The six-mile-long river at the heart of this beautiful state park in Central Florida looks like it’s cut from malachite—all striking shades of deep green and blue, crystal clear and loaded with fish and turtles. And the most fun you can have on a hot Florida day is to rent an inner tube for a few dollars and make the two-to-three-hour float down the lazy winding river. The spring-fed waters are a constant 72 degrees year round, and alligators are almost never spotted in the park since they prefer warmer waters (though the park has warning signs as you put in, just to cover the bases). During the scorching summer months, from May to late September, plan your visit for a weekday morning to avoid the crowds.
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Itchetucknee Springs State Park
The six-mile-long river at the heart of this beautiful state park in Central Florida looks like it’s cut from malachite—all striking shades of deep green and blue, crystal clear and loaded with fish and turtles. And the most fun you can have on a hot Florida day is to rent an inner tube for a few dollars and make the two-to-three-hour float down the lazy winding river. The spring-fed waters are a constant 72 degrees year round, and alligators are almost never spotted in the park since they prefer warmer waters (though the park has warning signs as you put in, just to cover the bases). During the scorching summer months, from May to late September, plan your visit for a weekday morning to avoid the crowds.
