Florida Springs Finder: Swim, Tube & Dive Near You
Florida’s springs you can swim, tube, snorkel or dive in, nearest to you first: the entry fee, who runs each one and the water.
Wekiwa Springs State Park is the nearest spring for swimming: 13 miles north of Orlando, FL$6 per vehicle to get in; the water is 72°F all year; a day-use reservation is required. Miles are straight lines; the drive is longer.
Wekiwa Springs State Park · 13 mi north · $6 per vehicle
Florida State Parks, Apopka (Orange County) · run by Florida State Parks
✓ swimming✓ snorkeling
- Water: 72°F all year (the operator’s figure).
- Reservation: Reservations are now required for day-use entry to Wekiwa Springs State Park.
- “Swim in crystal clear Wekiwa Spring where the water is a refreshing 72 degrees year-round”
- “Effective Sept. 2, 2025: Reservations are now required for day-use entry to Wekiwa Springs State Park.”
Kelly Park / Rock Springs · 17 mi northwest · $5 per vehicle
county park, Apopka (Orange County) · run by Orange County Parks
✓ swimming✓ tubing
- Water: 68°F all year (the operator’s figure).
- “Effective August 11, 2026, the Park Admission Fee is $5 per vehicle and $10 per bus.”
- “Kelly Park features a free-flowing natural spring (68 degrees year round)”
- “The park does not provide tube rentals. Tubes can be rented outside the park from a local business.”
Blue Spring State Park · 28 mi north · $6 per vehicle
Florida State Parks, Orange City (Volusia County) · run by Florida State Parks
✓ swimming✓ tubing✓ snorkeling✓ scuba diving
- Water: 72°F all year (the operator’s figure).
- Season: swimming April 1 to November 14.
- Reservation: All day-use visitors will be required to have a reservation to enter the park.
- “Effective April 1, 2026: The spring run at Blue Spring State Park is open to all water activities. Swimming season is from April 1 to Nov. 14.”
- “The refreshing 72-degree waters of Blue Spring greet visitors at this gem along the St. Johns River.”
- “From mid-November to March, hundreds of manatees congregate in the spring run to seek shelter from the cold.”
Alexander Springs Recreation Area · 39 mi north · entry: see its page
Ocala National Forest, Ocala National Forest (Lake County) · run by U.S. Forest Service
✓ swimming✓ snorkeling✓ scuba diving
- Water: 72°F all year (the operator’s figure).
- Day visitors pay a per-person admission fee; the Recreation.gov page does not print the amount.
- “The water is a constant 72 degrees and extraordinarily clear with a sandy bottom.”
- “Visitors can swim, snorkel and dive year-round in the crystalline waters of the spring. The spring is the only place in the Ocala National Forest where scuba diving is permitted”
De Leon Springs State Park · 41 mi north · $6 per vehicle
Florida State Parks, De Leon Springs (Volusia County) · run by Florida State Parks
✓ swimming✓ snorkeling✓ scuba diving
- Water: 72°F all year (the operator’s figure).
- “Escape the summer heat at De Leon Springs State Park and swim in our refreshing 72-degree spring water where depths range from 18 inches to 30 feet at the spring boil”
Juniper Springs Recreation Area · 49 mi northwest · entry: see its page
Ocala National Forest, Ocala National Forest (Marion County) · run by U.S. Forest Service (day use run by Naventure)
✓ swimming
- “Swimming — Cool off in refreshingly clear spring water that stays bright and inviting year‑round.”
Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area · 51 mi north · entry: see its page
Ocala National Forest, Ocala National Forest (Marion County) · run by U.S. Forest Service (day use run by Naventure)
✓ swimming✓ snorkeling
- “Popular for swimming, snorkeling, paddling, and hiking”
- “Vehicle Reservations are required for Day Use visitation at Silver Glen Springs from May 23 through September 7, 2026 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays”
Salt Springs Recreation Area · 60 mi north · entry: see its page
Ocala National Forest, Ocala National Forest (Marion County) · run by U.S. Forest Service (day use run by Naventure)
✓ swimming
- “Swimming — Cool off in refreshingly clear spring water that stays bright and inviting year‑round.”
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park · 72 mi west · $13 an adult
Florida State Parks, Weeki Wachee (Hernando County) · run by Florida State Parks
✓ swimming
- You swim at Buccaneer Bay, inside the park; the park points to its FAQ page for Buccaneer Bay’s schedule.
- “$13 for adults. $8 for children ages 6 to 12. Ages 5 and under admitted free.”
- “Buccaneer Bay features four tremendous water slides, two of which drop you off in natural Weeki Wachee Springs.”
Rainbow Springs State Park · 75 mi northwest · $5 per vehicle of 2-8 people
Florida State Parks, Dunnellon (Marion County) · run by Florida State Parks
✓ swimming✓ tubing✓ snorkeling
- Season: tubing from the first Saturday in April to the end of September (weekends only in April, May and September).
- Reservation: A day-use reservation program has been implemented at Rainbow Springs State Park on April 29, 2026. All visitors need a reservation to enter the park.
- The tubing entrance opens weekends from the first Saturday in April, every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day, then weekends to the end of September.
- Downstream, Marion County’s KP Hole Park sells a Rainbow River tubing package (entry, tube and shuttle back) for $30 plus tax a person, April 1 to September 30; you must be 18 to rent and personal tubes are not allowed.
- “$5 per vehicle of 2-8 people. $4 for single occupant vehicle. $2 for pedestrian or bicycle entry.”
- “Memorial Day through Labor Day: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week.”
- “October through March: Closed for the winter season.”
Three Sisters Springs (Crystal River) · 77 mi west · entry: see its page
national wildlife refuge, Crystal River (Citrus County) · run by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the City of Crystal River
✓ swimming✓ snorkeling
- “In-water recreation at Three Sisters Springs is accessible by launching a vessel from any of the public boat ramps or kayak launches on Kings Bay and navigating to the spring-run for Three Sisters.”
- “The Three Sisters Springs property provides land access via shuttle service, but no access to the water is provided at this site.”
- “There is no water access to the spring from the refuge. This means no swimming from the boardwalk or from the land that surrounds the springs.”
- “Paddle craft are allowed inside of Three Sisters Springs between April 1 and November 14.”
- “The manatee season at Crystal River NWR begins November 15 and ends March 31.”
Warm Mineral Springs Park · 116 mi southwest · $20 an adult ($15 for North Port residents, $18 for Sarasota County)
city park, North Port (Sarasota County) · run by City of North Port
✓ swimming✗ no scuba diving
- Water: 85°F all year (the operator’s figure).
- Daily admission from Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027: adults $20 ($18 Sarasota County residents, $15 North Port residents), students 6 to 17 $15, children under 6 free. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- “With a consistent average temperature of 85 degrees year-round, Warm Mineral Springs Park provides visitors with both therapeutic and passive recreation experiences.”
- “Scuba diving is not permitted at any time.”
Closer, but not for this
27 springs open to the public, each from its operator’s own page (read 2026-08-24 to 2026-10-03); points from the Florida Geological Survey. Fees and closures change: check the park’s page before you drive.
Quick answer: Type your town and pick swimming, tubing, snorkeling or scuba: the finder lists 27 Florida springs open to the public, nearest first, with the entry fee, who runs each one and the water’s temperature where the park states it. 23 of them let you swim. From Orlando, the nearest is Wekiwa Springs State Park, 13 miles north.
How to use it
Type the town you start from and pick it from the list, type a latitude and longitude, or tap Use my location. Choose what you want to do and, if you know it, the month. The springs where you can are listed nearest first; open one to see who runs it, its fee, its water, its season and any closure, with a link to the operator’s own page. Below the list, the closer springs where you cannot do it, and why.
What each spring’s facts come from
Only the operator’s own words count. A spring is listed for swimming, tubing, snorkeling or scuba only when its operator’s page names that activity: Florida State Parks for 17 springs, the Forest Service and its Ocala concessionaire for 4, and the county, city, wildlife refuge or private park for the rest. When a page forbids something, the finder says so; when it does not mention it, the spring is simply not listed for it. Each point is the Florida Geological Survey’s own location for the spring.
Most of the water is 68 to 72°F all year; Warm Mineral Springs in North Port is the warm one at 85°F. Day-use reservations are now required at Blue Spring, Wekiwa Springs and Rainbow Springs, and several popular springs close for hours when their parking fills on summer weekends. Ruth B. Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park has had no water activities since October 29, 2025, while it is renovated.
Every spring on the list
| Spring | County | Entry | Swim | Tube | Snorkel | Scuba | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Springs Recreation Area | Lake | See its page | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | 72°F |
| Blue Spring State Park | Volusia | $6 per vehicle | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 72°F |
| Blue Springs Recreational Area (Jackson Blue Spring) | Jackson | See its page | Yes | — | — | Yes | — |
| De Leon Springs State Park | Volusia | $6 per vehicle | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | 72°F |
| Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park | Wakulla | $6 per vehicle | Yes | — | Yes | Not allowed | 70°F |
| Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park | Citrus | Adults (age 13+), $13 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fanning Springs State Park | Levy | $6 per vehicle | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | 72°F |
| Ginnie Springs | Gilchrist | $25 an adult (March to October), $20 (November to February) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 72°F |
| Ichetucknee Springs State Park | Suwannee | $6 per vehicle | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | 72°F |
| Juniper Springs Recreation Area | Marion | See its page | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| Kelly Park / Rock Springs | Orange | $5 per vehicle | Yes | Yes | — | — | 68°F |
| Lafayette Blue Springs State Park | Lafayette | $5 per vehicle | Yes | — | — | Yes | 72°F |
| Madison Blue Spring State Park | Madison | $4 to $5 per vehicle | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Manatee Springs State Park | Levy | $6 per vehicle | Yes | — | — | Yes | — |
| Morrison Springs Park | Walton | See its page | — | — | — | Yes | — |
| Ponce de Leon Springs State Park | Holmes | $4 per vehicle | Yes | — | Yes | — | 68°F |
| Rainbow Springs State Park | Marion | $5 per vehicle of 2-8 people | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Ruth B. Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park | Gilchrist | $6 per vehicle | — | — | — | — | — |
| Salt Springs Recreation Area | Marion | See its page | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area | Marion | See its page | Yes | — | Yes | — | — |
| Silver Springs State Park | Marion | $8 per vehicle | — | — | — | — | — |
| Three Sisters Springs (Crystal River) | Citrus | See its page | Yes | — | Yes | — | — |
| Troy Spring State Park | Lafayette | $5 per vehicle | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | 72°F |
| Warm Mineral Springs Park | Sarasota | $20 an adult ($15 for North Port residents, $18 for Sarasota County) | Yes | — | — | Not allowed | 85°F |
| Weeki Wachee Springs State Park | Hernando | $13 an adult | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| Wekiwa Springs State Park | Orange | $6 per vehicle | Yes | — | Yes | — | 72°F |
| Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park | Suwannee | $4 per vehicle | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | — |
“—” means the operator’s page does not list it. Fees are the operator’s, read between 2026-08-24 and 2026-10-03; they change, so check the page before you drive.
Worked examples
From Orlando, to swim. Wekiwa Springs State Park, 13 miles north; then Kelly Park / Rock Springs, 17 miles northwest; then Blue Spring State Park, 28 miles north. Blue Spring’s swimming season is April 1 to November 14, when the manatees have gone.
From Gainesville, to go tubing. Ginnie Springs, 26 miles northwest; then Ichetucknee Springs State Park, 35 miles northwest; then Rainbow Springs State Park, 38 miles south.
From Orlando, tubing in January. Kelly Park / Rock Springs, 17 miles northwest: Blue Spring’s run is closed to tubing until April 1, so the next is Ginnie Springs, 120 miles northwest.
From Tampa or Miami, to swim. From Tampa, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, 40 miles north; from Miami, Warm Mineral Springs Park, 156 miles northwest, the warm one.
Common mistakes
- Driving to a park that is full. Blue Spring, Wekiwa and Rainbow need a day-use reservation, and Ichetucknee, Madison Blue and Ponce de Leon close for a while when they fill.
- Expecting to swim everywhere with a spring. Silver Springs and Homosassa Springs list no swimming: you see them from their boats and trails. Three Sisters Springs can only be entered from the water.
- Bringing scuba gear without the card. Certified divers only, and Wakulla and Warm Mineral Springs allow no recreational diving at all.
- Reading miles as drive time. The miles here are straight lines; the road is longer.
Plan the rest of the day
Read our guides to Florida’s top swimming springs, tubing in Florida State Parks, the Panhandle’s natural springs, Blue Spring against Ginnie Springs and a day at Kelly Park’s Rock Springs. Find more trips within a drive with the Weekend Getaway Finder, and see what the same limestone does on land with the Florida Sinkhole Map.
FAQ
Which springs in Florida can you swim in?
23 of the 27 springs on this list, from Wekiwa and Blue Spring near Orlando to Ponce de Leon in the Panhandle and Warm Mineral Springs near North Port. Pick Swim above to see them nearest first.
What are the best springs in Florida?
It depends on what you want: 6 let you tube (Ichetucknee, Rainbow, Ginnie, Rock Springs), 13 let certified divers in (Ginnie, Troy, Alexander), and Weeki Wachee has the mermaids. Choose the activity above and the finder ranks them by distance.
Is there a Florida springs map?
Yes: the finder places each spring on the Florida Geological Survey’s own point and lists them nearest to the town you type, with the miles and the direction.
Where are swimming springs near me?
Type your town above or tap Use my location: the nearest spring you can swim in comes first, with its fee and a link to the park’s page.
What springs are in Central Florida?
Near Orlando: Wekiwa Springs, Kelly Park’s Rock Springs, Blue Spring and De Leon Springs, and the Ocala National Forest’s Juniper, Alexander, Silver Glen and Salt Springs a little farther north.
Is there a list of Florida springs?
The table above lists all 27 with their county, fee, activities and water. The Florida Geological Survey’s springs layer holds 1,125 points (springs, vents and seeps); this list is the ones with a public park and an operator’s own page.
Where are the crystal clear springs in Florida?
No park publishes clarity as a number, so the finder does not rank it. It gives each spring’s water temperature where the park states it, and the link to the park’s own page for the day’s conditions.