Silver Springs State Park in Florida
A glass-bottom boat glides over the clear spring water at Silver Springs State Park in Florida, as seen during our October 2023 visit.
Silver Springs was for many years a popular roadside attraction park, but its fame declined when the big theme parks moved into the state. Fortunately, some years ago the state of Florida took over the park and turned it into a state park, preserving its natural beauty for years to come.
About our Visit
Our visit to Silver Springs was almost by accident. On our trip down into Florida, we ended up going farther than we had expected, thanks to home football games by both Florida State and the University of Florida running up hotel room prices. We went on to Ocala, where we found a reasonably-priced room, and it turned out to be just down the road from Silver Springs.
The next morning, we decided to stop by Silver Springs for a brief visit, since we were so close, not really knowing much about the park at all. And besides, admission was only $2 per person, so it would not be a big expense. We ended up staying for over 6 hours!
For various reasons, we did not go for a boat ride, which is a separate charge, but those looked interesting, too. Maybe next time. And although you can’t tell it all that well here, even standing at the edge of the water, we could see straight to the bottom, due to the clearness of the spring water. It was a beautiful sight.
While there, we hiked the trails and enjoyed the views. We also went to the south part of the state park to see the historic village there and walk more trails.
We greatly enjoyed our visit, and I can definitely see us going back. I can also see me sharing more photos and stories from our visit, because there are lots!
Take a Chance
I often talk about being flexible and not tied down to a plan. I often say that it is worth it to be impulsive and take a chance. This was another case of that being true.
Many times, I try not to get my hopes up, or Laura’s hopes up, too high, and I often say, “This could turn out to be a bad idea.” But so many times, we end up finding more than we expect. Of course, some of that goes to our nature of being easily entertained, especially by a nature trail, and also by our nature of just having fun whenever we get to do something together. That last part especially makes it less of a risk when we go on some new adventure.
But I will say again to take that chance, go on that unplanned adventure, take a detour that you had not thought about before. Yes, it might not be great, but it might be the highlight of your day, or even your week. And if it isn’t, then you can just go on to the next thing and try something else. Just don’t let it ruin your whole day.
Take a chance!
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. - Proverbs 19:21
About the Photo
It was a beautiful day during our visit to Silver Springs, but at the time that I took this photo, and due to the direction I was facing, the sun washed out the sky pretty strongly. So I did a little bit of digital photography trickery and used a separate exposure from the same Raw file (See Steve’s Photography Tips for more) to use for the sky. Just a minor thing to most people, but the white sky really stood out to me, and not in a good way.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Raw Therapee and GIMP.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Rokinon 35mm f/1.8
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Silver Springs State Park, Florida
