Eternal Springs
After all these years, one of Florida’s first roadside attractions still draws the crowds
Silver Springs has attracted visitors from afar since the Civil War era with its exotic birds and reptiles, hypnotic woodlands and crystal clear water. The springs—a group of natural artesian wells that forces up 550 million gallons of the wet stuff daily through earth’s nooks and crannies—is is Florida’s largest aquifer and dubbed a national natural landmark. The Silver River is the resulting watercourse. This river is a major tributary to the Ocklawaha River, which eventually spills into the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Johns River. Before the railroad came into play, a Tom Sawyer-style riverboat followed a popular route from Palatka to Silver Springs and carried bigwigs like Thomas Edison and Ulysses S. Grant.
When we arrived at Silver Springs State Park, our family immediately saw the translucent natural spring-fed pool, which begins its flowing journey framed by large oaks and cedars draped in classic Spanish moss. As we strolled past the concessions, a thick indigo snake slithered slowly in the hands of a park ranger. “These snakes are one of the largest snakes in North America. Luckily they’re non-poisonous,” he said. For the record, all the rangers had this wild enthusiasm which left no doubt they loved their line of work.
We walked around the spring, gawking at the sights. Across a grassy field the elegant Twin Oaks Mansion is a music concert hotspot with a packed schedule. Then there are the worldfamous glass-bottomed boats we wouldn’t miss and booked a ride. Our skipper, Capt. Earl, delivered fine piloting with a steady slew of wisecracks. “You all know how the captain is supposed to go down with the ship,” Earl said after a quick regulations spiel, “Well … this is a boat!” Thus we began our cruise up river through raw forest.
Wildlife immediately appeared from the woods. Fish swam under the glass, birds perched upon eye-level branches everywhere, strings of colorful turtles idled bumper to bumper on half submerged logs, and every so often a good-size gator un-melted from the landscape. Observing these creatures in their habitat added pure gold to the ride. “Over there,” the captain pointed to the water’s edge, “they unearthed a massive mammoth. You can see the whole skeleton in our Silver River Museum.” I tried to picture these beasts roaming the Sunshine State way back when. Talk about Old Florida.
Earl navigated over different aquifer wells. “Here is a bottomless spring,” he said, “We had an experienced slender scuba diver
dropped 81 feet down into the hole but then the passage became too tight for her to continue. From there, she dropped a weighted line another 2,000 yards but it still didn’t reach the bottom. So we don’t know how deep it is.” We could only think … what a brave girl.
Early developers wanted to create a theme park environment at the springs. The 1930s produced the fabricated Jungle Cruise in which animals like the rhesus monkeys were imported by tour boater, Colonel Tooey. These primates were meant to be marooned on an isolated island, but little did Tooey know that the crafty critters were super swimmers and therefore flourished throughout the area. They’re still there.
Not surprisingly, as early as 1916, the springs lured Hollywood like only the bona fide Florida can. Bet you can guess what the films Tarzan the Ape Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Legend, starring Tom Cruise, had in common. Yup, at one time or another, they all hung out here. Some of those classic films harbor the timeless barbarian-stalking-beauty subplot.
As the 20th century rolled on, the area’s booming sightseer traffic waned. Competition grew from new tourist draws like Orlando’s themes parks, made easily accessible with major highways and airports. Control of Silver Springs changed hands through the years, and the state took over in late 2013. Already, they’ve weeded out many former attractions to reduce the inevitable theme park-related effluence and keep the park pristine.
Several recently closed displays include the Panther Prowl, the Giraffe Exhibit and the Big Gator Lagoon, which are instilled in the spring’s intriguing history. Activities are now focused on maintaining the 5,000-acre state park’s eco pleasures like canoeing and camping or hiking and bicycling. This keeps the Silver Springs a nature enthusiast’s haven.
After our boat ride, we hiked past the authentic pioneer Cracker Village and along a few nature trails while keeping our eyes peeled for monkeys, boars, bobcats and bears. Then we suddenly stumbled within yards upon several deer crossing the trail—a fine finish to a majestic day.
During our visit, we barely skimmed a fraction of all there is to explore. To really appreciate the park, an overnight campout or a full-day trip is ideal since the park is conveniently located in Central Florida only six miles from Ocala and can be easily reached from just about anywhere within Sunshine State borders.
It takes only one glance to see how a century and a half ago Silver Springs flourished into the very first tourist attraction deep in the heart of the “Real Florida.”
J.J. Brito is a seasoned world traveler, residing in Florida. A keen surfer, he loves spending time in the Fijian Islands and writing about his zeal for life and freedom. Learn more about him at jjbrito.com.