Top 5 Florida Springs for Tubing

What would be better than floating down one of Florida’s natural lazy rivers on a warm summer day? Exploring the lush landscape and crisp waters of Florida’s springs is one of our absolute favorite things to do. We’ve compiled a list of our top 5 Florida springs for tubing:

1. Ichetucknee Springs (Fort White, FL)
2. Rainbow Springs (Dunellon, FL)
3. Ginnie Springs (High Springs, FL)
4. Blue Spring (Orange City, FL)
5. Rock Springs/Kelly Park (Apopka, FL)

Keep reading to find out what we love about each one!

Ichetucknee Springs

The Ichetucknee is a spring-fed river located within Ichetucknee Springs State Park in Fort White, FL. The Ichetucknee is six miles long and is fed by nine natural springs. Historically there have been three options for tubing the Ichetucknee: dropping in at the North Launch (3 hour and 30 minute float time), the Midpoint Tube Launch (1 hour and 45 minute float time), or at Dampier’s Landing (at the South Entrance) (1 hour float time). As of writing this post, the North Launch is currently unavailable, but don’t let this discourage you! Even when the North Launch was open, our favorite way to tube the Ichetucknee was to drop in at the Midpoint Tube Launch and float all the way down to the South Takeout Point. Check out the Ichetucknee Springs website here for more information on park hours, tube rentals, tram service, and more.

Rainbow Springs

Rainbow Springs State Park is a gorgeous natural paradise located in Dunnellon, FL. The tubing run on the Rainbow River is one of the longer runs we’ve been on (approx. 2 hours), and offers unbeatable tranquility and scenery. Tubing is closed for the winter season (October-March), but this hidden gem is definitely worth the wait! Complete with waterfalls and other natural wonders, Rainbow Spring is truly a must-see place in Marion County. Stop by the Rainbow Springs website here to plan your future trip!

Ginnie Springs

Ginnie Springs is a privately owned park in the heart of High Springs, FL. The tubing run down the Santa Fe River is a great mid-range length that takes about one hour to complete. This gives you enough time to really take in the natural scenery without worrying about spending hours on the water. Although we love floating down the crystal clear river in our tubes, one of the great things about Ginnie Springs is the variety of activities and rentals that they offer. They also offer camping along the river, which we think would be awesome! Feel free to take a look at the Ginnie Springs website here for more information on activities, rentals, camping, and other amenities.

Blue Spring

Blue Spring is located within Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL, and is well known as being a great spot to view the manatees that flock there during the winter. The tubing run at Blue Spring is a bit short in comparison to other Florida springs, but that does not deter from the peace and tranquility that can be found when floating down the St. Johns River. Because of the Manatees, tubing at Blue Spring is closed from mid-November to the end of March, reopening in April of 2021. Take a look at the Blue Spring State Park website here for more information on opening/closing dates and more.

Rock Springs/Kelly Park

Rock Springs is located within Kelly Park in Apopka, Florida. Not to be confused with the Rock Springs Run State Reserve or Wekiva Springs State Park, tubing down the Rock Springs Run is offered at Kelly Park, a county-run park. We love Rock Springs because of its location (fairly close to Orlando attractions) and shallow wading areas – great for kids! The tubing run at Rock Springs/Kelly Park is also on the shorter side (about 20-25 minutes), but the scenery is beautiful the whole way down. At the time of writing this, water activities have been temporarily closed at Kelly Park, but we still wanted to include this great park as we are sure tubing will open up again in the future and we don’t want you to miss it! You can check out the Orange County, FL website here for more information on Rock Springs/Kelly Park.

We hope you will enjoy tubing the many beautiful Florida springs as much as we do! Leave a comment below letting us know which is your favorite!