Blue Spring State Park
Take a chance Tuesday
Happy Tuesday everyone! I had planned to get out a different blog post today about our epic trip last year to Torreya State Park in the middle panhandle but… plans have changed my friends. I just have to tell you about this past weekend’s last-minute, impromptu adventure instead. (Keep your eye out for the Torreya post.. It’ll be a good one!)
So this will be more story than tips, but I’ll include some important things to know at the end, and I’ll be writing a more detailed informational post about this park in the future. My hope in today’s post is not only to extol the splendor of one of my favorite local state parks, but also to touch on a couple of real issues that can hold some people back from experiencing the best that wild Florida has to offer:
Fear about the weather and fear of going solo, or especially, fear of going solo with kids. Those are real concerns… but they aren’t something that should necessarily hold you back from getting out into the wilder parts of Florida. As with any unknowns you face in life, the best way to move ahead with confidence is to have a plan. We’ll get there. But first, let me tell you the story of this weekend.
Overlooking Blue Spring, Volusia County, FL
My dear friend and neighbor Emma (a wonderful single mom of 4 kids, 3 of which are the same age as my own) and I just recently purchased new inflatable stand up paddleboards and have been itching to get out and give them a try for a couple of weeks now. My husband just happened to be out of town this past weekend, so it was a perfect opportunity for some girl time with the kiddos.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the weekend was not a favorable one for watersports in many parts of Florida. **Cue crashing thunder and lightning bolts.** We initially had planned to trek out to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, but canceled our plans to head there in favor of someplace closer, in case we needed to bail and head home due to inclement weather. An obvious choice for us, being only about 30 minutes away, was fabulous Blue Springs State Park in Volusia County, which happens to be one of my favorites.
All Saturday we watched the changing forecast and it wasn't looking great. At midnight, I texted my friend saying that things were looking worse instead of better and that we may want to change plans again. We agreed to sleep on it and reassess in the morning. Well, 7am Sunday morning came around and my friend, Em, was ready to rock ‘n’ roll. In true Florida fashion, the rain percentages changed drastically overnight, and while being slightly chilly and cloudy with some chances of rain, the real storms would hopefully hold off until early afternoon if we were lucky. We decided to take the risk and head to Blue Springs, rain or shine, for the following reasons:
Blue Springs State Park, as with most state parks you’ll find, has shelter. There are a number of pavilions and other solid structures to huddle under and get away from the rain and lightning, including an indoor gift shop, indoor snack bar, and museum house.
We were prepared with food and dry clothes. Nothing is worse than cold, hungry kids trying to wait out a rainstorm. If you have something to munch on, kids can find plenty to entertain themselves while waiting to get back in the water. Stomp those puddles with them, momma! And goodness gracious, pack those snacks, dad!
The weather could turn out BETTER than the forecast predicts. And it DID. One of the gifts of growing up here in Florida is knowing that you can almost NEVER trust the weather report.
With just a little bit of figuring out and not too much fuss, I had the inflatable SUP (stand up paddleboard) inflated, fins assembled, and carried down to the launch area lickity-split. We got my son’s kayak down and loaded and l let him just noodle around for a while in the shallows while Em and company got their paddle board and inflatable kayak down to join us.
Three playful manatees in the St. Johns River at Blue Spring State Park
Within 2 minutes of launching into the St. Johns River, the first epic experience of the day: Three MASSIVE, friendly manatees came over to say hello to our crew. We didn’t just see them in the distance, they came over, in the middle of our group, and were actively socializing. How incredible! In that moment, the entire trip and all of the preparation paid off. Done. If that was the only thing that happened that day, it would have been enough. The dark water made it difficult to get good pics, but the magnificence of the moment was not lost on the kids.. On any of us really. Excited squeals abounded! The three manatees hung out for a while, swimming underneath us, coming up to the surface to breathe and say hello. It was incredible, and we were all over the moon. What a blessing to experience such beautiful, graceful, gentle, curious and gigantic creatures with our sweet kiddos.
Great Blue Heron as we pass into the Blue Spring run from the St. Johns River, Volusia County, FL
As we crossed the buoy line into Blue Spring run and said goodbye to the manatees, we watched a Great Blue Heron take flight, and then immediately came upon a Double-crested Cormorant resting on a stump protruding from the water. Of course, the naturalist in me was announcing the names and characteristics of the birds as though we were on a nature tour. What’s a girl to do -- The kids will retain some of it right?
Double-crested Cormorant in Blue Spring run
Once in the spring run, the dark, tannin filled waters of the St. Johns gave way to crystal clear green water. Even with the sun tucked far behind the clouds, we could see the whole world of the spring run beneath us. So many fish! Huge Tarpon, Bowfin, and the Florida Spotted Gar (some upwards of 3 feet long) are everywhere in the spring waters! My son spotted a turtle walking along the bottom of the run. And that’s the way it went for the whole paddle to the main head spring. One wondrous thing to see after another.
Gorgeous Live Oak tree in the Blue Spring run
Looking at the head spring of Blue Spring run
Something to note -- you can only take kayaks and paddleboards to the headspring before 11am and after 5pm daily. Between those times, the last part of the run and the springs are closed to any floating vessels larger than 5 feet. That’s for the safety of the many swimmers, snorkelers and divers there between those hours.
We parked the paddle boards and kayaks and had all of the kids don their goggles and masks and swim out over the boil with us. All of us wore our life vests, Em and I included. The water at the spring is cold and deep and we could only stand around the outer edges of the basin. We had the chance to watch divers going into and out of the mouth of the cave! And then the rain came. A good rain! We had our phones in waterproof cases and were glancing at the radar fairly regularly. Again, weather is nothing to mess around with in Florida. Especially lightning. It’s a real danger here, and we are not looking to take unnecessary risks with our children. So, a good cleansing rain while we were already swimming in the springs was actually fine and just added a little more excitement to the adventure.
The paddle from the boat launch to the head spring at Blue Springs is the perfect length. It was long enough to give the kids a feeling of accomplishment and sense of adventure, but short enough that my son (6), and Em's oldest daughter (8) could paddle the entire way on their own, with no assistance from us moms. Obviously, we were paddling against the flow of the run the whole way to the spring, which made for a very quick drift back to our starting point when it was time to return to the boat launch.
A little bit of sunshine started to peek through the clouds and we all marveled at our good fortune to have had such an exceptional experience on a day that looked so crummy to begin with. That Florida weather again!
Great playground at Blue Spring State Park!
The rest of the day was spent picnicking by the playground, getting hot chocolate at the concession stand, and exploring the beautiful boardwalk that runs the length of the spring run. We also took some time to see the historic Thursby House, where we learned a bit of history about the property, the St. Johns River, and the family who first called the area home. There is so much to see in this great park! If it was warmer we would have taken our tubes back into the spring run to play in the water again. Just leaves us with some things to check off next time we come!
The Thursby House at Blue Spring State Park
I hope each of you have an opportunity to check out Blue Springs State Park in Volusia County. If this is further than a simple day trip for you, check out the campsites and adorable cabins that are available through www.reserveamerica.com. They have an app for iPhone and Android as well. Just make sure you book well in advance. This is a popular park! Also, for day trips to popular parks like this one, prepare to go early… especially on the weekends, as parks often fill up quickly and close due to capacity. Nothing worse than getting everyone hyped for a day in the wild and not making it past the ranger station.
To single parents out there trying to find adventure in the wild with your kids… It can certainly be nerve racking to get everyone in the car and go for the unknown.. But the best way to calm those nerves is to get out and learn and try and do. You’re incredibly capable.. And it’s so empowering when you sit back and say, look what we did, look what we accomplished. And, if you’re uncomfortable going solo with kids, do what my friend Em did. Find a friend to join in the adventure with you and have her bring her kids! Em and I were old school high-fiving each other all over the place on Sunday. We were so proud of the day we helped provide for the kids… just us moms. We pumped paddleboards, lugged kayaks, figured out connections and missing pieces, worked together to get fins off when we couldn’t do it alone, wrangled wayward children (read: herded cats), managed scuttling the families around in sporadic rain storms. And you know what.. We LOVED it. And the kids did too. Rave reviews all around from all 5. I LIVE for the moments when “This is awesome!! This is so cool! I want to do this again!” becomes a chorus.
Blue Springs is a year-round home-run as far as springs go.
To provide a safe warm water refuge for manatees during the winter season, the spring and spring run is closed to all water related activities including swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and boating from November 15 through March 1. Despite the restrictions on the water, people flock from all over the state to see the manatees that winter in the springs. Sometimes you will be lucky enough to see upwards of 200-300 at a time!
For all these reasons and more, grab your family and friends and head out on your own wild Florida family adventure to Blue Springs State Park, or a state park near you.
Thank you so much for following along on our adventures with us. What is your favorite part of Blue Spring State Park? Let us know in the comments!
