Wakulla Springs State Park

There are many activities available at Wakulla Springs State Park.

Swim in the Springs - One of the favorite activities is the swimming area, with its two story tower and two sunbathing platforms amid clear, cool spring waters.

Walking Trails - abound with over 10 miles of wandering trails through hardwood hammocks, spring floodplains, with a variety of foliage and champion trees, some found only here in their original grandeur. You can view the Sally Ward Spring Run from a foot bridge and see if you can spot a manatee.

River Boat Tour - The River Boat Tour is a favorite among locals and visitors alike. The 45 minute boat tour of the spring and downriver ecosystem is a bird lover's paradise, with a multitude of bird species seen on virtually every trip. We invite you to visit us at Wakulla Springs State Park.

Discover the Amazing Plants and Animals - Wakulla Springs State Park has amazing plants and animal life. Learn about the science behind the scenes that is helping to reveal the many wonders of life and history at the Springs.

 A trip to Wakulla Springs makes for the kind of idyllic summer day that southern novelists have long teased us about - those languid days of swinging from ropes into clear, clean water. 

Andrew Skerritt

Park Hours and Fees

 Hours of Operation

The park is open from 8:00 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year. The swimming area opens at 9:00 a.m.
For park specific information, please go to the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park page on the Florida State Parks website.

 Fee Schedule

Admission Fee:

$6.00 per vehicle. Limit 2-8 people per vehicle.
$4.00 single occupant vehicle
$2.00 pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass.

Boat Tour Fees:

$8.00 per adult.
$5.00 per child (12 and under)

Wakulla Springs has an Abundance of Wildlife

Click on this link to download a comprehensive list of the abundant wildlife found at Wakulla Springs (CLICK HERE)

Go to this link to see our photo gallery (CLICK HERE)

The Main Spring is the World’s Largest and Deepest Freshwater Spring

Wakulla Springs is located near Tallahassee, Florida, with swimming, guided river boat tours, bird watching, historic lodge, picnicking, concessions, nature trails, snorkeling, interpretive exhibits, horse trails and more. Open 365 days per year. There are more than 80 other sinkholes, streams and windows into the aquifer within the 6,800-acre park.

This vast natural freshwater spring has a long and fascinating history. The first documented native people inhabited the area during the Paleo period, 20,000 years ago. They hunted large land animals (megafauna) such as mastodons, mammoths, bison, saber tooth tigers, giant armadillos, sloths and a variety of birds. As the ice age waned around 8,000 years ago and the water levels had risen, humans moved to these inland springs. There has a been a continuous human presence (and probably alligator gars and alligators) ever since then.

Wakulla Springs

Wakulla Springs is designated a National Archaeological and Historic District (due to the area's history dating back to the Paleoindian period) and a National Natural Landmark as it illustrates the United States of America's natural heritage. The park was also recently designated as a State Geological Site. Ed Ball Wakulla Springs State Park's 6,800-acre offers endless opportunities to see and experience North Florida in its purest, natural form.

Mysterious Waters

Mystery surrounds the early history of Wakulla Springs. The word “Wakulla” may be a modern spelling of ancient Native American origin meaning “river of the crying bird” or “mystery.” Spanish explorers interpreted the Indian word for the spring as guacara. Historians have confused its name based on early maps.

Edward Ball purchased the property in 1934 and developed it as an attraction focusing on wildlife preservation and the surrounding habitat. The State of Florida bought half of the existing park property in 1986. The other half was added in 2000 to protect the quality of the groundwater which feeds the spring and the large Cherokee Sink.

Local residents and visitors from all over the world enjoy this first magnitude spring for its beautiful diverse wildlife, deep water spring and swimming area, river boat tour and the Wakulla Springs Lodge. Contact the Wakulla Springs Lodge for lodging, catering and events.

Conserving the world's largest and deepest freshwater spring

Phone: (850) 561–7286 • Email: friends@wakullasprings.org

A 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to conserve, protect, restore and enhance the natural, historical, cultural and recreational resources of Wakulla Springs State Park for present and future generations.

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