For all you Florida/southeastern people, here’s a new affordable weekend adventure for you. Blue Springs State Park is full of neat experiences. My roommate, Sarah, and I started our morning by waking up at 4:45. We pre-planned/packed the night before. Therefore, we were on the road by 5 o’clock. It took us about 2 and a half hours to get there from South Georgia. We kept each other company and surely were woken up by the bikers that were in Daytona for bike week! We arrived at the park by 8 a.m. which is when it opens (Make sure to get there early to avoid long lines). The park entry fee is $6. We started out by walking the little bridges and saw a couple manatees but we wanted to get a closer look.
They offer kayaks, canoes, snorkeling, tubing, and river cruises. As college students, of course we went for the cheapest option which was the canoe. It was $12 total for us to fit two into a canoe. I saw a sign that said, “WARNING: ALLIGATORS no swimming permitted”. Pshh I know I signed a release form, but there’s no way. It’s a joke, right? Surely, it was not. Within 10 minutes of being out on the open water, a huge alligator twice the size of me was hanging out on the other side of the river. Sarah goes, “let’s get closer so I can get a good picture”… well guess which one of us was in the front of the canoe and would be eaten first? ME! Along out path we saw a few other ones that kind of freaked me out more and more but it was awesome to see them in their natural habitat up close.
Next, we saw manatees! They loved to rub themselves under the canoe and I was waiting for one of them to flip us into the water. There were tons of Lilly pads, water to roam, birds, and other creatures. After returning our canoe, we had a picnic on one of their tables. It was definitely a full on nature experience and only $18 plus gas as a total for both of us. How awesome is that?
I hope y’all get to experience this amazing place for yourself one day! Let me know if you do and tell me your favorite part.
