Thereʼs something magical about floating effortlessly down a river and letting the current just carry you. We found a real lazy river in the state of Florida and itʼs 6 miles long! Itʼs called Ichetucknee Springs. We have heard a lot about the crystal clear 72- degree water, but have never ventured there when we lived in Florida. Boy, we had been missing out!
We stayed at the closest campground to the park, so our ride wasn’t long in the morning. We got to the park about 30 minutes before it opened. We were greeted with about 100 other vehicles waiting in line! (So get there early if you go.) We rented a giant tube that the 3 of us could fit in. We couldn’t wait to get in and admire the beautiful sights we would see as we floated for 3.5 hours! We were nervous about alligators. Luckily, they stay away from crowds of people and prefer dark murky water.
As we floated down the river, we met many nice folks who were floating nearby as well. We made friends! It was great to see grown men and women playing as if they were teenagers again. We even jumped in a few times to swim and cool off from the blazing Florida heat. We saw deer, lots of turtles and tons of fish. The fish were easy to see since we could see straight down to the bottom.
After the long haul down the river, we went back up to the trail head and swam in the fresh water lagoon. It was heavenly to see such a natural treasure right here in our home state. When people think of Florida, they think Disney World, Miami and the beaches but no one expects these rivers and springs. Ichetucknee Springs is by far one of the coolest places we have ever had the privilege of visiting. If youʼre ever in the state of Florida, you have to check out the beaches, but you cannot miss these springs!
Location: Ichetucknee Springs
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