Alexander Springs, FL: Fun Ideas for Great Outdoors Month and Memorial Day

If you are looking for a weekend or day of fun, relaxation and natural beauty, then look no further than Alexander Springs. Alexander Springs is one of Florida's natural wonders. It is situated in the middle of the Ocala National Forest in Central Florida surrounded by the exquisite flora and fauna native to Florida. With its year-round 72 degree Fahrenheit water, it is a perfect place to cool off on a hot summer day.

The spring is home to a variety of wildlife. While by the spring pool you may encounter an otter performing underwater acrobatics or a gator sunning alongside the pool. There are underwater forests filled with families of fish and sandy plains that they fly over. Turtles survey the goings on in the troposphere while the birds glide through it. If you opt for a hike through the forest there are a host of other animals you may chance upon. White tail deer pick their way through the underbrush and squirrels hop through the trees. Among the more rare animals that make the Ocala National Forest home are black bear, bobcat, coyote, Grey fox, and Red fox. Of the flora, the forest is noted for the Florida Scrub habitat, for the largest concentration of sand pines in the world and for some of the best remaining long leaf pines in Central Florida.

The Ocala National forest area receives the highest number of visitors of any forest in Florida. Some of its charm is found in the seemingly endless activities available. At Alexander Spring you have the opportunity to camp, hike, bicycle, fish, canoe, scuba dive, and snorkel. It is an excellent place to spend a day with a picnic, and also a good place to camp. The campground offers a concessions stand, 65 camp sites with RV, tent, group tent, open and wooded sites, bathroom facilities with hot showers, and water/electric hook-up for RV's. The park is open all year to visitors. If you choose to camp there, you may enjoy visiting the other nearby springs which include Salt Springs, Fern Hammock Springs and Juniper Springs. Each spring is unique in its natural design, and the available activities vary from spring to spring.

Alexander Spring is inexpensive at only $3.00 per visitor which would allow a large family to visit without overwhelming expense. It is well worth the trip. The sheer beauty of traveling through the forest itself to the spring will leave all travelers wide eyed. For me, the best part is looking through the crystal clear water while snorkeling or relaxing on a float and being captivated by the landscape of the underwater environment beneath you. Even if you have already visited Alexander Spring or another spring, it is worth visiting again and again.

"Ocala National Forest." Wikipedia.
Joe Follman and Richard Buchanan. "Alexander Springs." Springs Fever.
"U.S. National Forest Campground Guide." Forestcamping.com.