Swim In One Of The World's Largest Freshwater Springs At A Little-Known Florida State Park

From certain angles, Wakulla Springs looks like a virgin rainforest, the kind you might read about in an old adventure story. The water is startlingly clear, and temperatures can reach a sumptuous 70 degrees in summer. A modest beach eases you into the water, and the surrounding landscape is a mix of cypress forest and grassy swamp. Parts near the shore are shallow, so even the greenest swimmer can comfortably wade out. Yet the bottom eventually drops off — Wakulla is one of the deepest natural springs in the world, at 180 feet below the surface. This spring isn't a little stream trickling out of the rocks; the vent is deeper than most scuba divers dare to venture, with a complex system of caves and tunnels.

Wakulla Springs is housed within Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, and it's a popular destination just 30 minutes south of Tallahassee. Situated in the Florida Panhandle, this region feels a stronger cultural kinship to Georgia than to Miami, and the Panhandle makes for a fantastic, underrated coastal road trip.

Wakulla Springs was made famous when naturalist John Muir wrote about it in 1867. Today, you can swim, paddle canoes, and hang out on floating platforms, among many other laidback activities; entry is $6 per vehicle. The park's anchor point is the historic Wakulla Lodge, a stucco-and-terracotta resort that first opened in 1937. Tourism was long established in the 6,000-acre forest when Hollywood showed up to film "Tarzan's Secret Treasure" in 1941. Today, the Lodge hosts a scenic Jungle Cruise Tour, a wetlands safari that leans into its Tarzan aesthetic.

Wakulla Springs is a relaxing spot to cool off, but it's also brimming with iconic Florida wildlife. Birders will rejoice at the sight of herons, white ibises, and even ospreys; the park offers a healthy mix of native species and seasonal migrations. This is a prime habitat for alligators as well, and you can often spot them sunning on the shores or poking their snouts out of the water's skin. The spring is clear and calm enough to see the occasional fish, and although fishing is not permitted in the state park, many anglers head to other corners of Wakulla County to cast reels. Another movie filmed here was "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," thanks to the water's glassy depth and scenic flora. Far from Florida's many tourist traps, Wakulla Springs is an Edenic escape.

The stars of the show are the manatees, which have inhabited Wakulla Springs since time immemorial. Husky, peaceful, and magical to behold, manatees casually float around these waters without an apparent care in the world; little wonder they're nicknamed "sea cows." Although the Florida manatee spent some time on the endangered species list — they are now considered "threatened" — local naturalists have counted more than 50 of the animals in Wakulla Springs, an encouraging congregation. If you can't get enough of these gentle giants, consider a roadtrip south to Crystal River, the country's number-one location for swimming with manatees.