Explore this Beautiful Central Florida State Park and Go Kayaking with Manatees!
After a short one-hour drive from the theme parks, Blue Spring State Park makes travelers feel like they have entered another world. The crystal clear blue water, old trees covered in Spanish moss, and abundant wildlife shows the real “old Florida”. Plus the fact that visitors can enjoy kayaking with manatees is a definite bonus!
Until this recent visit, we have only traveled to the park by motorboat or pontoon boat. You can cruise along the St. John’s River and dock your boat right at the start of the half mile boardwalk in the state park. Then it is a gorgeous shaded walk from viewpoint to viewpoint all the way to the mouth of the spring.
Blue Spring State Park Info
Blue Spring State Park is open from 8 AM to sunset 365 days a year. There is the usual Florida state park entrance fee which currently is $6 per carload (8 people or less). The state park fills up fast on the weekends and holidays, we recommend getting there as early as possible.
The park has 51 campsites for both tents and RV’s which we will definitely be booking later on this summer. This park also offers cabins for rent if you are visiting from out of the area. There is a large gift shop, a kids playground, a concession stand with food and drinks, and picnic and barbeque pavilions perfect for a large gathering.
All About the Blue Spring Manatees
Blue Spring is most known for the manatees that flock (float?) there every winter. The spring water is a constant 72°F year-round and over 300 manatees gather at the spring, making this a designated manatee refuge and one of the largest in Florida. There is a daily “manatee count” posted online and on a sign when you are first driving in that tells you how many have been spotted that day. If the number is low, don’t despair- you will most likely still see some!
Note: It is illegal under federal and Florida law to injure or harm a manatee. You can only touch one if they touch you first, and only gently with one hand at a time.
Manatees, or “sea cows”, are gentle giants. Manatees can grow up to 2,000 pounds eating only grasses and plants. They are curious, nearsighted, and move slowly. Their main threat: humans, from habitat destruction or collisions with boat propellors. They are now considered “threatened” instead of endangered, having grown from a population of only a few hundred in the US to over 6,000 in Florida!
Adopt a Manatee
Yes, you can help the manatees!
Funds from the Adopt-A-Manatee program go toward efforts to help protect manatees and their habitat. Click on the link to see bios and photos of adoptable manatees, it is only $25 to “adopt” one of these amazing creatures. As a family we have adopted a roly-poly manatee named Aqua.
Kayaking with Manatees
There are a few ways to kayak with manatees at Blue Spring. Located inside the park, Blue Spring Adventures offers narrated two hour boat tours and rentals of tubes, kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and even Segway rentals with tours of the park along the boardwalk.
Guests can also bring their own paddling equipment to the park and take out a kayak or paddleboard from the designated launch area for no extra launch fee.
If you are entering the spring area to paddle without actually starting in the state park, there is a public launch area at the French Landing boat ramp located at the end of W. French Street in Orange City, FL. Paddlers will then take the St. John’s River about 1/4 mile to the Blue Spring Run and entrance to the park.
Scuba Diving and Swimming at Blue Spring
Blue Spring has a designated swimming area that is separated with buoys from the boating traffic on the St. John’s River. You can swim upstream all the way to the spring boil, then leisurely float back downstream.
Note: Because Blue Spring is a manatee refuge, there is no swimming or snorkeling in the spring run from mid-November through March when the manatees are most active here.
The spring itself is deep, measuring over 100 feet! This makes Blue Spring a very popular place for scuba diving. Registration is required and you must be scuba certified. Snorkeling is also a popular activity to do at the spring since the water is so clear.
Blue Spring Boil
Continuing on the boardwalk past the swimming area, you will pass the historic Thursby House, concession stand and gift shop. A short walk beyond leads you alongside the run upstream to the spring boil. The boil is where water pressure is great enough to cause a turbulent bubbling or upwelling into the spring pool.
Blue Spring pours out 102 million gallons of water a day into the St. John’s River. You can see the bubbling (but cold!) water at the boil.
Unless otherwise noted, you are to stay on the boardwalk when navigating the park in order to to help protect this amazing space. The most popular hike is taking the Blue Spring Trail all along the Boardwalk, about 1 mile total. There are several hiking trails that venture off of the boardwalk, including the 5-mile Pine Island Trail.
Visiting Blue Spring State Park is definitely worth taking a day trip from Orlando, or even a weekend stay at the campgrounds. In the winter and spring, visit the manatees and enjoy the beautiful Florida weather. In the summer, swim and try all of the water activities like kayaking and tubing. Who knows, we might see you there!
More Springs Around Central Florida
If you are looking for more local springs to visit like Blue Spring, check out Deleon Springs State Park and Lake Louisa State Park. All three parks are very close in proximity but are completely different once you get inside.
And for more water fun in crystal clear Florida springs, see our post about tubing in Ginnie Springs, kayaking in Silver Springs State Park with monkeys, and paddling in Rainbow Springs along the Rainbow River!
Happy Travels!
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Yes it is very beautiful.
My husband and I took a day trip here a few months ago! We really enjoyed walking around searching for manatees, and saw a few alligators at the same time.