Ginnie Spring, Rainbow Spring (USA) - Road trip in Florida #3

This article is part of our road trip to Florida. Read previous episodes here and here

We plan to spend 3 days in the amusement parks in Orlando but to chain the 3 in one go would have been too tiring. So we choose to start with a Disney park then to leave 2 days in excursion to recover. But to leave where?

Note: For once, the Disney parks travel diary will only be in vlog form, I invite you to see the YouTube video here, and the practical guide here.

Part 1: Travel Diary Part
2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

While surfing on Pinterest, I came across this kind of pictures and discovered that there are a lot of fresh water springs in Florida. Between 1h and 2h drive from Orlando only. However, the choice is complicated because there are too many 😀 And by chance, we will only choose 3 of them.

Day 7

Today’s program is super light because it’s raining cats and dogs, and in the area, apart from the outdoor activities, there’s nothing else to do.

Rainbow Spring

We still go to Rainbow spring. The swimming area is bordered by a net.

However, the sign “alligator” and a snake seen near the “pool” do not reassure us too much. The water is too cold for me (22°C but with the rain bof), even if it is very blue, transparent… Be careful, the water is deep so come with a buoy if you can’t swim. JB had a hard time to get in the water but once inside, it’s nice.

Drive In Cinema

Outdoor cinema in the United States has been seen in many movies and series. And JB had the idea to look for one – not too far from our hotel. I let you discover his dedicated article here.

Day 8

Devil’s Den spring

When we saw the pictures, we decided to go there – besides it’s raining so it’s hiding in a water source in a cave, what a good idea! However, on the spot, they insist on renting us the obligatory flippers (even though we are already equipped with mask and snorkel) . So the combo 20$ the entry (more expensive the weekend) + 5$ of forced flippers rental + taxes + rain + cold water => get us drunk rather quickly and we decide to turn back. We will see other more beautiful places in Mexico.

Ginnie Spring

An hour away, the Ginnie Spring, located in a park, costs only $15/person. There are 5 exceptional freshwater springs. And the biggest one is called Ginnie Spring.

It is so incredible that in front of this beauty, even I, cold and fearful, bathed. The water is cool all year round (at 22°C) but, once in it, if you swim constantly, it’s acceptable and even pleasant.

There is a tree trunk at the bottom, it’s too pretty! We saw people diving (with tanks) but I find that it’s not deep enough (3-4m) to be worth it, especially since there are very few fish. Unless you want to take advantage of it to make a first dive, snorkelling seems to be more than enough. On the other hand, I don’t know if you can see on the picture but we can see lots of small bubbles, corresponding to the location of the springs: there are a lot of them. The water is transparent and despite the depth (1m30 near the stairs but 3m on average), we can see all the way to the bottom. In the holes, it can reach 5-6m.

We saw women coming in mermaid outfits. At first, we thought it was an EVJF, but after seeing them swimming like real mermaids, we realized it was a mermaid club meet-up. Swimming with a mermaid tail is great for the abs. A photographer accompanies them to immortalize the moment.

Most Americans come with buoys in the shape of pizza, bagel, mermaid, unicorn… and let themselves float, a drink in hand

In Ginnie Spring: Devil’s Eye

At 5mn on foot (you can also go there by car) are other sources, with 3 rather deep holes. I think the photo Pinterest above was taken here. Unfortunately the sun is absent otherwise we could have taken better pictures.

Within Ginnie Spring: Dogwood

This hole is prettier seen from the outside than in the water. But it is also the quietest place because it is very far from the main parking lot.

We go to see the farthest springs (always by car, there are parking lots in front of each spring) and as the lady at the reception indicated, the water is more turbid.

There are plenty of places to have lunch, barbecue and camp. We have seen huge pick-ups with BBQ’s in the back. Typically American.

The vlog corresponding to this travel diary is available below :

Part 2: Practical Tips

Ginnie Spring is the farthest source from Orlando that I have ever seen (2h12 by car), but according to the pictures I have seen, it is also the most beautiful. You can rent there, for very reasonable rates, paddle, kayak, boat… you can rent buoys, inflate them on the spot etc.

The fast food near the entrance is excellent, and not too expensive, I really liked their chicken wings. Be careful, they close at 4pm.

Here are the sources I have identified. If it wasn’t raining, I think we could have set up this program in 2 days from Orlando. Among the sources cited, Silver Glen Springs is also very very well known.

Budget

Rainbow Spring : 2$/person
Ocala Drive-In: 6$/person but it is strongly recommended to consume on site (count 15$/person extra)
Ginnie Springs: $15/person
Lunch at Ginnie Springs: between $8 and $10/person
our hotel in Ocala: Sleep Inn & Suites Ocala (Booking link) 84$ per double room

This article is part of our series of Road Trip in FloridaYou can find all other travel books here:

Ginnie Spring, Rainbow Spring (USA) – Road trip in Florida #3

Part 1: Travel Diary