass bottom boat tour to see springs near Orlando!
And those are some of the best springs for a day trip in Central Florida!
HAPPY SEEING BEAUTIFUL SPRINGS NEAR ORLANDO!
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