It’s 100 degrees, your beach marg is garnished with a Red Tide rim and you don’t have a pool.
What do you do?
You find a spring.
There are hundreds of them. Crisp, clean, cool and clearer than any water you’ll find in Florida. These are our favorites to explore that are a mere day-trip from Tampa Bay.
Wekiwa Springs State Park
Rough Drive: 1 hour 45 minutes
What it’s known for: Getting out on the open ocean is great, but traversing our natural state parks via winding, turquoise blue streams is another thing entirely. Rock Springs and the Emerald Cut boast some of the most unique kayak exploration in Florida—sending you through its natural wildlife wherever its meandering spring may lead you. But you can also traverse the open river or cruise around via bike, foot or horseback.
Weeki Wachee Springs
Rough Drive: 1 hour
What it’s known for: Mermaids, mostly. But the non-tourist folk know that it’s also some of the best sight-seeing and kayaking you can find without busting your hump on the drive over. Weeki Wachee is a day-trip must for any Tampa Bay local.
Rainbow Springs
Rough Drive: 1 hour 50 minutes
What it’s known for: Kicking back and letting the tube do the work. Rainbow Springs leads into Rainbow River, where you can idle down a cool, clear spring slathered in suntan lotion and caressing a six-pack. But should you fancy more adventure, you can swim, snorkel, and even hike the park’s (admittedly Florida-esque) waterfalls.
Three Sisters Springs
Rough Drive: 1 hour
What it’s known for: A serene lagoon of beauty and manatees in the middle of King’s Bay. The water is 72 degrees year-round. And you can see straight through to the bottom at even at its deepest point. It’s also oddly quiet despite it being surrounded by Crystal River’s budding residential life.
[Editor’s Note: Three Sisters Springs closed this April for stabilization. This also means it’s closed to kayaking and swimming, so maybe don’t plan on taking a dip here. Instead let us steer you toward a slightly longer road trip to a much more hospitable and beautiful swimming hole: Silver Glen Springs.]
Ginnie Springs
Rough Drive: 2 hours 30 minutes
What it’s known for: The entire outdoor experience. Ginnie Springs doubles as a top-notch campground with plenty of space to get outside for the weekend. Which you’ll need considering the drive. And its river flows big, wide and slow—making it the most popular tubing destination in the state for adventurers and Florida frat-daddies alike.