These 2 get great reviews and are nearby!
Blue Spring State Park
2100 W French Ave
Orange City, FL 32763-9501
(386) 775-3663
www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring
Pack up a picnic basket with lots of goodies, bring the kids, suits and towels and head on over to Blue Spring State Park in the summertime for a wonderful family adventure.
Blue Spring is the largest spring feeding into the St.Johns River. The beautiful spring is also a designated manatee refuge during the cooler winter months. The spring stays a constant 72 degrees throughout the year, and the manatees gather in the spring to keep warm as the temperature outside drops. During the cooler months, there are no boats, tubes, or snorkeling allowed to provide a safe haven for the manatees.
During the summer, this park is very popular, and fills up to capacity on the weekends, so get here early! We viewed the campground area, and it was very nice. They have 51 sites,with water, picnic tables, grills, 27 of which also have electricity. They also have 6, two bedroom cabins! I found that the campground was located in a pine scrub forest, and the sites were very private and well spaced. I am looking forward to camping there soon.
Bryan loved to swim in the springs. They have stairs leading down into the cool, clear, pristine spring water. We saw people snorkeling, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving, and swimming.
The color of the water is beautiful, the whole area is so picturesque. There is a boardwalk all the way down to the boil where the water comes up from the aquifer then all the way back up to the playground and the picnic area with a playground.
After the swim, we went for a nature walk, played on the jungle gym, and then went on a narrated wildlife eco tour!
The boat tour was two hours long, and took us up the St. Johns River. We learned all about the native plants and animals as we traveled, from our Florida Wildlife Tour Guide. We saw deer, alligators, ibis, a cormorant, turtles, osprey, and more! This was so much fun for both of us, I know you will enjoy it too.
The company is called St. John River Boat Tours, they have 2 tours per day 10am and 1pm. You can reserve your boat tour at: 407.330.1612, or 386.917.0724.
www.sjrivercruises.com You can also charter one of their boats for weddings, or special events!
We had a wonderful day here at Blue Spring State Park, and hope to come back here soon to go camping!
Wekiwa Springs State Park
1800 Wekiwa Circle
Apopka, Florida 32712
Phone: (407) 884 2008
www.floridastateparks.org/WekiwaSprings
Heaven is green and it's name is Wekiwa Springs! This lush natural sanctuary is the perfect natural swimming hole. With cool 72 degree spring water all year long, it is refreshing and pure, pumping out 42 million gallons of natural spring water every day!
Wandering through 13 miles of trails, you can imagine just what the Timucuan Indians saw in this tropical paradise. You might get the chance to see a blue heron, ibis, turtles, cormorant, aningha, deer, wild boar, or even an alligator sunning on the shore of the river.
Stairs lead down to the swimming area that is surrounded by a rock ledge with seating for easy access on all sides. It is protected from alligators, snakes and other critters by a safety net barrier by the bridge, which screens out and discourages wildlife to enter the swimming area.
The boardwalk leads to the canoe and kayak rental stand provided by Nature Adventures. They provide everything you need for a 2 hour or more eco tour on the Wekiva River.
Here is their website
http://canoewekiva.com/
Call for prices and reservations. phone: 407-880-4110 email: Email HereWe checked out the camping area, too. It is very nice, and VERY affordable!
They have 60 campsites. Each campsite has water, electricity, in-ground fire circle with a grill and a picnic table. They are very private, with wooden split fencing surrounding each site. The fencing would be great to dry towels or lean bikes, or tie down a rain fly. There are two restroom facilities with hot showers!
They even have 2 primitive campsites, called Otter Camp, and Big Buck Camp, that are only accessible by canoe or kayak for a very unique camping adventure.
All reservations for campsites except for next day reservations can be made by calling Reserve America, at (800) 326-3521. Next day reservations can be made by calling the park at (407) 884-2008
We love this place and will be back again to camp!
But there are also things like an unpaved path that leads you to a guy made out of pots, and multiple bridges over a stream, and a floral clock that some kids will enjoy. I haven't seen it all, but it does not, to my knowledge, have a child's garden or play area. 
. This deal works out even cheaper than our offer through the Entertainment Book.
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or give me a province to pick from the drop-down menu. I have called and left a message for their customer service department. We shall see what happens.
