Historic Silver Springs

Posted in Florida, Historic Sites, Nature, RVing, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, WildlifeTagged , , , , ,

Tourists have been traveling to Silver Springs to see the crystal clear water since the early 1800’s. One of Florida’s first tourist attractions, the first glass bottom boat tours began in the late 1870’s. During the 1900’s the attraction grew to include a jungle cruise and animal exhibits.

Silver Springs was a popular filming location for Hollywood during the 1900’s. Some of the films shot there include several Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller, the 1954 version of Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Moonraker (a James Bond movie). It was also a location for the TV series Sea Hunt. Some of the sets still exist around the property.

In 1971, Silver Springs was named a National Natural Landmark. Today, Silver Springs State Park is owned and operated by the state of Florida. The state operates the famous glass bottom boats now but there are no more jungle cruises. Visitors can walk beside the springs or sit in one of the rocking chairs to enjoy the view. There are boardwalks and trails as well as a boat launch area with canoe and kayak rentals.

This is one of our favorite Florida state parks and we wanted to spend a few days there to unwind after the excitement of the Daytona 500. We were able to reserve our favorite campsite and I was glad to see it hadn’t change much. There was gopher tortoise hole right next to the campsite just like I remembered and the resident tortoise paid us a visit our first night.

20180220Gopher-Tortoise-Silver-Springs-(16)
Gopher Tortoise by our campsite at Silver Springs State Park

One day we drove over to the main entrance of the park for a ride on one of the famous glass bottom boats. Captain Oscar has been working at Silver Springs since the early 1960’s and had lots of interesting stories about the park.

20180221Silver-Springs-Glass-Bottom-Boat-(9)
Entering Florida’s Silver Springs park
20180221Silver-Springs-Glass-Bottom-Boat-(11)
Glass bottom boat at Silver Springs
20180221Silver-Springs-Glass-Bottom-Boat-(28)
Captain Oscar has been working at Silver Springs since the early 1960’s
A look through the glass bottom boat
These statues were featured in a tv show and a movie

After the boat tour we wandered around the path next to the springs before taking a walk on the boardwalk trail.

Boardwalk trail at Silver Spriings
The trunk of this palm tree looks like a corkscrew
An unusual looking palm tree in the Silver River

Another day we rented a kayak for a beautiful paddle on the Silver River.

20180222Kayaking-(17)
Kayaking the Silver River at Silver Springs
20180222Kayaking-(9)
Although there are no more jungle cruises, this fort built for the attraction is still standing
20180222Kayaking-(23)
Quiet and peaceful along the Silver River

I felt like I was in one of the old Tarzan movies as I walked along the river trail near the campground.

20180223River-Trail-(14)

20180223River-Trail-(18)

Back in the 1930s during the day of the Jungle Cruise boat ride, the operator of the ride brought in a group of wild rhesus monkeys to use as part of the attraction. Not knowing they could swim, he left them on one of the islands beside the Silver River. When he later returned to the island he was surprised to see they were gone. The monkeys are still living in the area and are often seen by visitors.

Although we didn’t see any of the monkeys on this visit, we saw many of them when we kayaked down the Silver River in 2009.

20090226Canoeing-with-Adam-and-Hannah-(9)
Wild Rhesus Monkey along the Silver River in 2009
20090226Canoeing-with-Adam-and-Hannah-(11)
We spotted this baby Rhesus Monkey beside the river in 2009. He must be all grown up now.

The monkeys can be very aggressive at times. All around the park are signs warning about the danger of feeding the monkeys. Now where else in the United States would you see a sign like this?

20180222Kayaking-(31)
Monkeys in Florida?

 

23 thoughts on “Historic Silver Springs”

  1. Looks like a beautiful spot. Interesting information on the monkeys. How cool to return and spot the resident tortoise. I love these animals and it’s been a long time dream to visit the Galapagos.

    Like

  2. I have been on that Jungle Cruise you speak of!! Probably when I was in my teens!
    I never saw monkeys though… how cool that would be!

    Great post! With sweet memories!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. I’ve heard of Silver Springs for years, but never been there. In North Florida, about 30 miles south of Tallahassee, there is Wakullah Springs. It sounds very similar to Silver Springs, except for the monkeys. Clear, deep springs, river, glass-bottom boat, used as a movie location. The main bird attraction are the anhingas, or snake birds. They are fascinating. I hope you can open the link to see the photo.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/9sdKYLqWjyiNqwjX2

    Like

  6. I’ve heard of Silver Springs for years, but never been there. In North Florida, about 30 miles south of Tallahassee, there is Wakullah Springs. It sounds very similar to Silver Springs, except for the monkeys. Clear, deep springs, the Wakulluh river, glass-bottom boats, used as a movie location. The main bird attraction are the anhingas, or snake birds. They are fascinating. I hope you can open the link to see the photo.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/9sdKYLqWjyiNqwjX2

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I was there as a kid and rode on one of the glass bottom boats, Beth. We drive by there quite often, as that is our preferred route across Florida. Looks like we need to stop next time!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. When I told a couple of my friends we took a ride on the glass bottom boats they told me they remember doing that when they were kids! I never went there as a kid but it sure is fun as an adult! It’s a great place to kayak or canoe, too. The glass bottom boat tour is only about 30 minutes so if you just want to stop on your way somewhere else you could do it. The parking lot is big enough to park an RV. And the campground is one of our favorites if you want to spend a couple of days.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Lovely photos, and I am impressed you could pull up equally amazing photos from 2009 – good photography and excellent organization. 🙂 I rode in a glass bottom boat in FL one time, but I can’t remember where it was. I do remember it was tremendous fun to watch the creatures below. It looks like you had a perfect plan to unwind after the race.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Judy! It’s amazing how many people have told me they remember riding in glass bottom boats when they were kids. I never went there as a kid but I sure enjoyed the ride as an adult!

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Thanks for this enlightening post! We immediately put it on our list of must visit sites. We just left and, with your permission, I would like to give you credit for the inspiration in the post I just wrote and provide a link to yours. Thx! Deb

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.