Me and my husband were finally able to get some time off from our work and we made plans to spend the short amount of time experiencing something we have never done before. Looking for some short weekend getaways, I stumbled upon the Utopia Of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. An oasis class ship that is set to do it's inaugural sail on July 19. It is the second largest cruise ship in the world next to it's sister, the Icon of the seas. What better way to experience and be introduced to the cruise life than being able to sail on a new ship. So in June 2024, we booked a reservation on what will be known as the World's biggest weekend, the Utopia of the Seas. The booking process was a breeze, choose your available dates, pick a room and pay. Can't be anymore straightforward than that. We chose our sail dates of August 9 to August 12, booked a balcony room with ocean view. For t...
I
added a short video with a walk through the park. I wanted to make sure
you can at least see what I see as if you're also walking through the
park with me. I give this park a 5 star rating just because of it's beautiful and multiple activities you can do here.
Located in Ponce De Leon, Florida is a little gem for both tourists and locals. A Natural springs named after Juan Ponce De Leon who led the first Spanish expedition in Florida in search of the fountain of youth.
A little background about the springs, stated is the water stays at a constant 68 degrees fahrenheit year round and the main spring comes from two underground waterflows which produced 14 million gallons of water daily, impressive!
About an hour and some minutes drive from my hometown, we started our day early. Left home around 8:00 and got there a little past 9:30am. We were greeted by a friendly park ranger. There is a $4 entrance fee to the park and if the ranger is not on duty, they accept payments through the honor system, a little drop box where you drop you payment in.
From the parking lot, the main entrance has the restrooms and map/information about the place and a little wooden path from there takes you to the springs. The park looks very well maintained. There were actually some rangers there cleaning the floor area around the springs, most likely to keep it from being slippery, there was also someone steam cleaning the picnic tables.
We were able to take pictures and walk around the area before guests started to arrive. Did I mention how impressive the park is, you know it's a park but it fits right in with nature, aside from some picnic tables scattered around the area with barbeque grills, volleyball court and information signs, I believe they do their best to keep it as natural looking as possible.
The water was crystal clear, you can see schools of fish just swimming around the springs. I tried to do my first dip in the water but it was too cold that morning, I'm not sure if it was because there was a little storm going through the area but it didn't feel like it was 68 degrees fahrenheit, it seemed a lot more colder.
So we decided to hold off for a hour before we tried the waters again and walked around a bit. The park has two self guided trails so we went ahead and started walking one of them. Aside from some alligator warning signs, we didn't worry about the path. The walk takes you along the side of the creeks and you are surrounded by trees, flowers, bushes. We didn't see any alligators or bears, just the occasional spiders and a snake which quickly crawled away when it noticed our presence. Surprisingly there weren't any mosquitos, just a few bees here and there. And of course, what I thought was a small bear in the woods only to find out it was another couple who let their dog run freely through the bushes.
Some pictures I took along the path. For some reason I was hoping to see an alligator but at the same time I didn't want to see one.
Here's the main spring, I love how the trees are still there and you can see their huge roots underwater.
Most of the water area is around 3-4 feet deep except for the area past that cypress tree where it is about 25 feet deep and snorkeling is permitted.
This is the bridge that leads you to the trail. Fresh water continuously flowing underneath. Crystal clear water. Kinda like in the movies where you'd think, that water can't be that clear then you actually find a gem like this in real life and witness the clarity.
All in all this park would be on top of the list of parks I have been to. It's not that big of a park but if you love nature, you'll love it here. Beautiful springs, a trail through the woods, picnic tables and grilling areas, this park has my two thumbs up if you want to spend a day with your family or friends. Kudos to the rangers as well for keeping this area well maintained.
If you are interested in visiting this park, the address is 2860 Ponce de Leon springs rd. Ponce de Leon, FL. 32455. Picnic tables are first come first serve and each picnic table has it's own grill. There are also a couple of pavilions which i do believe is for reservation. It wasn't to crowded when we went, I believe being a weekday is a factor but I do know that is park does get full and when it does they close the gates until someone leaves then they let whoever is in line in after that. It's open from 8am to sunset.
Don't forget that the world is such a big place and don't keep your busy lives holding you back from exploring it. The beauty is out there, you can see it from your windows, just walk out that door and enjoy it. Nature will always be there, but you won't.
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