The State Park Adventure Officially Begins!

Three out of 42 parks have been seen so far.  It sounds like a daunting task, but we know all too well just how fast these days pass and how soon we will be telling you about the 42nd park. It's a great gift we have been given in life, to be able to make these trips and have these adventures together, the Travelin Dennens and YOU who follow us.  Thank you for your company along the way!

Rainbow Springs State Park is stop number one.  It is divided up into 3 sections. The head springs area, where there is a lot to see and do, the campground entrance and the tubing entrance. 

 Located in Marion County in the city of Dunellon, FL, it has 60 spots available to rent. 3 of them are pull thru, 7 are tent only, 6 are non-reservation sites that are for walk ups and camp hosts. The park has lots of amenities. A spacious laundry facility (with AC), 

Plenty of clean, spacious bath houses, kayak and canoe rentals for your spectacular day on the crystal clear, spring fed, Rainbow River...

On site there is 15, 30 and 50 amp electricity, on site sewer hook ups, and water available. 

They have a fully stocked camp store, a rec room, and dump station.  You can fish, swim, hike till your hearts content. There is tube rentals and a tram that will take you from where you end up down stream back to the campground, over and over again. 

In the river itself, you can rent tubes, or bring your own and just float. The river travels at a rate of 1.5 miles an hour. You can rent a kayak or canoe and paddle up to the head springs and have a leisurely flow back to camp. Some folks like to dive and snorkel in the river.  It's clarity and abundant wild life make that an enjoyable activity as well.  

There is a 3/4 mile nature hike within the campground area that contains wildlife and interesting flora.  There are benches sprinkled throughout the walk in the event you need a rest. 

I (Cheri)took the hike on day one, making a quick pass due to approaching weather, but still had a wonderful time meandering through the woods. There was a true murder of crows that spent a good five minutes laughing at me.  No clue what was so darn funny...but as soon as I aimed the camera and snapped a picture, away they all flew. 

There are many different birds here.  Bluebirds, several species of woodpecker, Carolina wrens, chickadees, titmice, osprey, jays, cardinals, crows, mourning doves, wood ducks to name a few.  The frogs come out at night by the tons. I don't have a good snap of that yet, but tonight I'm going to get one.  Little green tree frogs hang out around the lights of the bath houses like office workers around the cooler on break, looking for the easy meals, of bugs attracted to the bright bulbs.  Watching them feed voraciously is amazing. Maybe a video with that photo.  We have stayed here before, and the things we didn't like then are gone, as sites have been improved measurably. Rainbow springs is the kind of destination you'll want to enjoy for more than just a few nights...because the springs themselves have much to offer, but there are also day trips to take to five other nearby state parks. Fort Cooper, Crystal River Preserve, Crystal River Archeological Site, and Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins. More on them in the next post. Right now, we have some laundry to do, so we can check out the laundry facilities better!  Happy Saturday!  Don't forget, tomorrow is Father's Day!