Floridian Getaways 2008 - (Page 39) From left to right, top to bottom: Wekiwa Springs. Blue Spring manatees. Photos Dale Nimmo, Florida State Parks. Ponce de Leon State Park. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Otto, emeraldcoast. com. Ichetucknee Springs. Manatee Springs. Photo courtesy of Florida Department of Environmental Protection. seat. When we finally arrive at Rainbow River State Park, and I stop the car beneath the shade of an old oak, they rub the sleep from their eyes and ask, “Where are we?” “A real water park,” I say as I lead them down the treelined trail to the river’s edge. The sunlight sparkles on the crystal blue water, and plants sway in the current like trees in the breeze. From the dock, we can see dark shapes moving across the spring’s sandy bottom. “What are those things?” my daughter asks. “Fish,” I say. Her eyes grow wide. “Are they going to eat me?” she asks. “No, they’re nice fish.” As the kids play in the shallows, I think about the long, hot summer ahead and smile. That is why God made swimming holes, I think to myself, and Florida has more than its fair share. Rainbow River and Springs, a pristine system about two hours north of Tampa, has six miles of gin-clear water just waiting for swimmers, snorkelers and innertube riders eager to cool off. The headwaters are a semicircular spring with four main boils. Just 14 feet at its deepest, the river features public swimming access at Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon. Travel a short distance downstream to K.P Hole . County Park and some of the best tubing in the state. At the height of summer, as many as 1,000 tubers may hit the river a day. There is no public shuttle service, so you will need to take two cars or arrange for someone to do pick-up and drop-off duties. The water remains a constant 74 degrees, so it’s a place perfectly suited to summer. Snorkelers and scuba divers who drift with the gentle current may see fossils and Floridian Getaways 39
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