Kelly Park at Rock Springs

If the Florida State Parks were a large family, Wekiwa Springs would be the son that everyone talks about, but Kelly Park, known to locals simply as Rock Springs never seems to get as much attention, but it should. Rock Springs is the ultimate lazy river, located only 25 minutes north of Orlando. Once you get here, you’ll find that those chlorine-filled lazy rivers at the water parks got nothing on this freshwater river journey floating you naturally for what could be 20 to 40 minutes. The time all depends on how long you want your trip to take.

Visitors generally bring rafts or inner tubes to float down the stream where you’re surrounded by jagged edge rocks coming up from the water and tons of trees, fish and wildlife surrounding you. The water is not deep at all and might be 5 ft. deep at some of its deepest points and 10 inches deep at its shallow points. It definitely allows you to enjoy Florida’s natural springs and Florida’s natural environment while at the same time feeling as safe and comfortable as you do in your own backyard. For those that don’t want to go through the hassle of buying and inflating inner tubes you can rent inner tubes from shops located outside the park for around $5 a raft. They might require you to leave some sort of deposit, if you pay with cash or they might require you to leave something of value behind such as a driver’s license or a credit card so they know you’ll come back. They might not, but be prepared for that possibility.

Hours:

Monday-Sunday 8am – 6pm

Admission:

$4 t0 $6 per vehicle

Location:
400 E Kelly Park Rd
Apopka, FL 32703
(407) 889-4179

Special Unlocked Tip:
The park gets crowded so you might want to think about going earlier in the morning around 10am to 11am, if they get too full during the day they will turn guests away. Don’t worry about being able to find an inner tube rental shop because when you get close to the park there will be a few small shops that look like they were constructed by inner tubes……….and that’s your spot. There’s one shop right around the corner from the park entrance. Be sure to bring a larger vehicle to put the large donut tubes in because they come inflated. If you don’t have a larger vehicle, not to worry, you can jam those suckers in your car’s truck and ride with it open into the park. It’s not far away, it’s mildly safe, but you’ll be comforted by the fact that everyone else is doing the same thing you are. It’s a ton of fun, and cheap Orlando entertainment, so be prepared to see a lot of families and a ton of kids. Ultimately it’s always a great Orlando day when you go to Rock Springs.