From Here to There: October 2013

There's a place not far from my doorstep that beckons to Old Florida. Turquoise water that is crisp and cool, a gentle breeze rustling the trees, cypress knees almost as tall as me. A place where you can hear absolutely nothing one moment, the call of a red-tail hawk the next and the laughter of a child the moment after that. I think this can generally describe one of many spring-fed rivers found throughout Florida. There's about nothing I enjoy more than a day out on one of these rivers.

There are many options for a day trip to explore one of Florida's springs from the Tampa Bay area. One such trip that also happens to be one of the closest to my home is Weeki Wachee Springs. At a little under one-and-a-half hours away (each way), it makes for an easy day trip.

There are several options to choose from when exploring Weeki Wachee Springs. In fact, it is one of Florida's oldest tourist attractions. Best known for the live mermaid show, the state park also offers boat tours of the river, manatee watching and a water park. Weeki Wachee itself is a first-magnitude spring. That means it falls within the largest category of springs by water volume, discharging around 64 million gallons of fresh water a day (on average). After some research and discussion, we decided to do a 5-mile kayak tour of the Weeki Wachee River. We utilized Weeki Wachee Kayaking as our operator and were very pleased with the personalized service they provided. For less than $50, we had a tandem kayak rental for the day with drop off and pick up for our 5-mile kayak down the river.

We were dropped off inside the Weeki Wachee State Park near the headspring and followed the river out of the park, into a wildlife refuge and along homes and private property to our final destination which was a pull out near a campsite that our tour operator has an agreement to use. It took about 3 hours which included a stop of about 20 minutes. We pulled off the river and secured our kayak so we could swim. While the current moves swiftly, we found a little cove that was suitable for a quick dip. It is hard to describe just how refreshing a cool dip in these spring fed waters can be. Suffice to say, I felt totally rejuvenated and extremely vibrant after our swim. Skin is soft, aches and pains are gone, and we both felt more energized overall. Nick and I often joke that this must be what Ponce de Leon was hoping to find as he searched the world for the Fountain of Youth!

The view looking down river from our swim spot.

It was about 75 and sunny the afternoon we went out. A slight breeze and a good mix of sun and shade. While we weren't among the lucky who saw manatee, otter and deer that day, we enjoyed our time on the river. We were fortunate to spot a few leaves changing color which is a rarity in Florida, and a welcome surprise for these midwestern transplants.

Although I love Florida's beaches and enjoy living near some of the world's best as ranked by Dr. Beach and TripAdvisor, there is nothing like getting away to enjoy a sunny day floating down the crystal-clear spring fed rivers in our state. If you haven't been, I'd encourage you to do so. It's like spending a day in yesteryear and is sure to leave you refreshed and relaxed in a way that's hard to match.

Have you been to a Florida spring? What's your favorite and why? Would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

Happy Exploring!

Jess