✔ Another Bucket List Adventure - Wild Monkey's @ The Spring
Silver Springs Florida
Florida is FULL of Natural Springs, aka crystal clear waters, but Silver Springs offers one VERY unique thing that the other natural springs won't have... WILD MONKEYS (along with a few extra AMAZING things that you need to know about, so check out our travel blog and our YouTube video too)!
Things To Know When Visiting Silver Springs
- BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS
I don't necessarily mean in case of danger, but more along the lines of catching a glimpse at all the critters running around... or swimming.... or flying! While we were on our jet ski's, we saw a TON of wildlife, but I know we also missed a ton of those critters too. So, make sure your head is on a swivel and be looking all around... especially up in the trees and down below in the water. You never know when you will spot those Wild Monkeys or a curious Manatee!
- GO EARLY IN THE MORNING
There are actually a couple reasons why we suggest you visit Silver Springs in the morning... - The wildlife is more active - Beat the crowd (especially on the weekends/ holidays - go during the week if possible... trust us, it can get insanely busy on the weekends) - Beat the heat (summer time) - Make certain you can get a kayak/ canoe (there is a limit & cutoff time to launch) - Beat the '4pm' weather rain clouds (primarily summer time)
- PLAN FOR WEATHER
In the 'winter' time, believe it or not, temperatures can get pretty crispy cold in Florida, especially under the forest canopy. So be sure to dress according to the temperatures. That also goes for summer time as well! It will be extremely muggy and the sun will fry you like a lobster if you're not dressed appropriately... trust me... we learned the hard way 😬
(Winter Suggestions)
- light sweater
- pants/leggings
- close toed shoes
- sunglasses
(Summer Suggestions)
- spf shirt & spf lotion
- flip flops
- shorts
- bug spray (they are like ninjas!)
- umbrella or poncho (quick torrential downpours do happen!)
- hat
- sunglasses
Since we are on a 'suggestions list', here are the items we took with us on our jet ski's:
- spf shirt (Nate & Blakes preference / Ashley's preference)
- spf lotion
- water shoes/ shoes you don't care to get wet (if you rent a canoe/kayak, your shoes will get wet... bring a pair of flip flops as back up)
- gopro 8 & gopro 7
- gopro fixtures
- spf chapstick
- sunglasses
- hat
- energy bars (if you drive in, you can take food into the park, but they also have a restaurant available on sight)
- 3 waters each (bring more in summer time)
- dry bag backpack
- change of clothes (if you rent a canoe/kayak, your butt will get wet, so bring a pair of shorts to change into!)
- towel (just in case we got wet)
- DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS (Especially the Monkeys & Gators)
Why?? you ask... they are wild and will start to depend on humans to feed them & once the animal gets used to being fed by humans... they will try to approach you and other people, mouths wide open like baby birds... only with extremely large and scary teeth 😱
- NO SWIMMING AT THE SPRING
This was a swimmable spring but they have changed that and sadly this isn't an option at the spring head itself. I'll be honest... after seeing all the alligators in the crystal clear water, ya... I'm not sure I'm ready for that, I'll be keeping all my limbs on my water vessel, at all times haha!
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET INTO SILVER SPRINGS?
A whopping $2 per person... excellent price for some amazing entertainment!
Things To Do In Silver Springs
This is another reason why we suggest visiting Silver Springs... there are SO MANY THINGS TO DO and to keep you entertained for nearly the whole day!
The park generally opens at 8am and closes at 5:30 pm, and I can't stress this enough... the earlier you get there, the better (if you're traveling by car... not water vessel)!
- Ride in the famous Glass Bottom Boats (see pricing here)
- Rent a kayak, canoe, or paddle board (see pricing here)
- Check out the Silver River Museum (see pricing here & make sure it's open due to the 'beer' virus)
- Go on a hike or walk (possibly see the MONKEYS!)
- Go camping or glamping! They offer cabins, RV sites, tent sites & primitive camp sites (see reservation info)
- Check out the Cracker Village (see for yourself what exactly this is... )
- See a CRAZY amount of wildlife (on and off the water)
- Plan a private event
QUICK TIP: They close the rentals down around noon/1 pm, so get there early if possible to be able to enjoy the spring!
QUICK TIP #2: Check TripAdvisor & Groupon to see if there are any coupons to SAVE SOME MULA on these excursions
QUICK TIP #3: The early bird gets the worm... and see's more active wildlife! So get there early if possible
QUICK TIP #4: The weekends can get SUPER crowded, try going during the week or first thing in the a.m.
QUICK TIP #5: You can bring in your own food but they do have a full service restaurant on site (see menu here)
