Silver Springs State Park

What to expect

Start with the plain facts, because the name and the search results can mislead. Silver Springs is not a hot spring. Like every natural spring in Florida, it is cool groundwater rising out of limestone, and it feels cold on a winter morning and refreshing in August. You also cannot get in it. Swimming is banned throughout Silver Springs State Park and along the Silver River.

What you get instead is one of the clearest views into a big spring system anywhere in the state. More than 30 springs have been documented in the upper Silver River, and the largest, Mammoth Spring, puts out roughly 45 percent of the flow from a vent under about 30 feet of water. The St. Johns River Water Management District classes Silver Springs as a first-magnitude spring. From a glass-bottom boat you look straight down at sand boils, eelgrass, fish, turtles and the odd sunken relic from the attraction’s long history.

That history is the other reason people come. Tours in glass-bottom boats began here in the late 1870s, and the springs ran as a private tourist attraction for most of the 20th century. In 2013 the state took over and merged the attraction with the neighbouring Silver River State Park, so today one ticket covers the old gardens and boat dock at the headsprings plus miles of trails, a campground and cabins along the river.

If you came to Florida looking for a place to swim in spring water, use this park for the boats and paddling and pick a different spring for the swim. Rainbow Springs to the west and Juniper and Alexander Springs in the Ocala National Forest to the east all have swimming areas. See Rainbow Springs, Juniper Springs and Alexander Springs.

Glass-bottom boats and paddling

The glass-bottom boats leave from the dock at the headsprings near the main entrance. The fleet has nine boats, and one is wheelchair accessible on set dates. Tours start at 10 a.m. and run through the day. The 2026 park fee list gives these prices, on top of park entry:

• 30-minute tour: $17 adults, $15 seniors 55 and over and children 3 to 12.
• 90-minute tour: $35 adults, $30 seniors and children 3 to 12.

You can book online through SilverSprings.com, the concessionaire’s site. Tickets sell out on busy days, so book ahead or arrive early.

Paddling is the closer, quieter way to see the springs. Paddling Adventures rents boats at the main entrance on a first-come, first-served basis from 8 a.m.; the fee list shows a single kayak at $30 for the first hour and $45 for two hours, with late returns charged $10 per person for every 15 minutes. If you bring your own kayak, canoe or paddleboard, the launch fee is $4 per boat plus admission.

The standard route is the Fort King loop: about 1.1 miles round trip around Ross Allen Island and upstream past the headsprings, which takes one to two hours. Stronger paddlers can follow the Silver River about 5 miles downstream to Ray Wayside County Park, but you need your own car shuttle or the park’s shuttle service to get back. Glass-bottom boats have right of way, and no motors of any kind are allowed at the launches.

Getting there

The main entrance is at 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd (State Road 40), Silver Springs, about 6 miles east of downtown Ocala. From I-75, exit at SR 40 and head east through Ocala; the entrance is on the left past the city. This is the entrance for the headsprings, the glass-bottom boats, the rental launch and the café.

The campground and museum entrance is a separate gate at 1425 NE 58th Ave, Ocala. It has a free canoe launch, but the boat has to be carried about 0.6 miles to the water. An equestrian entrance sits on SR 40 near SR 326, 1.3 miles east of the main gate. Check which gate you need before you go.

When to go

The park is open every day of the year, 8 a.m. to sundown, and the springs look much the same in every season. Winter and early spring are the most comfortable months for walking the trails and sitting on an open boat. Summer is hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms that can pause boat tours and pull paddlers off the river, so go early. Weekends and school holidays bring the biggest crowds at the boat dock.

As of October 2026 the park listed the Sea Hunt Deck as closed and said the new trail system was fully open. Check the alerts on the park page before you go.

Prices and rules

• Entry: $8 per vehicle with two to eight people, $5 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle, and $2 for walkers, cyclists and extra passengers.
• Silver River Museum: $2 per person. It is run by Marion County Public Schools and opens on weekends, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• No swimming and no fishing anywhere in the park.
• No drones and no fireworks.
• No alcohol or tobacco on the river. Food and drink on the water must be in non-disposable containers.
• Do not feed or approach wildlife. All plants and animals are protected.

Where to stay nearby

The park itself is the best base. The campground has 59 sites in two loops with water and electric (some with sewer) and room for RVs up to 50 feet. Sites cost $24 a night plus tax, a $7 nightly utility fee for RVs and a $6.70 reservation fee. Cabins sleep up to six for $110 a night plus tax and fees, with a two-night minimum; pets are not allowed in the cabin area. Book through Florida State Parks (800-326-3521). Ocala, about 6 miles west, has the nearest hotels and full services.

Safety notes

• No swimming means no swimming. It is a park rule, and the river carries glass-bottom boat traffic all day.
• Alligators live in the Silver River. Keep hands inside the kayak and keep pets well back from the bank.
• Heat and storms: summer afternoons bring lightning. Get off the water when you hear thunder.
• Paddling distance: the 5-mile run to Ray Wayside is one way with the current. Do not plan on paddling back upstream unless you are fit and have time.