July 23rd, 2008
I would have to say at this point, this is one of our favorite parks. We’ve been here twice within the last 2 weeks. 
Park admission is $4.00 per car load with up to 8 people and well worth every penny. The park has everything one could ask for. Beautiful scenery, the clearest water you will ever see, camping, wildlife, picnic areas, playgrounds for the kids. canoeing and kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving. There is also a few pavilions with picnic tables but the park ranger told us that you do have to reserve them in advance if you’re looking to get one.
There are canoes available for rent as well as kayaks. The canoes are $12 per hour and the kayaks $10 per hour. The canoes have a maximum of 3 people. Prices for kayaks and canoes include paddles and life jackets. There are also snorkel sets available that include a mask, fins, and a snorkel for $3.50 an hour if you’re interested. I would recommend at least renting the snorkel set if you don’t have a set of your own. The water is beautiful and clear as can be, but in order to see down into the 25 foot crater of the spring, you’re going to want at least a mask.
Read More about our trip to Manatee Springs State Park
July 17th, 2008
Fanning Springs State Park is a great place to take the kids on those hot summer days. Pack a lunch and head out for a great day at a beautiful spring. Let the kids swim and grab a sp
ot on the floating dock that surrounds the swimming area so that you can catch some rays while keeping an eye on the little ones or jump in a have a great time yourself. Fair warning though, the water is COLD. I referred to it as swimming in a Slurpee if you’re interested but i was told by one of the park visitors that the water stays at a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
A few things that this parks offers besides gorgeous scenery, relaxation, and a butt load of fun are large clean restrooms but the floor was a bit wet from everyone going in there after swimming so wear your sandals. Read More about our trip to Fanning Springs State Park
July 16th, 2008
The Crystal River Preserve State Park is a great place to enjoy nature at it’s best. The estuarine system gets water from 7 of the counties rivers and feeds an abundance of wildlife. Good news for us nature lovers and photographers!
To truly appreciate this park, you’re going to need a boat which unfortunately we do not have access to but the park does offer boat tours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Unlike the Crystal River Archaeological State Park, we did see the tour boats here and this is probably where you go to take the tours offered by that park since it is pretty much right in the middle of this one.
Read More about our trip to Crystal River Preserve State Park
July 14th, 2008
Surrounded by the Crystal River Preserve State Park, is the beautiful Crystal River Archaeological State Park. 
This park offers some decent picnic areas as well as a little bit of Florida history. There’s a lot of shaded concrete paths here that would make for a great walk or even grab your roller blades and skate around the park. I would imagine that the fishing here is pretty good along the sea wall as well.
This is one of the longest continuously occupied sites in Florida, 1,600 years, a pre-Columbian Ceremonial Complex with 6 burial mounds. The most impressive burial mound here is a temple/platform mound that is about 28 feet in excruciating height. I didn’t count the number of stairs but i am quite sure there were a million, laugh-out-loud.
Read More about our trip to Crystal River Archaeological State Park
Park admission is $4.00 per car load with up to 8 people and well worth every penny. The park has everything one could ask for. Beautiful scenery, the clearest water you will ever see, camping, wildlife, picnic areas, playgrounds for the kids. canoeing and kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving. There is also a few pavilions with picnic tables but the park ranger told us that you do have to reserve them in advance if you’re looking to get one.
