Sarahritchie17 Travel Blogs from the Vault
Dear Reader, sometimes, a lot of times, I’ll start drafting a blog post on the flight home from the latest adventure, or in this case at a coffee shop on the last morning of our trip, when the thoughts are fresh and the creative juices are flowing. Then, it’s time to go home, and I run out of time to finish the post. It’s back to the scramble of everyday life and then into routines which sadly make writing fall low on my priority list. So here we are at the end of May 2026, and I’ve come to find that it’s been a full year since I actually published anything. This series of posts is dedicated to finishing the post or the passion project or whatever dream you have that you started working towards but lost focus on. Because it is important and it matters to someone out there. Cheers! -Sarah
September 2025
A must-do weekend trip if you live in the state of Florida is to visit the Florida Springs. Known for their stunning clear water and manatee sightings, there are many ways to explore them including kayaking, snorkeling, tubing, paddle boarding, and more. Ever since we went kayaking at Weeki Wachee in 2019, my husband and I have wanted to go back and to find others to visit. For Labor Day weekend, we escaped the hectic city life and made the trip from Miami to Ocala to check out Rainbow Springs.
When To Go
The season for manatees is January-February, and in general, it’s recommended to go early in the day on weekday mornings for less people and higher potential for wildlife sightings. We went in the afternoon on one of the busiest weekends of the year, but we still had a great time and even still saw some wildlife.
Rainbow Springs Quick Facts
(From our tour guide and floridastateparks.org)
The water is a refreshing 72 degrees. For reference, the Atlantic Ocean in Miami, FL is 86 degrees; the Atlantic Ocean in New York is 71 degrees; and the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles is 70 degrees today (September 2, 2025). To the average Floridian, 72 degrees is pretty cold! Rainbow Springs has the 4th highest flow rate of all Florida Springs. Native Americans began visiting Rainbow Springs over 10,000 years ago according to artifacts found there. Rainwater is filtered through layers of soil and rock then flows through underground caves and boils up to make the Spring. This water is 96.4% filtered.
Getting There / Where to Stay
Coming from Miami, Ocala is about a 5 hour drive on I-95, the Florida Turnpike, and I-75. For a more scenic route, you could drive around Lake Okeechobee, though it would add around 30 minutes or more to the trip. If you’re coming from out-of-state, plan to fly into Ocala or Orlando. For lodging, there is a campground at Rainbow Springs, but we chose to stay at a Holiday Inn in Ocala, 30 minutes from the Spring.
Things to Consider
On the drive up, we realized that other Floridians probably had the same idea as us, getting on the water for the long weekend. I read online that the Rainbow Springs State Park closes its gates when it has reached capacity for the day, so we didn’t want to bank on getting in without a reservation. We decided to book with Get Up and Go Kayaking. It was around $200 plus tip for both of us for a 2-hr tour. There were only a few spots available, so I booked the first company I saw, but it turns out there are multiple companies (another that looked good is Florida Springs Kayaking) that do the same thing. I’d encourage you to do your research in case there’s a better deal out there. The best deal is renting a tube or kayak directly from the State Park, but that might require lining up before opening and doesn’t include a guided tour.
Our tour company launched from KP Hole which is down the road from the State Park and has its own entrance. We were hoping that it connected to the State Park so we could walk around before kayaking, but to our disappointment it was not connected, and there wasn’t much more to explore at KP Hole.
Both Rainbow State Park and KP Hole close around sunset—check the hours online before you go. Parking is busy and limited and may not be available on site. We went on one of the busiest weekends, so this might not be an issue if you go when it’s less crowded. The lot at KP Hole was full by the time we got there around 10 AM for our noon reservation, but we told them we were with Get Up and Go Kayaking, and they were able to find a spot for us. When we went to the State Park around 5 PM, there was plenty of parking available. Since admission was only $5 per car, it was worth it to us to check out even for a few hours.
The Experience
After meeting our tour guide, Angel, we got in our kayaks and paddled out. First, he took us to an otter den and told us about the river otters that inhabit the river. They weren’t there at the time, so we kept our eyes peeled the entire rest of the kayak trip, but we never found them. We did see turtles, and some people in our group saw a snapping turtle too.
Our second stop was Indian Creek—a shallow offshoot of the river where we got out and waded. This was our favorite part. Angel showed us sand boils which are like baby springs where the water from underground is surfacing. Over time, they’ll grow into larger springs. When you step on them, they suck your foot in like quicksand!
Next, we paddled to a swim spot where he showed us an underground cave. There was a larger spring near there that was about 27 feet deep. He said that he’s only seen two people make it to the bottom there out of all his tours. I dove down to where my ears were popping, but I didn’t want to push it.
The last part of the kayak tour featured wildlife—mostly birds. He told us about the local waterfowl, but my attention was still focused on trying to find an otter, so don’t ask me any questions on the birds! Haha
Overall, this tour is beginner friendly when it comes to kayaking. We didn’t make it very far up the river with all the stops, but it was a great way to learn more and see things that we may not have found on our own. We really enjoyed it, though we’d also be fine with exploring at our own pace next time.
After kayaking, we headed to Swampy’s for food which was recommended to us by multiple tour guides. We were told that Amanda makes a great spicy margarita, but Amanda wasn’t working that day, and I got distracted by the fruity drinks on the Hurricane menu and got one of those instead. It was raining when we arrived at Swampy’s and since the majority of the restaurant’s seating is outdoors, there was a 45-minute wait. On a sunnier day, it definitely seems like the place to be! Located right on the river, it’s a great view, and you can watch the people floating by while you munch. They also have live music and outdoor games like cornhole. Our favorite bite was the Corn Nuggets Appetizer. The Bayou Wings and Poboy were also good! Since we lived in New Orleans, we loved the Cajun cuisine.
From there, we headed to the State Park to walk off the heavy food. Rainbow Springs State Park offers swimming, miles of trails, waterfalls, and lush native greenery. Walking around there felt like we were in a rainforest. We learned that it used to be an amusement park where they had a treetop monorail, zoo animals, a semi-submersible river cruise, mermaid shows, and more. Eddie found a Golden Orb-Weaver Spider, AKA banana spider. A quick Google search tells me these spiders’ silk has a tensile strength greater than steel! It started pouring rain then, so we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.
Downtown Ocala
Sunday morning, we checked out Downtown Ocala. There wasn’t much going on since it was Sunday, and the coffee shop we’d picked to check out was closed along with several others. We found Sipping Grounds which was open and headed there. Sipping Grounds is part of a brand new food hall that actually had its Soft Opening the weekend we were there. It looks like it’s going to be a great spot! At the coffee shop, I got the Sugar and Spice, a seasonal latte that consisted of caramel and brown sugar flavors. There were so many flavor options to satisfy any taste. We both tried the Spicy Pig Sandwich—an everything bagel topped with cream cheese, pepper jam, and bacon. It was delicious.
We walked around the lake across the street and then to the historic downtown square. Right on the Square is Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, where we picked up some treats for the road trip home.
Overall, it was a wonderful place for a short weekend trip, and we would go back to visit again in the future!
On Our List for Next Time:
- KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
- Silver Springs- apparently these springs have wild monkeys
- Stay at the Hilton in Downtown Ocala
- Symmetry Coffee
- Ocala Downtown Market – Saturdays
- Big Hammock Brewery & Bites
- Ocala Sushi Bistro
- Cantina Tex Mex Tequila Bar
Cheers!
Sarah
