Best Springs Near Orlando: Swimming, Tubing and Manatees (2026 Rules)

Florida has more than 1,000 freshwater springs, and some of the best are within an hour of Orlando. The water stays in the low 70s all year, it's clear enough to see straight to the bottom, and in winter some of them fill with manatees.

Here are the best springs near Orlando for swimming, tubing and seeing manatees, with the 2026 reservation rules you need to know. Several of these parks now require reservations, and people get turned away at the gate every weekend.

Wekiwa Springs State Park (Apopka)

About 30 minutes north of downtown Orlando.

Wekiwa is the closest big spring to Orlando and the easiest first visit. The spring pours into a large swimming area with a grassy hill around it, and the water is clear and cold. You can rent a canoe or kayak and paddle the Wekiwa River, one of the prettiest paddles in Central Florida.

• Reservations required. All day-use visitors, including annual pass holders, need a reservation. You pay the $6 per vehicle entry fee when you book.
• Swimming is in the spring area only, and snorkeling isn't allowed in the spring runs or the river.
• Go early on weekends. Reserved spots go fast in warm weather.

Best for: a first springs trip, families, paddling.

Kelly Park / Rock Springs (Apopka)

About 35 minutes north of Orlando.

Rock Springs is the one people mean when they say "tubing near Orlando." The spring comes out of a rock wall and runs fast and shallow through a shaded run, and you float down it on a tube. The water stays between 68 and 72 degrees all year.

• Tickets are online only through Orange County's portal at ocportal.net, sold up to 30 days ahead. Cash isn't accepted.
• Entry is $5 per vehicle as of August 2026.
• The park caps entry at 280 tickets a day. On summer weekends it sells out early.
• Bring your own tube. Tubes aren't rented inside the park, and you can't leave and come back. Rent one outside first or bring one under 5 feet across, plus a pump.
• Hours: 8 AM to 6 PM in winter, 8 AM to 8 PM in summer. The water closes an hour before the park.
• No pets or alcohol.

Best for: tubing, teenagers, hot summer days.

Blue Spring State Park (Orange City)

About 45 minutes north of Orlando.

Blue Spring is two parks depending on when you go.

April through mid-November, it's a swimming and tubing spring with a clear, blue run.

From November 15 through March, it's the best place in Central Florida to see wild manatees. As the St. Johns River cools, hundreds of manatees move into the spring run to stay warm, and you watch them from a boardwalk over the water. The park counted a record 932 manatees on a cold morning in January 2024. Swimming, tubing and paddling in the run are closed during manatee season.

• Reservations required since July 2026. Every day-use visitor needs one. You can book up to 60 days ahead. Same-day reservations are possible if the park hasn't hit its limit.
• Entry is $6 per vehicle.
• The colder the morning, the more manatees. Check the forecast and go the morning after a cold front.
• You can't swim with the manatees.

Best for: manatees in winter, swimming in summer.

A few more worth the drive

• De Leon Springs State Park (DeLand, about an hour north) has a swimming area at the spring and a restaurant where you make your own pancakes at the table.
• Silver Springs State Park (Ocala, about 90 minutes northwest) is famous for its glass-bottom boats, which have run there since the 1870s.
• Rainbow Springs State Park (Dunnellon, about 1 hour 45 minutes) is the spring for a full-day trip, with a swimming area and tubing on the Rainbow River. It's also on the state's reservation system.

Can you swim in springs near Orlando in winter?

Yes, at some of them. The water is the same temperature in January as it is in July, so on a cool day it feels warm. Wekiwa and Rock Springs stay open for swimming all year. Blue Spring closes to swimming from mid-November through March for manatee season.

Tips for visiting Florida springs

• Reserve first, drive second. Wekiwa, Blue Spring and Rainbow Springs all require day-use reservations, and Kelly Park sells tickets online only.
• Arrive early. Even with reservations, parking and good spots near the water fill up by late morning on weekends.
• Bring water shoes. Spring bottoms can be rocky and slippery.
• Use reef-safe sunscreen and keep it off before you get in if you can. Springs are fragile.
• Leave no trace. No food or drinks in the water, and pack out what you bring.

Pair it with something else outside

A springs morning goes well with an afternoon on the water south of Orlando. Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures in Kissimmee runs airboat tours through the headwaters of the Everglades daily, and next door Mini Moo Land has baby highland calves you can bottle-feed at 10 AM, 1 PM and 4 PM. See our guide to things to do in Kissimmee for more.