flsprings.com | Florida Springs

Remind me next time I go to a spring the week after Christmas to check the weather report. With a couple friends in tow, I traveled to the west coast of Florida to visit Homosassa Springs for the first time. I knew there was no swimming at this park, so I figured with the cold weather it would be a perfect park to visit.

I guess it didn't help that it was hovering between the 30s and 40s that day, or that I brought nothing but a thin hoodie to protect me from the cold. Add to that my camera in one hand, always exposed to the cold biting wind (I hate the feeling of neck straps) and I had my work cut out for me that day.

All things considered, it wasn't the best day to go, but it was still very enjoyable. The park attendance was sparse (good thing!) but the underwater observation deck was closed for painting (bad thing!). We rode a short boat ride into the park from the highway parking lot / visitor center. The tour was cold but informative and relaxing, and I would recommended it highly to a potential visitor.

The park is mainly just an outdoor exhibit hall, but a cool one! Lots of animals to see: manatees, bobcats, foxes, bald eagles, reptiles of all types (in a heated building!!), a kids activity center, lots and lots of birds, a panther, even a hippo. It was a good jaunt for a day if a little farther than I wanted to travel, but I would really like to come back during the Summer when the trees would be in full force and the sun would cast much nicer lighting.

Anyway, enjoy the few pictures I salvaged from the horrible Winter lighting.