[Blog] Chill Out in the Florida Springs
By Graves Fromang
Florida has a diverse network of over 700 springs throughout the state. Many of the springs are accessible by car and boat giving visitors and residents a place to unplug and release, relax, and recharge.
Welling up from an underground network of aquifers, the springs are fed by approximately 8 billion gallons of 72 degree pristine water that lazily meanders through the Florida landscape.
This year I took my family to Lake George, which is the second largest lake in FL, to experience some of the many springs that feed into the lake, such as Sliver Glen Springs and Salt Springs.
We chose to go to these springs based off of the recommendations given to us by our friends, Corbin and Molly Griffeth. They have been to the springs several times and helped us plan our family vacation to this beautiful part of the state. You can see their Youtube videos of the springs here at https://youtu.be/vaj0Gfu6nXE.
From our home base of Vero Beach, FL, it is about a 2.5 hr drive to Astor, Fl pulling the boat. We stayed at Parramore’s Fish Camp, which is ideally located right on Lake George and a short 8 mile run to Silver Glen Springs.
If you forget your toiletries or groceries, Deland, FL is a short 20 minute drive south and has everything you need from Publix to local restaurants. If you want to hang around the camp, then I would recommend going to the Black Water Inn for dinner, which is easily accessible by car or boat. With a loaded drink menu consisting of local brews and delicious wines, the food menu had enough to satisfy ones appetite including steak, burgers, fresh fish, and gator tail.
The accommodations at the fish camp were exactly what you would expect from a hometown fish camp. Adequate facilities included a 2 bedroom mobile camp house with AC, small kitchen, TV, and a hot shower. This was our first time staying at the camp. Each of the cabins are named for various local wildlife and we had the pleasure of staying in the one called Buzzard’s Roost.
The cabin was able to accommodate the five members of the family and the two dogs, though the space was tight. The cabin had a bright yellow front door that opened into a small living room, which was connected to the dinning room and the kitchen. Located off of the dinning room were two bedrooms, one with bright pink walls with butterflies and one with very uncomfortable bunk beds, which no one slept on.
The boat ramp was easily accessible and the swimming pool was a welcome warm relief after being in the chilly springs all day.
Getting to the springs was very easy as all you had to do was follow all the other boats. We made the 8 miles journey early in the morning as the sun was slowly creeping up over the clouds. Upon entering the spring, we were met with a osprey nest and pristine clear chilly water.
We followed the marked channel all the way to the head of the springs. You cannot get your boat all the way up to the springs as they are protected with several buoys and ropes preventing boat access directly on the springs. However, at 3-4 ft deep, it was a short walk/swim to the head of the spring.
As you saw from the videos and pictures, the water is crystal clear and teeming with sea life. This made it really interesting for the kids as they swam through schools of hybrid bass and mullet capturing their discoveries on the GoProTM.
As with all boat trips, don’t forget the cooler full of snacks, sandwiches, and drinks because all the shivering from the cold springs works up an appetite. For further enjoyment, consider masks, snorkels, fins, waterproof cameras, shade for the boat, tons of sunscreen, inner tubes etc.
The adventure to the springs was just awesome. The kids were free to swim as they pleased in a safe natural part of this great state of Florida. Being a year round 72 degrees keeps the snakes and alligators far away from the swimming hole providing a safe way to enjoy a hot summer day.
I would highly recommend anyone who has young children to venture to the springs and cool off on those hot summer days.
For more information on the springs check out this website https://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/springs.html
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To Wellness on the Water,
Graves Fromang