Rainbow Springs State Park, just north of the small town of Dunnellon, is one of inland Florida's most breathtaking spots, as the Rainbow River forms a ribbon of turquoise and blue that winds through surrounding wetlands and underneath moss-laden oaks and thick stands of palms. The clear bubbling water of the natural spring, Florida's fourth-largest, remains a crisp 72 degrees, making the river and spring a year-round destination for swimming, snorkeling, canoeing or kayaking.
How to get to Rainbow Springs
From Interstate 75 north or south, take Exit 352 for Florida State Road 40, then turn left and go west about 16 miles through the Dunnellon business district. Turn left onto SW 185th Avenue Road, then go 1.5 miles and turn right onto SW 173rd Place Road. The main park entrance is at the end of that road, while the park's campground and tube entrance are about 7 miles away on SW 180th Avenue Road. Once you get into downtown Dunnellon, signs direct you to the park's headsprings entrance, where ample free parking is available.
Best and worst time to go to Rainbow Springs
Park hours are from 8 a.m. to sundown daily. The park typically holds its "Cracker Days" celebration on the last full weekend in February. The festival includes craft booths, interpreters dressed like 19th-century Florida settlers and performing tasks such as blacksmithing, spinning yarn, churning butter and grinding corn, as well as children's games of the period. To catch the gardens' sizable collection of pink, purple and white azaleas at peak bloom, visit from early March to early April.
Admission to Rainbow Springs
Park admission to the headsprings is $2 per person, with ages 6 and under free. Entry fee to the tube entrance is $5 per vehicle, plus an $11 tubing fee, which includes a tube and tram service from the parking lot to the Rainbow River. Campsite fees are about $30 per night.
Must see/do at Rainbow Springs
From spring to fall, start with a hike on the 2.5-mile nature trail, which winds past several man-made waterfalls, through the park's gardens and underneath massive oak canopies, then cool off with a refeshing dip or snorkeling adventure in the crystal clear waters of the headsprings swimming area, which ranges from 5 to 18 feet in depth. To experience the full beauty of the Rainbow River up close, rent a canoe or kayak at the headsprings, or better yet, from Memorial Day to late September, head to the tubing entrance for a two-hour float down the river.
Other places to visit near Rainbow Springs
Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at the park, but fuel up for the day's activities with a hearty, Southern-style breakfast at the Front Porch Retaurant & Pie Shop. And take an apple or pecan pie to go. After your visit to the springs, wind down at the Blue Gator, a distinctive tiki bar & restaurant on the Withlacoochee River. Enjoy live entertainment on weekend evenings, a full bar with tropical drink selections, steamed shrimp and other fresh seafood selections, and be sure to sample the namesake Blue Gator Bites, an alligator appetizer. Both Dunnellon eateries are about 8 miles from the park.
Insider tip for visitors to Rainbow Springs
Rainbow Springs was a private tourist attraction from the 1930s to 1970s with glass-bottom boats, a monorail before falling into disrepair. After restoration, it reopened again as a state park in the 1990s, but if you look for them, you can still see signs of the park's heyday, including an old rodeo arena and the cages of a small aviary and zoo.
Author's bio: Kevin Adams is a freelance writer who has lived in Orlando for more than a decade and has had travel articles appear on USAToday.com and in Golfweek magazine.
