Floridians survive the heat and humidity of our brutal summers by turning to the state’s wealth of cool, clear, refreshing springs. But you need to get to the best Florida springs early, especially on weekends.
Orlando/Central Florida
This small town festival celebrates a uniquely Lake Placid product: caladiums, a colorful plant grown commercially almost nowhere else. There’ll be music, food, a car show and arts and crafts. New this year: A 1920s steam locomotive, The Sugar Express, will offer rides on a vintage train.
Travel and Leisure magazine calls New Smyrna Beach “Florida’s most underrated seaside city”. We think it is “Florida’s best little beach town.”
Twenty minutes off I-4 between Orlando and Tampa, there is a little-known wildlife preserve that one visitor calls “a free safari.” It attracts thousands of migrating birds in winter, but it has more to offer than just excellent birding.
Orlando Wetlands Park is a must-stop for birders and wildlife fans; it’s home to over 100 roseate spoonbills, 1,700 alligators and 200 species of bird. What’s even better: A half-mile boardwalk opened this winter providing great views of nesting birds in a cypress island. It’s only 20 minutes off I-95.
Chinsegut Hill Historic Site in Brooksville is a rare Antebellum plantation in Florida. Beautifully preserved atop a high hill, it introduces you to remarkable people, black and white, who lived here over 180 years. What a great place to discover!
This region may be known for its theme parks, but it should really be famous for its springs and rivers. If you like paddling, you’ll find some of the Florida’s best kayaking in Central Florida.
A peaceful park shaded by magnificent live oaks is a good place to soak up some Florida history and take a walk or have a picnic. The battlefield tells a dramatic and thought-provoking story.
This 46-mile paved Central Florida rail trail is a smooth, safe ride. But what makes it special is the scenery, parks & towns to explore along the way.
The Withlacoochee River meanders through an unspoiled forest in rural Florida but still within an hour of Orlando and Tampa.
You’ll discover tons of things to do in Sanford, Florida, a historic waterfront town, now a foodie & craft beer haven. It’s close to top kayaking on the Wekiva and Econ and good bike trails.
The Econlockhatchee — Econ for short — is close to Central Florida cities, yet it offers vast wild areas to kayak and even camp along a beautiful river not overrun with people.
The Mount Dora Bicycle Festival attracts thousands for competitive rides over hill and dale. This is your guide to the festival with schedules, a list of nearby campgrounds and links to hotel and vacation home reservations.
This year-round surfing mecca has more to offer beyond the resort cluster near the pier. Discover these hidden things to do.
Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales will fill a day with exploration and beauty — manicured landscapes, history and trails atop a lofty hill in Central Florida. Here are our seven favorite spots.
Canaveral National Seashore is quiet and peaceful with bountiful wildlife, and you can always find your place in the sand.
Lakes Wales is blessed with the historic and grand Bok Tower Gardens, but there are other things to do, from funky ‘Spook Hill’ to a pretty pathway around the lake for biking or walking.
Camping, kayaking, hiking, biking and a humongous swimming pool are the top features of this state park that straddles the Hillsborough River.
Development is creeping up on Spruce Creek and Strickland Bay, but there’s still enough scenic shoreline left to enjoy an awesome day of kayaking.
The park, home to hundreds of manatees in the winter, is beautiful and paddling opportunities are numerous. There’s something special year-round. In summer 2024, however, habitat restoration will close all swimming.
If you haven’t experienced Florida’s most famous spring, you’re missing one of the most beautiful spots in Florida. This weekend, Ocali Country Days, a special living-history festival, will re-create the Ocala of the 1800s. Year-round, this park has it all: kayaking, hiking, glass-bottom boat rides, horseback riding and terrific cabins.
Lake Norris & Blackwater Creek are hidden gems of the Wekiva River system near Orlando. The dwarf cypress in the lake are like a gorgeous watery bonsai garden. It’s an easy paddle worth seeking out for its great beauty.
Tucked into the woods between two lakes and a wildlife preserve, this 54-site public campground is $18-$23 per night and only 20 minutes from Disney World.
Colt Creek State Park is one of Florida’s newest parks, part of the massive Green Swamp Wilderness near Tampa, with RV and tent camping, backpacking, kayaking, fishing, hiking and off-road bicycling.
Jetty Park, with a terrific beach, fishing jetty and a view of passing ships, has a campground and small cabins. It’s an appealing getaway, with a few catches.
Inexpensive and smothered in nature, these scenic campgrounds are the best for RV and tent campers within an hour’s drive of Disney World.
The 22-mile-long West Orange Trail stands out as an appealing bike trail, as it winds along Lake Apopka west of Orlando. This smooth paved trail gets it right, with scenery and excellent amenities.
Amateur astronomers love this place in the heart of Florida’s cow country — 54,000 acres of wide-open prairie, 25 miles from the nearest town, ideal for stargazing under a pure night sky.
Lake Wales Ridge State Forest is for explorers – folks who like to find places that aren’t in the guidebooks. Here you can hike for miles in the woods, hear only nature and have a chance to spot wildlife, including bear, bald eagles and endangered scrub jays.
Chances are, you’ve never heard of Blue Cypress Lake near Yeehaw Junction. If that’s so, you’re missing a spectacular natural lake rimmed by old growth cypress trees and home to hundreds of ospreys and osprey nests. This lake is the headwaters of the mighty St. Johns River. What a great kayak destination!