Visit Ginnie Springs Florida
Ginnie Springs: Ginnie Springs is a privately owned park in Gilchrist County about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) northwest of High Springs, Florida, USA. It is located on the south side of the Santa Fe River, to which it is connected. The water is clear and cold and there are accessible caverns with a sand and limestone bottom.
Ginnie Springs is a popular destination for scuba diving, snorkeling, canoeing and camping. There is an onsite dive shop offering PADI scuba diving training. This is a source for bottled spring water. Nestle was granted permission to take over 1.1 million gallons daily from the aquifer that feeds Ginnie and other nearby springs. This has sparked a global outcry.
How much does it cost to get into Ginnie Springs?
Daily admission fees are $14.02 per adult, and $3.73 for children 6-12 years old (plus tax).
Are there alligators in Ginnie Springs?
6 answers. No alligators or eels at Ginnie Springs. To many people. Alligators for the most part stay away from humans.
How cold is Ginnie Springs Water?
Ginnie Springs Camping
All water and electric sites have a picnic table and grill. There are no sewer hook-ups on the site, but a dump station is available for campers to use. There are 129 water and electric campsites right across from the park’s store. These sites may be reserved and reservations are recommended to ensure you will have a site. None of the water and electric sites are located by the river.
In addition to world-class SCUBA diving, Ginnie Springs Outdoors offers an array of water activities. Take a dip and explore the wonders of our seven springs. Swimming and snorkeling in the crystal clear 72-degree water is fun year-round. Masks, fins, and snorkels can be rented at the Ginnie Springs Store. When the Santa Fe River clears (typically in the summer and early fall), snorkeling in the river may reward you with glimpses of large gar, bass, mullet, catfish, turtles, and many other critters. If you venture out in the river in snorkel gear, be sure to take a diver’s flag and float along. The Santa Fe is a navigable waterway, and state law dictates that you have a flag and float with you at all times. If you don’t have your own flag, you can rent one.
What could be more relaxing than tubing lazily down the Santa Fe River? Most people enter the water at the Devil’s Spring with a tube or raft and spend an hour or so floating down the River to the tube take-out at Twin Spring. The walk back to the Ginnie parking lot takes about 15 minutes on the tubing trail. You can rent tubes at the country store or bring your own tubes and rafts. There is a free air station for filling tubes and rafts.
Ginnie Springs Fl
Some great local businesses near our facility are:
Great Outdoors Restaurant
The Talented Cookie
River Run Olive Oil Company
Lanza Art Gallery
North Florida Springs Environmental Center
Buffalo Girl Soaps
Bird’s Nest
Ginnie Springs Hours
Fun Facts About Ginnie Springs
- Ginnie Springs sits on 250 acres of wooded land right on the Santa Fe River.
- The springs remain a constant 72 degrees year-round.
- The unique underwater cave system and crystal clear springs make Ginnie the world’s favorite freshwater dive. Jacques Cousteau dove here in 1974!
Ginnie Outdoors is open year-round, so you can take advantage of Central Florida’s balmy weather almost any time of year. We usually visit in early May so it’s not yet boiling hot during the day, nights can be pleasantly cool and the crowds haven’t gotten too bad. I’ve camped in January as well, but it rained the whole time and was very chilly. Where May through September is almost guaranteed to be in the 90s, winter is a bit of a guessing game in Florida. It can be 90 or 30 degrees (F) from one day to the next – so stick to more temperate spring or fall months if the weather is a concern.
The best time to visit Ginnie for a taste of the great outdoors is midweek. It’s quieter then, and you’ll likely meet more squirrels and birds than campers. On Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day, Ginnie Springs fills to capacity with revelers, loud, wild, and often drunk. Holiday weekends tend to be about the party atmosphere. It’s not unusual to hear booming music, fireworks and shouting until the wee hours of the morning, and then again at sunrise when everyone wakes up to do it all over again.
If you’re on the hunt for a peaceful place to camp in Florida, Ginnie Springs on a weekend (holiday or otherwise) is rarely going to deliver that experience. Plan accordingly!
