What if, for once, we put aside the Keys, the Everglades, the amusement parks and Miami to head north toward the Sunshine State? As we wander into this lesser-known region, the landscape shifts. And a different Florida unfolds before us. More authentic, warm, and wild. The Florida of crystal-clear springs and ancient forests invites the traveler to an unexpected experience.
Ocala is the principal city of Marion County, in central Florida. Located 115 km from Orlando and less than 200 km from the Georgia border, it is renowned as the world capital of horses. But the region also hosts a high concentration of natural springs, fed by the Floridian aquifer. Among the most notable are Silver Springs State Park, the cradle of Floridian tourism, and Silver Glen Springs, tucked in the heart of Ocala National Forest.
Manatees and Cinema in the Clear Waters of Silver Springs State Park
As early as the 1870s-1880s, visitors began to flock to Silver Springs, today designated as a state park, a vast complex of more than 30 natural springs whose waters, exceptionally transparent, erupt at over 2,000 liters per second.
The springs became one of Florida’s earliest major tourist attractions, and their appeal has never waned. It is enough to pass through the park’s grand entrance gate to understand this enthusiasm. The turquoise water winds through a dense forest where sand live oaks, red maples, but also the famous bald cypress trees, symbols of the swamps of the southern United States. This scenery is home to abundant wildlife: alligators, turtles, wading birds and, more surprisingly, rhesus monkeys, introduced in the 1930s to create an exotic attraction.
The best way to discover the park? Kayaking, of course, but especially the glass-bottom boat, whose origins go back to the late 19th century. The craft glides slowly and one marvels at the clarity of the water, which reveals schools of fish and waving grasses. But the creature you’re looking for is the king of the place: the manatee. A moment after catching a glimpse of this slow-swimming herbivore, it has already disappeared, leaving us with a racing heart.
Silver Springs has all the trappings of a movie set, and Hollywood hasn’t missed it. No fewer than about twenty films have been shot here, from Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean, to the James Bond Moonraker, passing through several Tarzan films and The Creature from the Black Lagoon by Jack Arnold. And you might be surprised, as you look beneath the water, to spot historical artifacts but also shooting remnants. A real underwater world.
Silver Glen Springs, a Lost Paradise
About fifty kilometers further east, we arrive at Silver Glen Springs, a treasure tucked into the heart of Ocala National Forest. Silver Glen Springs is a karst spring, meaning it originates from a limestone relief where water has circulated and seeped into the rocks before surfacing. Born from Florida’s deep aquifer, the site is popular with snorkelers, kayakers, and families seeking a pleasant place to swim.
The luckier visitors may spot manatees, snakes, alligators and, exceptionally, brown bears. Silver Glen Springs is also home to a rich avifauna, and it is not uncommon to encounter blue herons, egrets and American black vultures (urubus noirs), whose ominous silhouettes contrast with the color of the water.
Yet it is pleasant to leave the swimming area for a moment and delve into the forest, under a canopy of palms, to Lake George, the second-largest lake in Florida. If the walk is short (the loop is only 4.8 kilometers, about an hour of walking), the change of scenery is immense. The trail offers splendid views of shores lined with cypress and the crystal-clear waters where turtles swim. Hard to leave this timeless place, a true lost paradise where nature rules. The visitor then treads softly away, lulled by the song of invisible birds.
This reportage was made possible by Visit Florida and the Ocala/Marion County Visitors & Convention Bureau.
