This state park was once an amusement park – glass-bottomed boats were invented here in 1878 to show visitors the natural springs and stunningly clear waters of the Silver River. Although the amusement side of things closed in 2013, the natural beauty and the boat tours (adult/child $11/10) over Mammoth Spring remain. The spring is the world's largest artesian limestone spring, gushing 550 million gallons of 99.8%-pure spring water per day.
Silver Springs State Park
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
26.44 MILES
Wild horses and bison roam the 20 biological communities that constitute 21,000-acre Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. This slightly eerie preserve's…
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The second-largest nationally protected forest in the state of Florida, Ocala National Forest is a treasure to be savored. Hidden within 607 square miles…
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Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
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Rawlings (1896–1953) was the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Yearling, a coming-of-age story set in what’s now Ocala National Forest. Her…
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13.76 MILES
Local drag racer Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits won 144 national events and 17 World Championship titles, shattering numerous records in hand-built breakneck…
Nearby attractions
13.76 MILES
Local drag racer Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits won 144 national events and 17 World Championship titles, shattering numerous records in hand-built breakneck…
2. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
20.39 MILES
Rawlings (1896–1953) was the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Yearling, a coming-of-age story set in what’s now Ocala National Forest. Her…
20.66 MILES
The second-largest nationally protected forest in the state of Florida, Ocala National Forest is a treasure to be savored. Hidden within 607 square miles…
4. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
26.44 MILES
Wild horses and bison roam the 20 biological communities that constitute 21,000-acre Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. This slightly eerie preserve's…