Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida
Imagine, looking out over a pool of crystal clear, sapphire-blue water, where you can easily see all the way to the bottom and simply watch animals as they silently swim past. This is Florida’s breathtaking Rainbow Springs, and here I want to show you, how you too can experience these magical waters.
Rainbow Springs State Park is one of Florida’s most spectacular springs. And when our family first visited it, we were completely blown away by this water’s insane beauty. It is completely unreal! And the landscape surrounding this area is fantastically Florida!
A Brief History of Rainbow Springs
For over 10,000 years, humans and animals have been drawn to Rainbow Springs. Native Americans have left us with artifacts from when they used to fish these sapphire-blue waters; and mastodon and mammoth fossils found here show that they too had discovered Rainbow Springs so long ago.
In the early 20th century, the area surrounding Rainbow Springs was mined for phosphate and this brought about a boom of people to this area.
In the 1930s, Rainbow Springs became a privately held tourist attraction with a zoo, rodeo and a monorail with leaf-shaped gondolas. There was also a sub-boat with stairs that went below the water line for visitors to look out over these crystal clear waters. But with the development of the interstate highway system, and the emergence of popular theme parks in Orlando, this attraction had to close its doors in 1974.
Yet in the 1990s, Rainbow Springs reopened its doors and became a state park in Florida. Now everyone can easily enjoy these incredible waters again!
Rainbow Springs Important Visitor Information
Location: Rainbow Springs State Park is located in Dunnellon, FL This is less than 90 minutes northwest from Orlando or approximately 90 minutes north of Tampa.
- There are three main entrances: the head-springs day use area, the tubing facilities and the campground.
- Headsprings Address: 19158 S.W. 81st Place Road, Dunnellon FL 34432
- Tubing Entrance: 10830 SW 180th Ave. Rd., 4.5 mile south of State Road 40 or 0.9 miles north of County Road 484.
- Campground Entrance: 18185 SW 94th St., 3.1 miles south of State Rd. 40 or 2.3 miles north of County Rd.484.
- Rainbow Springs Map
Hours: Open 8am-5pm but the park closes when it reaches capacity. This commonly occurs on weekends and in the summer. Visit on the weekday if possible and arrive early.
- (Please confirm hours, Rainbow Springs Park is normally open until sunset, but due to Covid restrictions they periodically are limiting hours.)
Cost: $2 per person at the Headsprings (This is where you can swim, kayak & walk the beautiful gardens.)
How to Visit the Headsprings of Rainbow Springs
When you first arrive at Rainbow Springs State Park, you will park and then walk up to pay your $2 per person entrance fee before embarking on your adventure. Immediately you will find restrooms and a visitor center. Concessions are here too, but they open on weekends only. You’ll also get your first glimpse of Rainbow Springs’ incredibly blue water.
Now assuming you arrived early, you may want to head directly down to the swimming area of the spring before the crowds of people arrive.
If you are not swimming, then this would be a good time to stroll the beautiful garden paths that are lined with azaleas, oaks and magnolias along with three picturesque man-made waterfalls that create an incredibly beautiful landscape. These ornate gardens and waterfalls are a reminder of this park’s past as a theme park attraction.
Swimming at Rainbow Springs is Spectacular! Cold, but Spectacular! Here at Rainbow Springs the water temperature is a constant 72 degrees year-round. This makes it incredibly refreshing in the summer but it also allows you to swim any time of year because it doesn’t get any colder!
The buoyed swimming area of the spring itself is the only are where you can swim or snorkel in the headsprings, and it ranges from about 10-18 feet deep. (However, you are allowed to swim outside of the head spring area, down the river. If you do please note that FL state law requires dive flags for all snorkelers.)
Also, the park removed all of the vegetation from the bottom of the swimming area. This way, you know for sure that nothing is lurking in the waters below you. I loved this!
At the headsprings there is no lifeguard on duty, which is really important to know, especially for families or individuals who are not strong swimmers. Also, no rafts, tubes or balls are allowed at the headsprings. But swimmers are allowed to wear life preservers or use noodles for comfort, and ease of floating in the water.
This is one thing we wish we had brought, a noodle. You don’t realize how hard it is to tread water for long periods of time until you’re out there, and it can be quite tiring, especially for children. Also, if you have a noodle, you can just float and this in turn will decrease your chances of accidentally disturbing the bottom, therefore making the water cloudy. Snorkels are also great to have here and savor every minute of this incredibly clear water!
How We Managed to Avoid the Crowds
Did you happen to notice in the pictures above that the spring was completely empty? And that our family was the only ones swimming? Are you wondering how we managed to avoid the crowds and swim in this incredible spring by ourselves?
Well, let me let you in on how we did it, and maybe you can enjoy this gorgeous spring away from the crowds too!
First, please know that this spring is usually packed with a lot of people, especially on the weekends and in the summer. So the first way we avoided the crowds was by visiting in the off-season. For us that was in November. And by chance luck, a small cold front had just come through town (low 60s, and yes that’s a cold front in Florida). But we decided to still go to the springs because, well, the water is a constant 72 degrees. But I’m sure the weather also worked in our favor and deterred some visitors.
Second, we arrived right when the park opened and we headed straight to swim. This allowed us to beat the crowds as well that are known to bring the park to capacity frequently on the weekends.
Now I know that it’s impossible to time weather, but visiting in the off season, and early in the morning (and on a weekday if possible) makes for an incredible experience and I highly recommend it!
Don’t Miss This Memorable Experience!
While swimming in the spring, one really cool thing you can do is to dive down and watch the sand bubble! These are places where water is coming out from under the ground and into the spring! This is awesome to watch!
Another great activity that we highly recommend doing at Rainbow Springs is kayaking. It’s unbelievable!!
So when you look at the picture above of two of my boys kayaking at Rainbow Springs, it looks like a normal Florida kayaking experience, right? But what you don’t see here is what it looks like from the kayaker’s perspective looking down into the water. For this perspective, see the picture below. It’s absolutely spectacular!
These crystal clear waters definitely make Rainbow River one of my favorite kayaking spots in all of Florida!
Kayaking Information
So how do you kayak at Rainbow Springs?
Luckily there is a kayak/ canoe rental site right next to the springs, within the park itself. This is where we went and it was really easy to do. They also have clear kayaks for rent.
One recommendation we have for an even more incredible experience is to bring a water proof camera to get some spectacular shots! We were able to get awesome footage of things like turtles swimming by under the water as we kayaked past.
But even if you don’t have an underwater camera, you’ll still have a great view. Because here the water is so clear that you can get pictures of the river floor, like the one below, just from looking down beside your kayak!
Again, more fantastically clear water pictures! I just can’t get over how clear Rainbow River is! This is definitely a bucket list experience in Florida!
Traveler Tip
When kayaking Rainbow River, we found it to be the clearest and most brilliant when the sun was shining bright and it was closer to mid day (~10-3pm). But also know that this is also the hottest part of the day and that you are very exposed on the river. So make sure you bring sunscreen, sunhat or a sun shirt so you don’t burn.
Click here to see my Favorite Sun Shirt that I wear everywhere in Florida. It’s extremely light weight, has great protection from the sun and I absolutely love it!
In the early morning and late evening on the water, I’ve found that it can be harder to see through this crystal clear water due to shadows. You also probably won’t get as much of the awesome effect of the sunlight dancing on the river grasses below during these times. (See pictures above.) This is because the sun is hitting the river at an angle and the light can’t penetrate the surface as well.
This is when an underwater camera really comes in handy, because you won’t have to worry about any shadows and water glare.
During morning and evening hours, there are also more shadows from the trees on the river’s edge which also decreases the ability to view through the water as clearly.
Kayaking is still wonderful at these times, but just don’t expect the water to look as clear as you gaze down into the water while kayaking.
I hope you are able to have a great Kayaking Adventure at Rainbow Springs!
More Popular Activities at Rainbow Springs
Tubing
- Tubing is one of the most popular activities on the Rainbow River in the summer.
- Each year tubing opens in April and runs until the end of September.
- Tubing is not allowed in the Headsprings area so go to the Tubing launch site at Southwest 180th Avenue Road in Dunnellon.
- This lazy river ride is ~2hrs and is considered one of the best in Florida.
- There is a $20 fee to rent a tube.
- Next a shuttle will take you 2 miles upstream, where you will put in, and the you will casually float back to your car.
- Traveler Tip: Avoid weekends and arrive early.
- You may also want to check out the nearby KP Hole Park.
- This is a popular Rainbow River tubing site as well where rentals are offered for ~4 hour floats down the river.
Hiking
- Aside from the beautiful shady walks at Rainbow Springs State Park, that are mentioned above, there is also a 2.5 mile long nature trail that winds through natural oak hammock and sandhill communities.
Camping
- Rainbow Springs State Park’s campground is located along the Rainbow River at a separate facility a few miles away from the headsprings and day-use area.
- See the park’s website for more information.
This is where our family stayed when we visited Rainbow Springs State Park. It’s less than 15 minutes from the headsprings and it has cabins that sleep 6 and are great for families. We really enjoyed our stay here! There’s also some great wooded scenery along the river here as well.
Rainbow Rivers Club cabins actually sit on the Withlacoochee River right near to where it meets up with the Rainbow River. This being said, we did see one of Florida’s local residents happily swimming here in this water. (see below)
Please know that alligators can be found in any fresh water in Florida, but as to date, I was unable to find any human-alligator incident along the Rainbow River. We personally didn’t see any alligators at the springs or even while kayaking along the Rainbow River either. (Although I have heard of reports that have been seen on occasion in the river.) Alligators in general usually try and avoid humans, but please always use caution when swimming in fresh water in Florida.
In reality, seeing the alligator peacefully swimming here was perfect for our Fantastically Florida Weekend Adventure. It only added to this incredibly picturesque scenery!
This, along with the beautiful scenery of Rainbow Springs State Park makes for an incredible weekend get-a-way in Florida and we hope you have a great time visiting!
Nearby Activities You May Also Like
Look for Manatees!
- Manatees used to swim into the waters of Rainbow River to gain warmth from the 72 degree year-round spring every the winter, but after construction of a dam, manatees are no longer found in here.
- Luckily Crystal River/ Kings Bay is only 30 minutes away and this is the Manatee Capital of the World!
Have a Great Time Exploring Rainbow Springs with Your Traveling Feet!
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