Silver Springs State Park
We were so disappointed Labor Day weekend when we had to cancel our camping plans because of HURRICANE DORIAN. We had been planning a trip up to SKIDAWAY ISLAND STATE PARK in Georgia for the long weekend, but instead Hurricane Dorian took a path of destruction through the Bahamas and up the eastern coast before settling on North Carolina to make landfall. My grown-up self knows that we made the adult decision, HURRICANES ARE NOT A JOKE and we were extremely fortunate not to experience any damage from the storm. My inner child wanted to go camping for the long weekend and let disappointment show in the form of feet stomping and pouting. Thankfully, my husband used his disappointment in a more productive manner and went on the reservation site to find a camping site for the following weekend. We were able to reserve a site at SILVER SPRINGS STATE PARK Campgrounds, which is usually difficult to make short notice reservations. I think that the storm ruined other campers plans same as ours, but opened up some spots for us to sneak into this close to our home location.
The campgrounds are only an hour and a half from our home in Orlando, so we left after work and arrived before dark on Friday night. It is nice to find campgrounds close to home so we can set up on Friday night and enjoy the whole weekend. I had been to Silver Springs as a child and had some vague memories, but neither of us had been in a long time and certainly not since it was a state park. As we drove into the campgrounds, it was very similar to any state park we have previously stayed. The area is separate from all the springs, so there was not a lot of traffic and the sites were very spacious. My husband immediately said he thought an actual RV owner must have been in charge of the set up. The sites placement gave a lot of privacy and were set up perfectly for backing in the camper. On top of that, they were HUGE. It was Friday night, we were in a state park, and our site was fantastic. This is our PERFECT WAY TO START THE WEEKEND.
The campgrounds and the springs have SEPARATE ENTRANCES, which I assume is because the springs used to be commercially owned. There is a two-mile hiking trail connecting the two areas, but this trip we opted to drive back and forth. Although, we love to go on long hikes, that day we were more interested in exploring the springs. We drove over and parked in the massive parking lot for Silver Springs. The enormity of the parking lot is a reminder of the former history of Silver Springs. It has only been a state park for about five years, previously it has been commercially run. There is a whole lot of history on this park and made for a very interesting day. For a state park, there is so much to do, including, GLASS BOTTOM BOAT rides, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, shops, trails, monkeys (which we did not see), the springs, paved trails, restaurants and more… Due to the commercial history, it is significantly more developed than most state parks. We rode the glass bottom boat even though we likely could have enjoyed the control of the views better had we chosen to canoe or kayak, but we would have missed out on the history of the springs as told by the boat captain. We enjoyed seeing each of the springs, learning the numerous springs and water output, the movies that have been filmed in the water, the wholly mammoth that was discovered, the history of the three statues in the water, and the overall historical popularity of the park. Next time we go, we will canoe to enjoy the flexibility of paddling down FORT KING PADDLING TRAIL. After we finished the boat tour, we walked around and had lunch at the restaurant. The food and restaurant were as good as any state park we have visited, although the large indoor space gave us the impression the restaurant would be more than just state park food so we found ourselves a little let down. We assume the space was significantly busier in during earlier commercial times. Although we had an amazing time, there was an odd emptiness in the air. You can feel the glory of a previous time and it made the park feel almost empty. I do not say this to discourage you from going, because we had a great time and more fun than most state parks. It just has a strange feeling because it was not built to be a state park.
In the campgrounds area, we found the SILVER RIVER MUSEUM, numerous trails, and of course the campsites and the cabins. The local school system runs the museum, and although it was small it had a lot of interesting displays. We saw the wholly mammoth they discovered in the springs, information about the Florida aquifer system, history of the area, tons of information on the wildlife, and a lot of information about the movies that had been filmed at the springs. It turned out to be a lot more interesting that I was expecting. We also hiked the RIVER TRAIL hoping for a view of the SILVER RIVER. The trail was a little swampier than I like and the brush along the path was thick and hard to see through. That would have been fine except for the loud splashing we heard next to the path in the brush where we could not see startled us almost to death. I expect we also startled a large alligator that decided to move into the water. I was very relieved when we finished that hike.
The campsite itself is always the most important feature to our weekend getaways. We enjoy sitting outside, enjoying a beverage, and cooking over a fire. I would say enjoy the nice breeze in the woods as we sit in our chairs, but let’s be honest, it is summer in Florida. The “breeze” we enjoyed was created by a very powerful fan. We still sat outside and enjoyed ourselves. This trip was the first time we experimented using our new pie iron. Pie Iron pizza calzones are delicious and fun to use. This was a great make-up weekend full of fun and relaxation.
State Park Summary Review
Silver Springs State Park is a great place to stay and has a lot of things to do during your visit. The campgrounds and the springs have two entrances, forcing you to drive to each section or walk the two- mile trail connecting the two. The campground includes almost 60 sites and 10 large cabins to rent. All the sites have power and electric, and some have sewer. We stayed in site 22 with no sewer and would choose this site again and did not see very many sites we did not like. The sites are spacious and provide some privacy. These sites are perfect for enjoying the day sitting outside in your campground taking advantage of the space by playing cornhole or cooking over the fire pit in each site. In the campground section, along with the actual campgrounds, you will find the Silver River Museum and numerous hiking trails. Do not miss the museum during your tip, it is small but packed full of interesting history. The trails were nice, but the River Trail was a bit too swampy for my taste. The Springs side of the park had a lot to do. The parking lot was enormous, so I doubt you would ever have trouble parking. Due to its commercial past, the park had a different feel than most state parks I have visited. There is a ton to do including, Glass Bottom Boat tours, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboats, restaurant, ice cream shop, retail shop, and very well kept and paved trails for walking. There is a ton of history, including all the movies that have been filmed over the years. The springs were beautiful, but there is not a swimming area. The only downside that we found was that you do have to drive or walk two miles on a trail between the campground to the springs. This state park is on our return list as we continue the adventure and highly recommend this campground.
