Last weekend I took Mila tubing at Kelly Park / Rock Springs Park in Apopka, just north of Orlando. These natural springs include a tubing run that is 3/4 of a mile long, and includes a swimming lagoon area near the middle.
Kelly Park / Rock Springs
400 E Kelly Park RD
Apopka, FL 32712
There is a small cave at the head of the spring, and the water is rather deep where you jump in, but pretty shallow for the remainder of the run. The water is a 68-72 degrees year round and is a beautiful blue green color. You can see fish and turtles swimming along side you (but the cool water is said to keep the gators away).
Admission is $3 per vehicle for 1-2 people; $5 per vehicle for 3-8 people, and $1 for each additional person.
While waiting to go in the park, we enjoyed some pretty tasty burgers at Rock Springs Bar and Grill, right outside the park entrance. They have tube rentals there for $7 a tube if you need them.
We brought our own tubes that I found on Amazon for only $25, linked HERE. They included a mesh bottom, handles, cup holders, and ropes and clips to link your tubes together. They held up well and were pretty easy to carry, which was especially important for me hauling two of them at the same time for Mila and myself (or next time I’ll just have to find a third hand). All tubes need to be less than 5 feet wide.
The park includes campsites, pavilions, a concessions stand, and picnic tables, but we just spent all of our time on the water. At the end of the run, you will have to walk back to the starting point, so we laced our shoes in the ropes that attached our tubes to make the walk easier.
After doing several runs we just played in the lagoon area, looked for fish, and swam for a while in the crystal blue water.
Mila was so hungry and tired from her adventure, she ate two bags of snacks as soon as we got in the car, and then passed our clutching a half empty bag of Goldfish crackers. The day was a success. 🙂
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