Silver Springs State Park
A long-established spring attraction that has offered glass-bottom boat tours since 1878. Through the boat's glass floor you can see huge spring vents and fish, and wild rhesus monkeys often appear on the banks.
Silver Springs lies on the eastern outskirts of Ocala and is one of the world's largest groups of artesian springs. It has been famous for its glass-bottom boats since the 19th century and was a filming location for Tarzan movies. A roughly 30-minute glass-bottom boat ride lets you look down at spring vents dozens of meters deep, ancient fossils and fish. The wild rhesus macaques along the riverbank are descendants of monkeys released in the 1930s, so do not approach or feed them. The park also has kayak rentals and wooden boardwalks, and the wildlife along the Silver River is rich. Entry costs about $8 per vehicle, and the glass-bottom boat costs an additional $15 or so. It is about 65 km (around 1 hour's drive) from Crystal River and can be combined with Rainbow Springs in one day.
Opening hours
08:00 until sunset (glass-bottom boats about 10:00–16:00)
Nearby sights
- Rainbow Springs State Park
- Devil's Den Prehistoric Spring
- Withlacoochee State Trail
- Hunter Springs Park
- Three Sisters Springs
- Kings Bay Manatee Swim
- Crystal River Archaeological State Park
- Crystal River Preserve State Park