-Silver Springs State Park-
While recently visiting Florida, Jen and I found a few destinations near Orlando that didn’t include Disney or Universal Studios. Our original plans included a day at Universal, however we decided to try to find something just as fun without the crowds or long lines.
We found that there are quite a few things to do within reasonable driving distance of Orlando. Our first destination was Silver Springs State Park. Located at the edge of the Ocala National Forest, home to many lakes, rivers and prestine springs. Our route from Oralndo took us through the Ocala National Forest on Highways 19 and 40. We stopped in Altoona, Florida along the way which shares a name with our own hometown in Wisconsin. The drive ended up being about 90 minutes in total but very scenic.
Once we arrived at the Park we proceeded to the kayak rental and landing area. We were able to rent two tandem kayaks with clear bottoms for 2 hours for around $90(which included our $2 per person admission to the park) The water in the Silver River is crystal clear! This makes for great viewing of all the fish and the occasional manatee swimming in the area. In addition to the fish and waterfowl we also spotted a monkey napping in a tree and an alligator soaking up some sun.
After kayaking we entered the main portion of the park. Inside there is a cafe, a museum and a gift shop. Adjacent to the shops and restrooms is a pavilion at the waters edge. Here you can purchase a guided tour on one of their historic glass bottom boats.
Continuing on there is a large open green space with hiking trails and more opportunities to see monkeys. The monkeys were brought here in the 1930’s by a tour boat operator who wanted to create a “Tarzan like” theme park. He released them on a nearby island and later realized they were good swimmers and they escaped and reproduced.
We saw most of the park in about a half a day so no need to be in a rush. In conclusion, we really enjoyed the park and would recommend visiting if you are in the Orlando area! Here is a link to the park website if you would like more info. http://www.silversprings.com/
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