Florida Natural Springs – 5 Day Itinerary

Spend 5 perfect days exploring the natural blue springs in north central Florida! Here’s how:

Stay in or near Gainesville, FL near Hwy 75 so you can jump on/off the highway to get to springs without dealing with traffic.

🏨Hotel Indigo-Celebration Pointe
🏨Doubletree by Hilton
🏕️If in an RV: High Springs Campground in High Springs

💦Day 1: Snorkel and swim at Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park ($6/car)
Take a picnic!

💦Day 2: Drive to Crystal River and take a boat/snorkel tour to swim with manatees -the only US location where you can legally do this, due to their safety precautions (safety for the manatees). Approx $30/person for group tour, $80/person for private tour.

💦Day 3: Spend the day at Ginnie Springs. Rent kayaks and go upriver to explore more springs along the way. $15-20/person depending on season.

💦Day 4: Drive to Williston to snorkel in Devil’s Den, a prehistoric underground spring in a cave, aka a “cenote”. The “ceiling” caved in eons ago, so it’s open to the sky, and therefore not scary at all. $23+/person

💦Day 5: Drive to Dunnellon to kayak or go tubing on Rainbow River, which gets its amazing color from springs that feed into it. 

If you’re wondering if the water temperature is too cold in the winter – in the springs it is 72-74°F year round. If that feels cold to you you can rent a wetsuit at most of these places.