Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Everything You Need To Know About Silver Springs State Park ~ Glass Bottom Boats, Paddling & Hiking ~ Help us create amazing road trip videos...gofund.me/bae1e466
In this video we’re going to go over the details of why you should take an excursion to Silver Springs State park during your next Florida vacation.
Silver Springs stands out as one of Florida’s best state park’s and one of Central Florida's most breathtaking paddling spots. It also has something you shouldn’t be able see in the Florida wilderness.
Situated just outside of Ocala, FL, Silver Springs is an hour and a half drive from Orlando's major theme parks.
This stunning park welcomes visitors seven days a week, 365 days a year, including holidays, from 8:00 AM until sundown. Admission to Silver Springs is a nominal $2.00 per person, pedestrians and bicycles. Children under the age of 6 are free.
The park is home to a newly renovated complex that features a welcome center, gift shop, discovery center, the Springside café, rest rooms, a snack shop and a ball room that can be rented out.
There's an array of activities to enjoy at Silver Springs, but one of the most popular is the glass bottom boat tours. These iconic boats have been a part of Silver Springs' history since the 1870s. These unique vessels provide a mesmerizing underwater perspective of the park's springs that won’t soon be forgotten.
There are two tours that you can take, a 30 minute tour and an extended 1 1/2 hour tour.
The 30 minute river tour runs every 15 to 20 minutes, 365 days a year. Walk-ups are welcomed but reservations are encouraged. For our visit, it was easy to get a walk-up ticket for the tour but keep in mind that Walk ups are on a first come, first serve basis.
The long tour is offered daily at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Since this is the more limited tour it is recommended that a reservation is made in advance.
During our tour, we had the pleasure of an informative and entertaining skipper guiding us through the various spring heads, pointing out turtles, fish and even underwater statues.
A key feature of the tour is undoubtedly the mammoth spring, it’s the primary source feeding the river. This impressive spring, the largest limestone artesian formation in the world, releases enough water to fill four Olympic-sized pools in just one hour. The mammoth spring's depths have yielded treasures like authentic mammoth bones.
That is, in fact, how it got its name, mammoth spring.
But for Nikki and I, and maybe for you viewers who are movie buffs, film aficionados or theme park fans…the highlight of the tour was seeing the underway area used for filming all three Creature From The Black Lagoon movies.
During the tour our skipper also pointed out some other filming locations, like the one for the TV show Sea Hunt. Both river tours are awesome but if you don’t want to be stuck to a schedule we recommend the shorter tour, which is the one we took.
For those eager to spend more time on the water, Silver Springs offers miles of opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding.
Rentals are available hourly or for the entire day. If opting for a full-day journey, allocate at least three to four hours, aiming to arrive by noon for ample exploration time.
You can do self-guided paddles, which is what we did, but they offer guided paddle tours that are fun and informative. A shuttle service can also be purchased if you only want to paddle downstream.
The clarity of Silver Springs' waters is unparalleled, offering a clear view of fish and turtles gliding beneath your kayak—an experience not to be missed.
We also spotted two small alligators along the way. Well, to me they were small, if you’re not so used to running across alligators they may seem a bit larger to your eyes.
The waterways' beauty transports you to another world, enhanced by sightings of the resident manatee family. I was lucky enough to capture this amazing shot with my gopro.
Arriving early ensures a serene paddle, as the river tends to get busier as the day progresses. You’ll be rewarded for waking up early on your paddle day.
In addition to boat tours and paddling adventures, Silver Springs boasts several hiking trails.
First up we have the Half Mile Creek Trail. This is a more natural trail with a dirt path that is also used as a bike trail. The beautiful trees on this trail provide a lot of shade to protect from the Florida sun.
A good idea when doing any hiking in Florida would be to pack and use bug spray.
The other main trail is the Ross Allen boardwalk, near the park entrance. It’s a wooden boardwalk that winds around Ross Allen Island, offering glimpses of wild monkeys amidst lush surroundings.
Yes, you heard me correctly. Wild monkeys. During our visit, not only did we see the monkeys on the boardwalk trail, but in the trees during glass bottom boat tour and during our self-guided paddle. They were even up to some monkey business in the general park area.
Everything You Need To Know About Silver Springs State Park ~ Glass Bottom Boats, Paddling & Hiking ~ Help us create amazing road trip videos...gofund.me/bae1e466
In this video we’re going to go over the details of why you should take an excursion to Silver Springs State park during your next Florida vacation.
Silver Springs stands out as one of Florida’s best state park’s and one of Central Florida's most breathtaking paddling spots. It also has something you shouldn’t be able see in the Florida wilderness.
Situated just outside of Ocala, FL, Silver Springs is an hour and a half drive from Orlando's major theme parks.
This stunning park welcomes visitors seven days a week, 365 days a year, including holidays, from 8:00 AM until sundown. Admission to Silver Springs is a nominal $2.00 per person, pedestrians and bicycles. Children under the age of 6 are free.
The park is home to a newly renovated complex that features a welcome center, gift shop, discovery center, the Springside café, rest rooms, a snack shop and a ball room that can be rented out.
There's an array of activities to enjoy at Silver Springs, but one of the most popular is the glass bottom boat tours. These iconic boats have been a part of Silver Springs' history since the 1870s. These unique vessels provide a mesmerizing underwater perspective of the park's springs that won’t soon be forgotten.
There are two tours that you can take, a 30 minute tour and an extended 1 1/2 hour tour.
The 30 minute river tour runs every 15 to 20 minutes, 365 days a year. Walk-ups are welcomed but reservations are encouraged. For our visit, it was easy to get a walk-up ticket for the tour but keep in mind that Walk ups are on a first come, first serve basis.
The long tour is offered daily at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Since this is the more limited tour it is recommended that a reservation is made in advance.
During our tour, we had the pleasure of an informative and entertaining skipper guiding us through the various spring heads, pointing out turtles, fish and even underwater statues.
A key feature of the tour is undoubtedly the mammoth spring, it’s the primary source feeding the river. This impressive spring, the largest limestone artesian formation in the world, releases enough water to fill four Olympic-sized pools in just one hour. The mammoth spring's depths have yielded treasures like authentic mammoth bones.
That is, in fact, how it got its name, mammoth spring.
But for Nikki and I, and maybe for you viewers who are movie buffs, film aficionados or theme park fans…the highlight of the tour was seeing the underway area used for filming all three Creature From The Black Lagoon movies.
During the tour our skipper also pointed out some other filming locations, like the one for the TV show Sea Hunt. Both river tours are awesome but if you don’t want to be stuck to a schedule we recommend the shorter tour, which is the one we took.
For those eager to spend more time on the water, Silver Springs offers miles of opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding.
Rentals are available hourly or for the entire day. If opting for a full-day journey, allocate at least three to four hours, aiming to arrive by noon for ample exploration time.
You can do self-guided paddles, which is what we did, but they offer guided paddle tours that are fun and informative. A shuttle service can also be purchased if you only want to paddle downstream.
The clarity of Silver Springs' waters is unparalleled, offering a clear view of fish and turtles gliding beneath your kayak—an experience not to be missed.
We also spotted two small alligators along the way. Well, to me they were small, if you’re not so used to running across alligators they may seem a bit larger to your eyes.
The waterways' beauty transports you to another world, enhanced by sightings of the resident manatee family. I was lucky enough to capture this amazing shot with my gopro.
Arriving early ensures a serene paddle, as the river tends to get busier as the day progresses. You’ll be rewarded for waking up early on your paddle day.
In addition to boat tours and paddling adventures, Silver Springs boasts several hiking trails.
First up we have the Half Mile Creek Trail. This is a more natural trail with a dirt path that is also used as a bike trail. The beautiful trees on this trail provide a lot of shade to protect from the Florida sun.
A good idea when doing any hiking in Florida would be to pack and use bug spray.
The other main trail is the Ross Allen boardwalk, near the park entrance. It’s a wooden boardwalk that winds around Ross Allen Island, offering glimpses of wild monkeys amidst lush surroundings.
Yes, you heard me correctly. Wild monkeys. During our visit, not only did we see the monkeys on the boardwalk trail, but in the trees during glass bottom boat tour and during our self-guided paddle. They were even up to some monkey business in the general park area.
