Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida – Kayaking & Paddle-boarding

Florida is filled with wonders and beauty from beaches to rivers all the way to clear watered springs such as the Weeki Wachee Springs in Weeki Wachee, Florida. Every place you go to visit has some earthly beauty to be explored and admired. This is one of the many spots here in Florida that I had the pleasure of going to explore. My sister-in-law Kaylen and I decided to go paddle-boarding and kayaking and just have a girls day out on the Weeki Wachee Spring. We enjoyed a nice and relaxing day out in the clear water with the manatees and fishes. It couldn’t of been a better day to just lay back on your board and chill while cruising through this gorgeous Floridian spring.

VISITING WEEKI WACHEE SPRINGS

Now please note that this is not the actual state park that we went to but it is still Weeki Wachee Springs. We entered the springs to kayak and paddleboard through a Roger’s Park (addresses are listed at the end of this post) but the spring does connect to the state park if you go down long enough. You can also kayak with the state park. You can view the Weeki Wachee State Park website for more information on this.

THE START OF OUR ADVENTURE

Kaylen and I started our day over at Roger’s Park where we unloaded our board, kayak, paddles, and cooler. We loaded up and started cruising upstream like heading towards Weeki Wachee Park. The first thing we saw was a beautiful manatee just grazing the bottom of the spring. Sadly I couldn’t get a picture of it as we were passing a few paddlers and a small boat as well. We continued our journey upstream. A little later we stopped at this beautiful and clear spot. I saw this branch and just had to get a picture on it and dive off of it. It was easier said then done though. The branch was very unstable and I fell off the first time. I still managed to get the picture so it was worth it.

COLLECTING MERMAID TREASURES

After swimming for a little bit we saw some shells and started collecting a few. Sadly I lost my shell later in our adventure when my paddle-board flipped. Not my fault though. We ran into a group of new friends and we were messing around. One of the girls never paddle-boarded before so she wanted to try it out and flip she went. Bye bye shell! It was all good though. It was a funny moment.

As we paddled we also got to see some fishes and even a dragon fly. The dragonfly is blue and even played around with us for a little bit as we were eating our sandwiches. He kept landing on Kaylen’s hand or on my arm  and just stared at us. I wonder if he was hungry or just curious. We then continued our way up stream to our next stop. A tall tree branch over the spring where I insisted we jumped off of. Anything to enjoy life a little, right?! Sadly this is where I sprained my ankle. I landed wrong but it was so worth it and I would definitely do it all over again if I could.

OUR JOURNEY

The Weeki Wachee had so many different places to stop at to swim and swing off the rope from so we kept on stopping several times. It was a beautiful day with clear waters, some shade from all the trees, and beautiful clear skies. Not too hot and the water was perfect and refreshing. Did you know that springs maintain their temperature all year round at about 70t to 75 degrees Fahrenheit? How cool is that!

As we headed up stream we stopped at another tree that was much higher and jumped off of it as well. Can you tell we like to jump off of trees? We then decided to turn around and let the current take us back. We just tied the paddle board and the kayak together and chilled the entire way till we reached Roger’s Park.

OUR EXPERIENCE

The spring really isn’t all that crowded. There’s a few points where you will run into people and some boats but for the most part it was perfect. Everyone we bumped into were nice and friendly. We even saw a guy canoeing with a canoe that he had built all by himself. It was pretty rad! We even ran into a guy who had a little ice cream stand in the spring. Yes, you read that correctly. It was pretty cool. I wish my high school job was like that.

Once we reached the park we loaded up and called it a fun filled end to our day.

RENTING KAYAKS AND CANOES AT WEEKI WACHEE SPRINGS

WHAT TO BRING WHEN EXPLORING WEEKI WACHEE

ABOUT WEEKI WACHEE SPRINGS

“Weeki Wachee” was named by the Seminole Indians. It means “little spring” or “winding river.” The spring is so deep that the bottom has never been found. Each day, more than 117 million gallons of clear, fresh 74-degree water bubbles up out of subterranean caverns. Deep in the spring, the surge of the current is so strong that it can knock a scuba diver’s mask off. The basin of the spring is 100 feet wide with limestone sides and there, where the mermaids swim, 16 to 20 feet below the surface, the current runs a strong five miles an hour. It’s quite a feat for a mermaid to stay in one place in such a current. Flowing from the spring, the Weeki Wachee River winds its way 12 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.”

You can find this information and more here.

Weeki Wachee is one of Florida’s most visited State Parks on the West. From the underwater mermaid shows, to the water park, down to the scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, etc. Weeki Wachee Springs is filled with tons of adventure and things to do. Check out their website here for more information and to plan your trip to the Weeki Wachee State Park.

WEEKI WACHEE LOCATIONS

Weeki Wachee State Park

6131 Commercial Way

Spring Hill, FL 34606

(352) 592-5656

www.weekiwachee.com/

Roger’s Park

7240 Shoal Line Blvd.

Weeki Wachee, FL 34607

(352) 754-4031

LEAVE NO TRACE, ONLY FOOTPRINTS

When visiting the outdoors it is always important to follow and practice Leave No Trace Principles. These principles are very important in conserving our planet and minimizing your impact while exploring the world around you. You can learn more on how you can practice LNT principles here.

Have you ever been to Weeki Wachee Springs or any other springs in Florida? What is your favorite spring? Share your stories below. 

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