Ginnie Springs Reviews

If you want loud music until 2am and drinking/marijuana/crowds this is your place. It's really a shame, but I guess partiers need places too. Not for me.

Ginnie Springs is a great place for cave diving, as a cave diver I look forward to it. In the summer, on weekends when it is warm it gets to be a bit of a crazy place with younger folks partying and making lots of noise. Most of the visitors go tubing, swimming etc.

We make a few trips each summer with family and friends. The park has a laid back fun vibe on the weekends but most people respect the park so ignore the reviews of beer cans everywhere. Weekdays are much less crowded if you are looking for quieter time but definitely worth a visit.

When we decided to rent Kayaks. No one informed us of the rules for Kayaking. No one asked if we had been there before etc. They quickly took our money without saying anything. We had no idea that that the Santa Fe river did not wrap around back to the Ginnie Springs area instead it keeps going until the next drop off area which is extremely far away from Ginnie Springs. None the less, we got lost (in the middle of no where), no one around, our kayak flipped over in the disgusting river which has a strong current, we lost a paddle, our phone, keys etc. When we were finally able to retrieve our phone (because we were paddling with our hands) we called the front desk of Ginnie Springs for help. We told The young lady on the phone that we were lost and needed help. The girl put us on hold for almost 30 minutes while we were literally holding on to a branch terrified. When we called again we explained once again our situation, the girl was more concerned about us bringing back the kayak equipment in shape then giving us suggestions as to what we can do. Her response was that someone should have told us not to continue on the river. (NO ONE DID) and they had no way to rescue us because there is no shuttle/boats that pick up people in our situation then proceeded to wish us "good luck." She gave us no other suggestions as to what we can do and treated us like she did not care. When we arrived to the next drop off, we had to leave the kayak there and hitch hike a ride back to ginnie springs in order to get our car. The gentlemen that drove us to ginnie springs told us that this isnt the first time something like this happens before. After he dropped us off, we had to drive our small car back to where we had left the kayak and put the kayak in our car/drive it back to ginnie springs because if not they charge you for it.
When we arrived back to ginnie springs with the kayak on top of our car, a young worker that checks people for there passes, proceeded to laugh and say "Oh yeah you guys are the ones that went down stream" so on top of the horrible experience that we had, The guy laughed in our faces. Not only that, we did not have our entrance pass anymore so another guy im assuming the other young guys manager said that we could go in without the pass but if we take to long he would have to charge us for 30 minutes....lol.... as if we were really gonna stay in that horrible place. (All we were going to do was drop off the kayak) We will never come here ever again and they should honestly shut this place down.
Sure, the water thats only in the entrance is clear/beautiful but thats the only nice thing about this horrible place. If you go further then that the entrance point you will find disgusting dirty water that makes up most of the area. I suggest you get your picture in the entrance (if you can) and literally leave.
The place is filled with drunk/high college kids that trash the place and the so called "park rangers" to be frank, do not give a crap about anyones needs. If anything, they spend more time hitting on girls.
Its sad because this place has the potential to really be a nice area for camping but the people that the owners have hired to run this place have have horrible customer service. The rules that Ginnie springs "claim" to have is BS. The people their act like animals and nothing gets done when you have a situation.

While it wasn't "our" thing, We can see the allure. The springs are pretty and clear. There are plenty of secluded spots to grill and camp. I would have loved this place in my younger years. We won't return. But again, if camping, BBQs in the park, dipping in springs, or lazy river tubing is your thing, you will enjoy yourself.

Our cub scout pack planned this camping trip. We were able to reserve a large area by the Devil's Eye spring. My son and I pitched our tent right by the river's edge and were greeted by a beautiful sight each morning. We went swimming in the spring with our den and floated on tubes from the spring to the river and down to the boat ramp. We also went kayaking and played on a rope swing. It has a bit of a party atmosphere with people drinking while floating down the river. It was a little hard to get sleep at night with people playing their music late. I however, didn't feel like it was unsafe for the 7 year old cubs in my den.

I'd heard good things about this place over the years - a private spring that allows you to bring alcohol and float down the river. How could you beat that?

Unfortunately, it was a pretty bad experience.

To start, the price is pretty high - $20 a person. For that kind of money I'd expect there'd be plenty of grills and picnic tables and clean restrooms. Nope. No picnic tables, grills, or anything in site anywhere. The place was so crowded, we were eventually able to find an area about 10'x10' where we could leave our coolers and bags with clothes, etc. but we had people right on top of us.

The spring is relatively small, so it was essentially elbow to elbow. A lot of people had ridiculously large floats (like 10x10 that are designed to hold an entire family). The gigantic floats made it a challenge to do any swimming without being run into. Speaking of, the people on the floats were largely drunk and could not care less about running into you.

I think I probably saw about 1500 people, and saw exactly 1 person wearing a mask. If you're concerned about social distancing, this is definitely NOT the place for you.

Like I said, the spring is pretty small. The tubing run looks like it's actually a river that connects to the spring, but unlike other places I've been, the area where you tube is not spring water. It's regular river water (not transparent and not cold). The tubing was better because the river allowed more room for people to spread out. There was also a rope swing and several trees that people were jumping into the river from, and my family enjoyed that.

The worst part for us was when we tried to leave. There is a "guard shack" type thing with a gate at the exit, and when you leave they collect the "tickets" that you got when you pay your admission. I guess this is to prevent you from giving your ticket to someone else after you leave. The problem is nobody tells you that you need to keep the tickets so when we got back to our car and threw our trash away, we threw the tickets away as well (because why not). The staff at the exit refused to let us exit the park without turning our tickets in. When we explained that we'd thrown them away they actually told us that we would need to go back and go through the garbage to find them in order to leave. Um, no...that's not happening. We had to speak to a supervisor, and even then we had to threaten to call law enforcement because they weren't going to let us leave. Eventually we just laid on the horn for about 30 seconds until they opened the gate and let us leave.

If you don't care about social distancing, rude staff, overcrowding and hordes of drunk people then this place is for you.

Will not be going back.

I have never seen a place so packed. They were so many people with no mask 😷 I had to leave right away after paying $60 for 3 people. Better to be safe than sorry. If police on site don’t do anything nobody else can do. A money marking $20 per head. Maybe 5000 people during the day in and out. 3% have the virus that will contaminate 3 people.... 1000 will be contaminated and 150 people will die. It’s a free zone to chose with yourself, your conscience, your life and god....

Terrible. Waited thirty minutes in our car to get a ticket to camp overnight. Then stood in line for two hours in the baking sun to pay for a camp site. Once you pay you drive around looking for a spot. Tents were basically on top of each other and it was dirty overcrowded and disgusting. You could barely see the springs through the hundreds of people and floaties in the water. Every camp site has a speaker blasting music, and the bathrooms were dirty. A beautiful place treated like a trash can. Will never ever ever go back. Paid to camp for two nights, lasted four hours, packed up and went home. Waste of time.

We decided to go there for the weekend because of all the changes and new rules designed to reduce incidents to a minimum. Not a family-friendly Park. Average age is 20 to 30s, quiet time is at midnight. Lots of noise and partying past midnight and no enforcement. The smell of marijuana is everywhere on the park. So a couple of Park Rangers on a golf cart sitting 6 feet away from some kids who were smoking marijuana in the spring. Lots of golf carts and even large UTV's in the park. The majority of great reviews for this park are being written by the younger crowd who has found safe Haven in this park to do whatever they want to do.

We went tubing here. You rent the tubes and then follow the trail to the tubing entry point into the river. Takes about an hour to float down to the exit. From the exit follow the trail back to the rental site or you can continue to the entrance and float down again. The springs along the river are crystal clear and the river water was also pretty clear.

NOT A FAMILY PLACE!! Lots of intoxicated people and loud music during the day and in the middle of the night also. By loud I mean: LOUD. PA speakers blasting all times of the day and night. Security is non existent. Cars and motorcycles speeding like on a highway in the campsite.
The springs are beautiful and that’s a shame.
We will NEVER go back and we will definitely tell our friends not to go.

I’ve been visiting Ginnie Springs for over 35 years.
Due to increased greed for profit, poor management, and lack of security, it is no longer suitable for civilized people and especially children.

Over the past five years it has become overrun with trashy drunken visitors; fighting, shooting guns, littering, playing loud music from all sides.
-Ruining the experience of enjoying one of north Florida’s most stunning springs.
🥲💔

First time diving there-will definitely go again. It is really busy with swimmers-snorkelers on top of divers so patience is a virtue as no one is requiring the non-divers to accommodate divers. Only dove Ginnie Spring but there is a lot more to dive there and hope to do so soon. There are a lot of mosquitoes and it is early in the season. It would be nice if there were times during the year that only divers could be allowed.

Yikes! Im not sure why my friend recommended this place?? The water would be gorgeous and f the owners cleaned up all the trash in the water and around the grounds. It’s literally a trash dump now. Some of the swimmers were bullying other guests. Yes, bullying. Tell the owner anything that is wrong and suddenly you are the enemy. Good luck out there. You’re gonna need it.

The spring itself is absolutely beautiful, but if you are not there when they open at 8:00 you will not be able to enjoy it. Kayaks, canoes, and tubing are all put in at the same location where you snorkel and dive. The small swimming hole gets filled up very fast, this place is NOT KID FRIENDLY AT ALL! There is ALOT of drinking that goes on as well as drug use. The crowd gets very rowdy around 9:30-10:00 am and continues to get worse as the day goes on. There obviously is not a capacity restriction, although there should be, we ended up leaving around 11:00 am because of the drinking and cussing and hollering and it was way too crowded for that small of space. And as we were leaving out of the gate,the line to get into the place was at least 2 miles long if not more, it was ridiculous! We will never be back! Do your research on this place before bringing kids!

We went to Ginnie springs for cave diving. We spent 4 days visiting the devil's system. You could spend a lot of time before being able to say that you've seen all of it.

I visited Ginnie Springs with our youth group from church. This is an annual event for the church, but my first time. I was not impressed with the long lines to get into the park, long lines to get tickets, long lines to get tubes and life jackets. It took two hours before we even got the kids in the water. And then, there were the party people with their huge floating beer barges crowding the river and the pot-smoking people in the campground. Not exactly the things we want to expose our youth to on a church outing. The staff was overwhelmed and under trained for their jobs. There is only one first aid person to take care of any emergency that pops up. This place could be awesome if it were a little more organized and scrutinized for proper behavior.

My family is there right now. People partying until 5 AM. No enforcement of quiet time. They are going to stick it out for their last night. The people in charge need to take care of this if they want to promote it as a quiet, family friendly campground.

The spring itself is beautiful, but don't camp there - it's a nightmare. The management allows in so many people in and it is jam packed. There are a list of camper rules, but there's no very little policing to insure people are adhering. One example on my visit was the 'quiet time between 12m-8a'. There were quite a few groups still blaring music, screaming and yelling until 3-4am which made sleeping impossible. Rules also saw no motor scooters - saw those. Sign says no pets - saw at least a dozen dogs.

Took a family girls trip to the springs this holiday weekend - We camped there Friday to Sunday. We reserved power campsite and had no issues checking in and setting up - the camp sites were very clean and bathrooms were regularly maintained. Our camp site had power and water, included a picnic table and fire pit - the campgrounds and springs were packed but we noticed if you go to the springs earlier in the day it's less crowded and you can get in some peaceful time in the water before the herds of people rush in - We spent the first day on the tubes with a full cooler of beer and soaked in the sunshine- it was a dream come true. Make sure you pay attention to the tube take out sign, we of course all missed it and struggled to paddle against the current to make it out - it was so funny though and we didnt even mind too much - the walk back was a little disorienting - so make sure you have a plan in place to find your camp site - Our second day we rented 2 double kayaks and spent a few hours riding up and down the river - it was so pretty and we saw so many turtles and fish jumping - launching the kayaks in the springs was tough because they were filled with people on tubes, but where there's a will there's a way :) - snorkeling in the springs was so fun and the water was beautiful - I can not wait to go back

Lovely springs. Too bad the people who frequent the place are not as lovely.
We had reserved a spot for 4 days and left after the first night.
Definitely not the spot to go to if you just want to enjoy a quiet stay in nature. Even the sheriffs ( yeah, we had to call them) told us that this is not a place for families.
The owner was nice, but nice doesn’t cover the lack of regulation or safety.
Unless you’re the wild party type, Don’t waste your time. There are nicer places to camp just a short drive away.

Amazing place for snorkeling, scuba diving, camping, or just to get out of the city. Stay away from spring break or any other date that may have students from nearby areas coming here. The place gets very crowed and may not be the appropriate place to have your kids around. Staff is extremely friendly, camping areas are very well distribute with water and electric hook ups. Definitely a gem in Florida.

I have mixed reviews. Diving - great. Operation- seriously regimented! My dive club went here for Halloween camping/diving. The Galaxy Dive was awesome, as were the caverns. But, the workers are very regimented about everything. In scuba, I get it. But everything else was a hassle. I guess they get burned too often by people. (Examples: They took our parking pass on way out so we didn’t give it to someone else. 10 staples on parking pass and receipt; They have to put on wrist bands-no body else....I couldn’t even on my own kids right in front of them, etc. that stuff is just very annoying!). Also, seems on the expensive side even for a private spring/campground. Prob won’t go back to camp. But will go back for a day dive.

Staff were accommodating when we asked them to swap an overnight stay for a day use and refund us part of the money spent on this place (August weekend). Huge crowds floating down the river and camping along all the shore preventing access to water, alcohol is allowed (lots of it) and so is loud music. Whatever natural beauty there is it was nowhere in sight. If you like to party and booze on the water this may well be your place; if you’re looking for Nature consider nearby State Parks (we did).

Unfortunately this serene place has been destroyed by the people that come here. Trash everywhere, loud music competing with generators, sawdust is everywhere to soak up chewing tobacco, overflowing toilets.
This place needs to be turned into a state park and protected before it’s too late. Shame on the owners, caretakers, and clientele.

My kids and I got a day pass here. The kids loved it! Ginnie, devil's eye and devil's ear springs are at least 5 feet deep. Bring goggles and a pool noodle for kids under 12... even good swimmers tend to get tired treading water. The water is very clear.

This place is crazy. I’m 31, and it’s too much even for me. Lots of college kids or college aged kids partying drinking and being ridiculous. Driving by playing loud music, smoking, drinking everywhere, even in the water. For me, a spring is a relaxing wonder to go see and enjoy but this made it very unenjoyable. We drove about 2 hours out of our way to see it and spent less than an hour there. If you choose to come, bring more than 2 people. We had nowhere to put our car key so we couldn’t really just swim around (it’s electronic, not a regular old key).

Don’t waste your money. The campgrounds smelled like sewage and the bathrooms weren’t clean. They haven’t updated their online prices, so no point in trying to budget; they don’t do refunds either. Go to rainbow springs instead, at least they’re honest.

You will pay to get in to park and if you don’t have your own equipment you pay to rent that too. We went tubing just for the day and it was very cool and relaxing way to spend a hot summer day. It was Labor Day weekend and very crowded but still enjoyable to just float down the river and walk back with our tubes. We rented tubes. For faster service in renting the tubes, my suggestion is to fill out the release form and pay online before you get in line. That way when you get to the front of the line they just give you the tubes and you’re on your way. Another suggestion is to rent a paddle. It will help you steer to get to the current. Only one paddle is necessary for your group if you want to connect your tubes to float together. I saw several people with floating ice chests filled with cold beverages tied to their tubes. I wish I would have thought of that! Also, water shoes or flip flops are recommended for the walk back to the base.

Ginnie is not for everyone, I will say that. If you don’t like to party or loud college student energy this place is not for you. This is not a family friendly spring and you would know that if you read the waivers you sign before going in. If you wanna have fun and party this is the spring to be, it’s pretty decent w enforcement regulation but as long as you aren’t harming anyone else than you will have no problem. I see so many negative comments on here on the Ginnie springs culture when it’s honestly a matter of what you are looking for. It’s chaotic at time but it’s a fun experience if you don’t go in expecting just peace and no party. Wouldn’t recommend if you are a prude or have kids.

We decided to visit Ginnie Springs while we were on vacation. It was so worth it! It is just a awesome and beautiful place. Our family loved it. I have never seen anything like this place in person and was just in awe of the water and how blue and clear it is. We will definitely be back and hope to camp the next time. It was definitely worth the stop!

Quick question I want to go camping with my younger brother which is not 18 but I’m over 18 would they let him stay camping with me

My phone was stolen on my first day there. This place has really gone down hill. It's not a safe or friendly family atmosphere now.

I wanted to come here after seeing this on a Facebook Bucket list page. It’s fun and different. The water is a little cold! I would recommend taking water shoes! The prices are a little expensive though. Fun for everyone!

Think...3rd world country. I've never seen more trash in my life. Every camp site looked like some underdeveloped, poverty stricken, and diseased location. Because there were so many people there, the porta potties that they brought in were so disgusting, I would rather go in a hole at a carnival. I'll never step foot in that filthy Park again, nor would I ever recommend it to anyone!

(10/16/20) Where to start.. This was my first time at this spring, I'm a Avid spring hopper and this one was on the list. Showed up on a Thursday (off season) @ 10am got in ok no crazy wait. Went inside to check in and settle up. About 30 people where in there No masks/employee's included. Sign says masks required. Our bill came to 55$ for 2 people, Entrance/tube rental CRAZYness! They gave us a little map, sent us on, got outside, jumped in the car, parked where they circled. So we get out by (Ginnie) then everything changes. I felt like I was sucked into some dirty, smelly, hippy, rave seen, with the loudest music'(S) possible. Weed smell was so strong and people walking around drunk, had bottles and cans in their hands. Doubles driving scooters, drinking and having open containers. Piss drunk and still going, people out swimming with open containers, plastic cups, bottles. No respect for the Springs and the environment. People say off season, well there was more than plenty of people 100's off season to me is less than 10. I would never ever go during season if that's the case. Trash on the grounds they didn't care, their drunk and high/not just weed. I can't believe there were kids here, shame on the parents. The springs themselves where pretty only stayed to see 3. When you find out you gotta float down Brown Swamp Water for tubing it will change your mind fast. Ginnie is on the Sante Fe which means it's Brown Swamp water, these 5 springs are on the left side, like little inlets. I nearly died when I found this out, I'm use to clear water or mostly clear water down stream. My friend refused to kayak so I did it but hated the experience. Loud music all the way down that part too. Less than 1/2 way I was like I'm done here totally, my friend was like Ok me too. 1 hour Packed up left, 2 miles down is Gilchrist Blue Springs, we went there 6$ to get into. We meet a couple others that left too that had kids. It was Quiet, beautiful, peaceful, and clean. Rent a kayak there and adventure out the trail head and enjoy the springs that way. Don't ever have to deal with Ginnie again. Poe Spring is 2 miles from there. Even better 16 miles is Ichetucknee Springs 6$ one of the BEST! I will never ever go to Ginnie again or support that behavior/management. I feel bad for the Environment and Ecosystem there, just trashed by trashy people. That's all I have, I don't see how other respectable people could stay longer and deal with that disrespectfulness.

We went during the week to avoid the summer party crowd. Only went to go tubing down river. Only option is your own equipment or their open tube. Since it was really hot and water is 72 deg this was not bad. In order to get out to the main current, it is best to use a paddle which we were not offered nor suggested to us. You also have to transport your rental equipment to whichever spring you are going to enter from. Meaning you have to tie it to your car. Once we entered the water we had to swim kick water relatively hard to get to main stream from Devils eye spring entry. Nearing the end of the tubing there were several signs telling us takeout was coming up 300 yards, 200 yards, etc., The problem was the takeout is quite a distance to the left bank and the current is out in the middle and the river area is rather wide at that point. We had a difficult time getting over to the Takeout area and we were lucky enough to grab a branch of a tree to pull us backwards. You can’t really swim against the current and dragging a tube with you makes it more difficult. I would give this a “1” SAFETY rating ONLY BECAUSE OF TAKE OUT SIGNS and RECOMMEND that everybody take a PADDLE and KEEP LEFT in order to get out timely. There were many people that drifted on beyond us and I have no idea where they were going to get out. When I asked the front staff what happens to people that drift beyond the takeout, the response was “I don’t know.” WATCH OUT parents with small children. YOU ALSO HAVE TO CARRY BACK YOUR EQUIPMENT FOR A 15 MINUTE WALK!

The campground looked clean and nice, but as usual people think you want to hear their music at a loud volume when you don’t. The campsites were nicely placed along the river. That said, we weren’t camping but it looked nice. WHEN you compare safety and clarity of the area to Itcetucknee state park there is no comparison. It is much safer and much prettier and they provide transportation to and from get in get out points. if you are limited on time, I would absolutely choose Itcetucknee over Ginnie Springs.

What a sh*tshow.
From women screaming they’ve been drugged and raped to the police in the area not doing a damn thing till it’s too late.
People died here over the weekend. They showed no sense of increased security.
There so many senseless things happening and after the deaths of the individuals they shut the park down n kicked everyone out.
You figured they would have better ways to manage what seems to happen often. I guess the owners don’t care as long as they make some cash.
Avoid this place at all costs. It’s not worth it.
Your children don’t need to be around anything remotely like this.
Drive five hours to spend more time in my car n waiting in line than actually enjoying nature.
And when your shoulder to shoulder with campsites it definitely makes you regret it all.

Thanks for the waste of time and endangering my family with your lack of security and regulations

Lol well first off to Blake E. If you watch some YouTube videos people go treasure hunting for the stuff people throw in these springs so about all that, these springs are always this way of everything you’ve mentioned! I love this place it’s anazing and I come here all the time to go treasure hunting and free dive! I mean I absolutely am in love with coming here!!! :) I’ll always come back!

My husband and I drove up to Gainesville for the weekend and decided it would be nice to spend a day at Ginnie Springs. Boy were we wrong. After waiting in a car line for over an hour to enter the facility, we were able to park. NO ONE was wearing masks and there were definitely parties of over 10 in attendance, even though the company’s website (Ginnie Springs Outdoors) and phone recording says they would not be allowing that due to COVID. We decided to get out of the car and have a look at the springs anyway. I have never been more saddened by a site. Not only were there at LEAST 3-4,000 people on top of each other (with NO MASKS!!!), they were absolutely defiling the beautiful natural wonder that is Ginnie Springs. What a travesty that this company has allowed for this to happen. Do better.

Great day trip if you get there early! We arrived a little after 8 and had no problems floating down the river and into the springs! This is one of our favorite things to do in the summer! It does get crowded so plan to be there early - we stayed about 5 1/2 hours and it was perfect!

I never come out here for silence or to relax. I come here to basically have a great time, for one of our birthdays, or get together (my husband and I are 28 and 29)
We come here once or twice a year because it is a 2 hour drive. It is a little pricey so be aware of that. use cash and keep receipts in case. This is a party springs all college and 20 and above. There are some ratchet people there but you just have to remember that it happens with idiots everywhere. if you stay to your site and have some friends with you it'll always be a great time. Yes they do party all night sometimes....but try not to camp here if you're wanting a calm weekend. there are other springs around this area. but Ginnie is a party springs. It might not be your cup of tea.

The river was very fun to tube down, and the offshoot of the springs had some deep areas, which were fun for some novice freediving

The volleyball courts were nice, and it was relatively easy to get a tube

don't listen to all the cry baby 1 star reviews, this is not your secret get away, its a large camp site where people come to enjoy themselves, if you go during the summer or during holidays there will be many people partying. if you want a more peaceful quiet time then do not go during the holidays or summer. and unfortunately, no dogs allowed. but its an absolutely great place to have a great time if you're not a stuck up think its all about you kind of person

Been to Ginnie multiple times and it is always very enjoyable.The crowds become a little much but it is all in good fun. It is more of an adventure spot than a relaxing place. Very much recommend if you are going with a large group.

wonderful place! I went to celebrate my birthday and it was an amazing experience, and I will come back other times for sure!!!!

This place is a complete and utter rip off. DO NOT GO HERE. There are other, beautiful springs to visit without this headache. We traveled to Florida in late July and wanted to see the sites. After waiting for 1-1/2 hours in line for the opportunity to park and buy our tickets -- at an outrageous price, I might add -- we then had to get back in our car and troll around in an unsuccessful attempt to find a place to park. Forty minutes later and no parking found we left $75 the poorer. What a complete joke. I have never seen a business run so poorly in my life. There is no staff to help you once you buy your ticket. You are seriously on your own. On top of it, we had kids with us and the place was full of what appeared to be young partiers and not very tidy campers. Tried to get the ticket price taken off our credit card bill to no avail.

This was a great adventure would not advise for children but a fun trip for adults. The river was flooded a bit so we were not able to make the entire trip but had lots of fun and the springs are beautiful. he live alligators on the shore were a surprise but we all had a great time. Do not bring anything that can't get wet leave your phone in the car for sure! And once you get off you tube to hang down there is not getting back up!

We rented tubes. We had some inclement weather, but decided to stick it out. Dogwood Spring was really nice, nobody else there. The main spring "Ginnie" was nice but very busy, even on a Tuesday. Plan to spend a full day there. Bring water shoes, snorkel, and fins. Water is quite chilly!

Beware of the long line to get in! Beware of the $15 per person! Then when you get in, you park and go to a ticket office. Then after that you ride around and attempt to find a parking spot. Then you get to deal with thousands of drunks and whiffs of cigarette smoke all day. The beauty of the spring is not enough to take me back. EVER!

This park is gorgeous but unfortunately there is no enforcement of chaos and noise. It seems there is some competition among the hordes of underage Latin people as to who can play their music the loudest in to all hours of the night. Cars racing around with music blasting and people purposely screaming out the window in the AM hours after midnight. There seems to be no one from management stopping any of it. I want to camp and enjoy nature not spend my week in a Miami ghetto. Won’t be going back.

Trash everywhere and unavoidable noise pollution… a real shame it’s being destroyed. This place needs to become a state park, so it’s protected.

If your looking for kid friendly quiet camping stay away Florida has state parks with springs that are nicer. Side by sides, golf.carts speed around without a care half have super loud car radios in them. To say loud music is an understatement. We are not talking about a little boom box or blue tooth speaker its full on professional concert speakers loud as hell! Drinking and smoking weed all over. This was during the week security told me the weekend is worse and they are told to look awayet people have fun who cars if your rv is rattling from bass at 2 am!! Bathrooms are disgusting no social distancing when renting equipment I doubt they even sanitize the stuff. People rope off whole areas make thier own party city generators all night. Its spring break all the time if you want to drink and party no care for others its your place. If your looking for a traditional campground run!

Alert.. snobby workers alert… they change the price at 5. they charge for camping then. we were willing to pay to just swim a little. they wanted an id from everyone in the car. they turned us down bc my 16 year old only had a paper one. why do children even need an id? They were supervised by an adult. rude. mean. they were going down the line giving out excuses so folks would bail. awful…..

I love loud music. But I love camping and quiet.

We were planning to head to Ginnie springs and after reading the reviews decided we're going somewhere else.

Hopefully they will get a clue.

We have come before to this beautiful place and decided to come back to make a b-bq with our family and friends. We had a great time floating and exploring the beautiful springs and eating our meat and fruits😀

My family of 10 people went to the springs, yesterday (Saturday , July 28.). We arrived around 12:20. Mapquest took us down a dirt road that lead into the entrance. The line was as long down the paved road, as far as we could see. However, someone let us turn into the line. The car line moved very fast. Someone is at the entrance to give a ticket with the amount of people per car. We had several cars in our group; but just gathered everyone’s ticket to go in and pay. The cost is $15 per adult and my 4 year old was free. There was someone directing the parking in front of the building; but that’s where the organization ended. The lines and time it took to pay took 1 1/2 hours. The cashier took around 7 minutes to explain to each person. This could be changed by having someone stationed along the way to handle that part. If you want to rent tubes, there is then, another long wait. You can bring your own tubes, as many did. There are clean bathrooms to change and bath houses closer to the springs. There is also a general store inside the ticket area. There is a deli there that had 3 large menu boards. They close at 4:00.

There is about a 20 minute walk from the ticket area down to the spring area. There is parking available, so we would have driven down instead of walking, if we had known. We did send someone up to bring down one of our vehicles to transport us between exit area to entrance; because it was a long walk. Parking is wherever you can find a spot, so expect vehicles everywhere. There are several entry points at the different spring areas. There are nice steps down into the water. The water was very cold and a beautiful color. Those areas were very crowded with people hanging out on floats, snorkeling, etc. The river area was full of trash; but no more than you expect in a river. There were lots of people tubing; but it wasn’t crowded once in the river water. There were signs marking the name of the springs. The person in the office warned people that the last two springs were not clear and full of gunk. They advised getting out at a certain point. This was easy to find, as people were exiting the river. I would suggest a small paddle of some sort. Our group tied 10 tubes and a dolphin float together (twine is available) and floated into overhang numerous times. This would have been easier managed with a paddle. There were tons of kids and families there (such as us- 8 adults, 11 yo, & 4 yo. They have life vests available at no charge. There were massive amounts of campers. Drinking is permitted. There was pot smelled at 2 different times, as we were walking between springs and a couple of times of hearing cussing; but the rest of the time was people just floating and having a good time. I would definitely take my kids again. However, I would not camp here with my family along the river/spring area. There are camp sites available in a huge grass area with trees that were quiet.

We. should have read the recent reviews because they are spot on! Dirty! Drugs! Overcrowded and seriously felt like you could catch something from the living conditions of campsites. There were so many people you couldn't tell where one camp ended and another began. The bathrooms were filthy and the portajohns were foul...think thousands of people with limited toilets in 90 degree weather (hence the men openly urinating behind campsites, I'm sure the rest just peed in the springs).
The music was so loud everywhere you turned it was not peaceful nor enjoyable. Such a shame because the springs are beautiful (what we could actually see of them), but after a disappointing trip we will not be back & will not recommend!

Always wanted to go up there and see the springs. Been in Florida all my life (48yrs) and have finally got the chance. I camped from Friday to Sunday durning the month of March (Spring Break, very young crowd). Yes, everyone got kind of loud on Friday night. However, Saturday night was totally different. Quiet time starts at midnight and they due in force it in Saturday night. Camp grounds where very clean and up kept. Very deep sites in the Electrical and water sites. All of the non-wilderness sites have a charcoal grill. Not sure about the wilderness sites. However they all seem to have them. Also, the non-wilderness sites have picnic tables which is very nice.
Some of the wilderness sites are right on the Santa Fe River which was very cool. Pick your times when you go, other wise it can be a huge party fest.
The Bath house called 5 corners (I believe), is very clean and heated. Nice hot showers, modern for what it is. Multiple bath houses located through out the park.
They do have some supplies at the front office. But a hidden gem is the the little grill/restaurant located right next to the office. Awesome customer service, good food, great people! Need to make another trip up there durning the summer. Curious as to what the bugs are like up durning the summer....
Also, need to go up and do some diving up there.
Awesome little get away, great for family's, kids or groups of people.

I really enjoyed diving here. Devils Ear Spring is a place where tannic water mixes with spring H2O = some of the most ethereal colors I've seen underwater!

1 tank to dive Devils Springs, 1 tank to dive Ginnie spring. We did not do a river float dive. Because we spent so much time in the shallows (not many deep areas [deep=~40ft at Devils Ear, ~50ft at Ginnie; avg depth=10-20ft] accessible to open water people), each tank lasted 80 minutes.

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Details:
We arrived at 8am on a Saturday (7-14) and the place was already teeming with people.

Arrive at gate, keep right, take slip of paper from guy with your plate number, go in building to pay. Pay for admission and gear rental at same time. Show scuba certification card, sign scuba specific waiver, watch safety video in lobby. Gear rentals can be picked up at the very back to the building. You can drive around to the back of the building to pick up gear or just walk it through the shop.

Drive back around to gate, keep left, and pass the shop to get to the springs. There is a large packed sand parking area in front of Ginnie Springs. Continue on the road to get to the Devils Spring system (it is across from the bathhouse/toilets).

It was possible to park right next to the Little Devil at 9:30am. Build gear at car, walk over to platform&stairs and you immediately see the little devil spring underwater. We towed a dive float with us - expect tubers to pull on it in the river, those annoying handsy oafs. Bottom will be silty with any touch, but the spring flow clears it up fairly quickly. Swim over to the Devils Eye, duck under the overhead ledge and admire the shape of the holes. Swim over the canvas barrier and you'll find the Devils Ear spring (marked by red buoy at surface attached to a metal chain). We watched freedivers pull themselves down into the spring on the chain. Large clouds of red-brown tannic water once we crossed the canvas. This day, some clouds were so opaque that even 10ft down, it could get completely blackout dark. A little disorienting. There was a log/branch suspended midwater in the spring that made a great resting spot to look straight up (see my picture). Watch red water mix with the blue-green water. The light was incredible! Oh I wish I had a better camera. Swam back to the car underwater; water was crazy cloudy at this point from all the people (2-3 ft vis). No lights on this dive unless you are at least cavern certified; all divers we saw were good about this but nearly every freediver had lights, some shone them directly in people's eyes.

We ate lunch and some drove over to Ginnie spring. It had become a madhouse at this point, I don't know where tubers/swimmers/kayakers parked. I was told car turnover at Ginnie was fairly common so it wasn't an impossible wait. I just built my gear at my car at the Devils System and walked it over to Ginnie.

Ginnie springs dive: blue water the entire time. Ridiculously clear in the cavern, worse in pool. No dive float carried this time, bring your dive lights. Drop down below the hundreds of swimmers, go into the cavern. There is a guide rope but you don't need it to find your way as it's pretty clear. When it opens up, you'll see the metal gate on the right. You can pull yourself up to the gate and feel the rush of spring water. Saw catfish(?) hiding in the dark. When exploring the pool, beware of people kicking and dropping things. We saw one person fishing-against the rules (saw the hook come past our bodies and we backed up super quick). Someone brought an entire small flat bottom boat into the pool and dropped an anchor right next to the entrance to the cavern - what the heck?!? Mostly clean but I still brought up one can, 5 can tabs, stickers, a sheet of shredded paper, and three very rusted beer bottle caps - ugh.

Recommendation: I rented 2 tanks in the morning. Friends only brought one tank and had it filled at lunch - with parking so hard to find on weekends, I say just rent multiple tanks. Or come on a weekday. A 5mil wetsuit was perfect for keeping warm on all dives.

Note cell coverage is very spotty here.

I was born and raised in Florida and lived here most of my life. I wish I would have visited Ginnie Springs before I turned 45, I feel like I have been missing something all of these years now that I visited for the first time yesterday. This park literally has something for everyone who likes the outdoors and at any level you choose to be in the outdoors. Bring your camera or phone to capture memories, but don't forget to put it down and live in the moment too.

We were there to travel the Santa Fe River. We would take side visits into the Springs to snorkel. We couldn’t do that here because there were way to many people. Mostly kids with very large rafts and they have been drinking and playing loud music and smoking pot. Was not a great place to bring my teenage kids to witness how disrespectful people can be.

I've been a few times now and I absolutely love it. Normally get to the check in around 5 or 6 PM on a Friday and stay till sunday afternoon. We set up camp near the river in the primitive camp area. Those sites include a water spigot and a standing charcoal grill. If you plan to use it, bring foil or plan to clean it for a while. We normally set up our fire and cook on our own grill over that. We always have a great experience with the workers and the campers, especially Kelley. He is amazing. We've floated down the river (with the rented donut floaties, those were great and cheap) and swam in the springs. You should know how to swim if you'd like to be in the springs, some are kind of deep. The workers were very attentive to trash and any sort of mess around the campsites and springs. The food at the deli (if we weren't cooking our own) is fantastic. The weekends tend to get a little rambunctious but that is to be expected. We were able to have a very relaxing time, despite the rambunctions people. Just gotta be smart and know how to deal with them. Quiet hours are respected most of the time but don't expect to sleep in past 8 or 9. Sometimes the workers have a hard time keeping the drunk people quieted down but everyone usually calms down around 1am or so. Expect a lot of people up and down the river as well. The Springs were gorgeous and clear, very chill but that is because they are springs. The river is sort of dark because again, it is a river. All and all, very nice place to have a good weekend.

One of my favorite places on earth--beautiful, fun, hilarious, weird, and wonderful. We're here frequently for day trips, camping trips, and work stuff (I'm an underwater photographer) and Ginnie never disappoints. Especially in the summer, it can have a bit of a party atmosphere when compared to quieter state parks, but you can't beat the people watching and wacky weirdness of this Florida gem. Know what you're getting into: if you come expecting a super quiet evening of camping with no one around for miles, you're setting yourself up to be miffed. If you understand that Ginnie can be more boisterous and you're coming to have fun, you'll love it. Swimming, snorkeling, diving, relaxing, and the best people watching you never knew you were missing in your life...GSO is awesome. P.S. Yes, it's okay for kids but I wouldn't bring them on major holidays because of the crowd/atmosphere. Otherwise? Bring them, it's fun for them too.

Drugs booze and loud music all day and night. Where to start, from the speed metal karaoke until 1am, intoxicated people passing out in your camp site. Drag racing down roads, people screaming f-bombs 24-7. Feeling the need to sleep with a weapon under your pillow.
The worst two days of camping in my life. If you have any self respect, do not camp there.

It was our first time paddling any Florida waterway and the scene here was far from what I expected even after reading reviews.

1. We loved our campsite. #36
It was super close to very clean bathhouse, a bit tricky to back our rig into, but thankfully 35 wasn’t rented the entire time of our stay so the site felt really big. It’s also right next to a trail that takes you to a boat ramp.

2. Upon arrival some young neighbors were partying down, so I could have done two things, gotten irritated or open up a Truly, my beverage choice, and soak it all in.

3. I am a people watcher and my golly there is people watching to do for sure.
We didn’t rent tubes and do the tube run as we brought our paddle boards.

We would never visit Ginnie during peak season, but a Sunday- Wednesday in mid October was spot on.

There was plenty of parking so we parked at one of the springs down from the main ginnie springs entrance (twin spring) and paddled up stream, all the way to gilchrist state park.
The water is there was amazing, then we drank our trulys and floated back visiting all the springs at Ginnie, it was wonderful. And then we didn’t have to walk back to camp. Loaded up our boards and took a quick 1 minute drive back to camp.

Were people being loud and obnoxious? Yes a few. Were people blaring music? Yup.
But thankfully it was just during the day.

If you like to have a little fun and be in the party scene, do it. If you are looking for a very quiet adventure. This isn’t it!
We loved Ginnie Springs and will be back.

Was so disappointed in our trip.
was a bucket list for my husband?
that was where !st learn to dive in 1981
we called early ( 1st part of the year)
to make sure He could dive without a partner.
They said No problem when we got there.
took forever just to check-in. know one acted like they
cared or new what was going on.
Went to rent tanks. took our money.
then said he needed to go find.
someone else that was diving.
will not be returning to Ginnie Springs, Fl
That was a long drive from Texas.
Left and went to Crystal river.
Swam with Manatee

First time camping at Ginnie Springs, we all loved it. $23 pp per night, easy check in, went iDecember 16-17, 2018 we were the only ones there which was ideal, drove car right up to the river, set up our tents, fishing gear and food. Lights on at night by garbage bins, port-a-potty’s and bathhouse areas, otherwise very dark, nice weather during the day, chilly at night, we bought fire food from the super market but blew through that on the first night being it was in the 40s, plenty of residents nearby were selling wood 8-10 pieces for $5 and we took advantage, we saw plenty of animals including armadillos, raccoons, cats, deers, Red Robin’s, wood peckers, peacocks, we thought we heard wolves, we for sure heard a tree come down somewhere near by, sunrises and sunsets were divine, the fog along the river was picture perfect, we went into town to True Value and purchased an ax, they sharpened it for free, they had live bait, everything we needed for fishing that we forgot at home, batteries and so on. Near by Dollar Store came in handy too for several things we needed like more lighter fluid, towels, snacks and so on. Over all, Ginnie Springs was perfect, we didn’t get to kayak or tube down the river but next time, camp grounds were clean and kept. Kayak pricing was $12 for 3 hours and $20 for 6 hours, we previously stayed in a Airbnb, rented kayaks, did. 10.1 mile trip by all the springs including Ginnie Springs which is why decided to camp at Ginnie this round. You could bring your own kayaks/tubes and floats as well.

The owner is only making money out of this beautiful springs . State of Florida should do something about it . They have the more ridiculous rules to take money out of visitors . Make sure you read all policies and regulations on your tickets when you pay . The nightmare I experienced on the way out was long to tell . The only positive thing is the beautiful springs which they are ruining and it's sad for the wild life . Staff is extremely rude since start to end . They act like robots trying to make money about of you.ohhh but there is no rules for drugs and other things in the park .

Terrible customer service, grounds were dirty with trash everywhere and at the tube exit there were men set up camping that were playing excessively loud and vulgar music that offered my underage teenagers alcohol and let them play beer pong with them. While we were entering one spring from the river, there was a group of 6 people and they were openly smoking a joint, we had small children there. I understand that we can't control what others do, but there were no employees driving around monitoring the place to make sure that rules were being followed. My 17 year old left an hour after we did and he couldn't find his entry tag so they made him go back into the main office and pay entrance again, which was $60 bc there were 3 adults, so he paid a total of $120 for the three of them that day. When he got back to the guard gate he found the original pass and they told him to go back in and he could get a refund for the 2nd entry fee he paid. My son went back in and the cashier said she would have to speak with the manager, he said he didn't want to wait, which is his fault, but he was worried about being late for curfew. I called the next day and the original person I spoke with said they would not refund because there was no proof, i asked to speak with a manager. Before the manager got on the phone she must have asked the cashiers what happened because when she got on the phone she knew the story and told me that he left because he didn't want to wait. Again, I understand that he should have waited, he is 17 and didn't want to be late for curfew. I explained this to the manager and told I her I understood, however, i am his mother and this was my money and how could we correct the problem now. She said there was nothing they could do at this point, he should have waited. I think this is very bad business, they basically took money bc they could, we paid cash so there were no credit card fees, nothing. This facility could have offered me a voucher or anything and that would have helped, but instead, they just said, nope we can't do anything, he should have waited.

Ginny was packed when I went this last Saturday July 14, 2018. However I've been there on very slow days. It's a very well maintained (with running water toilets) spring. And drinking is allowed. The spring is huge with lots of great snorkeling on a slow day. One can float down to another spring or further to an exit point on the river. On a canoe one could explore 4 or 5 other springs in the vicinity. It's a great way to spend the day. It's breathtakingly beautiful and very well run. One can rent whatever they need for reasonable prices.

The springs are awesome though if you have kids you'll want life jackets or tubes as the water is pretty deep throughout. It is cold to touch but once you get in it's not bad at all.

One of the most popular things to do at Ginnie Springs is to float down the river. You can bring your own tube, raft, paddleboard… basically anything that floats will work. We have seen all sorts of flotation devices going down this river, there is no size limit! Last trip we saw a guy floating on a blown up air mattress. Not recommended, but it seemed to get the job done!

There is also a tube rental station connected to the check-in area. Here you can rent single or tandem tubes. Near the tube rentals is an air filling station for free if you brought your own float. We recommend renting or filling up here right after you check in. Then load everything back in your car, and drive right to the top of the tube run entrance to park!

Ginnie is also a great place for scuba diving and snorkeling since the water is so clear. There are underwater caverns and caves to explore in the springs. You have to register in the front office for any and all kinds of scuba diving.

Ginnie Springs

High Springs

NEVER RETURNING!!!

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This campground is a very dangerous place !!!
Stay away if you can!!!
We had people attempting to steal things from our campsite after it got dark out while we were in our tents!!!
No Security to be found !!!
The place is a Free for all for types!!!
Music till 3 am, Drugs of all Kinds, Fights all hours of the day
Will NEVER RETURN TO THIS LAWLESS CAMPGROUND !!!

This is NO LONGER a family-friendly attraction. It used to be. DO NOT bring your kids here unless you want to teach them a lesson about human sexuality and the dangers of alcohol abuse. I have been going here off and on for the past 30+ years. This was my last trip. I'll yield to the drunk, belligerent, half-naked college kids. Weekends are a non-stop tailgate/frat party with plenty of drunks and loud, explicit noise (not music). There are other Springs in the area for your family to visit. The management obviously is happy allowing this beautiful area to become a drunk/drug resort. Too bad. Glad I got to see it when it was fun for normal people.

Just dont visit this place. It is beautiful in photos. The photos do not convey the 65 degree water. And it does not convey the atmosphere.

We went September 16th. The weather was 93 degrees and sunny. We had a great time. This is supposed to be relaxing and can be if you add these things to your trip. Things I would recommend.- wear sandals sand in parking lot gets hot in the summer (its Florida) also for the walk back when you take the tube out down stream. The trail is all sand but had some small rocks that hurt my bare feet. Bring string/ small rope to tie the tubes together so your whole group can float down the river together without the hassle of trying to hold on to each other’s tubes. Bring a mask and snorkel or rent one. The springs are amazing. Crystal clear water. You can also use the string to tie your sandals and mask or whatever else you have to your tube so you don’t have to hold them. There is no max tube size. We rented one tube and we brought a twin size air mattress which works great. There is a air station to inflate your own tube for free. The water is cold but definitely worth it. On a hot day you warm up in a matter of minutes when you get out.

We parked in the middle parking lot. That way you can make the easy 10 minute walk up stream. Put in and float a leisurely hour down stream to the bottom and just have a 10 minute walk back to the middle where your car is. The water in the river is brown/tan but that is completely normal. The springs are on the side of the river and are clear. You can see the spring water on the side of the picture. This is the only picture I took.

There is camping but if you are not from Florida I will warn you. Don’t camp here in a tent in summer. You will lay there and sweat all night and be miserable.

No rules and lots of negative thinks to review, just not right to show pictures that was take a several Years ago and make a alternative to go and enjoy.
Bad experience

This place sucks!!!! It cost $100 for 4 of us to get in and the only springs we saw was the one we entered, which was so crowded you couldn’t see the water. Got out to the river and never passed another spring! Someone told us we had to go up river to see them. Who the hell is going to swim against the current up river! We got no map, no direction, what so ever. Will never go back her again! When we were leaving one of the workers even said they hated that place! DO NOT RECOMMEND!!!!

Ginnie Springs is an amazing place. A gorgeous one of a kind series of springs and underwater tunnel system that scuba divers from around the world love. But there are some rules for your trip that will help you have the best time possible. I'm a pro, I go multiple times a year. If you're going for thr first time, read on.

1) TIME OF YEAR: If you go on a holiday weekend, it will be busy. July 4, Labor Day, Memorial Day will be packed. On the 4th they pack the entire field next to the entrance with tents. If you're not there for "the party" then this is not your weekend. Kids? Probably a really bad idea. If you're kind of there for the party but hope to get some sleep? This is 100% possible but you'd better get a power site. You are not required to have a camper for a power site. But if you're on the water or in the circle you will have a party next door. More likely you'd be the only site not jamming music.

2) Non-Holiday Weekends: The weekend before July 4th is actually one of the least busy. The park still fills up but its a much more "chill" weekend than the one that follows. So where are you going to camp? Any weekend of the summer is going to be pretty busy. If you have kids, do yourself a favor and get a power site. Its the failsafe for controlling your surroundings. If you are by the water or the inner circles, most people are respectful but alcohol is consumed and theres always "that guy" who's gonna jam til 4 AM regardless of what the cops say. Lesson? Get a power site.

Weekdays: If you want to see the park at its best, Im partial to going on a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday. If lucky, you can feel like you have the park to yourself.

Winter months: I wouldn't swim in the river in the cols but the springs are still 72° and a lot of people will swim in them. I did it once just to say I did it and once in, it felt the same as getting in when its hot. But theres something about the hot air warming you back up.

Cheers! Welcome to Florida! Please responsibly enjoy the spring!

Not the Wray family of old days I guess. I am very surprised to see no pets allowed. I could have sworn small dogs were allowed in the past. Gosh, we spent so many days and nights camping there. Now with the dog, its not even an option.

Almost every single rule was violated on the Ginny Springs Home page. Excessively drunken idiots, some of which were operating jet ski's attempting to swamp and sink several canoes full of people paddling down the river. The smell of marijuana was thick. The obnoxiously loud music being played by shoreline DJ's with loud equipment blaring obscene music (if it can even be called music). It certainly seems protecting our waterway is truly low on the priority list for the owners. Wish there was more of an FWC presence. Will never go near Ginny Springs again.

Was not impressed with this place. Overcrowed , loud music, people drinking etc. Not a place to take a family. Super dirty bathroom, beer glass bottles, and other items on the floor.

Enjoy swimming, tubing, cave diving and kayaking in these beautiful springs and on the Santa Fe river

The springs were way too crowded to see anything and there were rednecks blasting rap across the entire park which was really strange.

I just graduated from college and this had the feel of a frat party but somehow slightly more trashy.

Check out the review right before this and you'll see why ginnie springs has good reviews.

It's worth coming to spend the whole day here! It's a true paradise! Bring a snack/picnic as I didn't see any food sold inside the park. It has air pumps to inflate the floats, which makes it much easier.

I've previously dove this spring in early May and had a very pleasant experience. Unfortunately, we showed up in August and there were people everywhere. For scuba divers with gear, it is difficult to get in and out of the water as all the swimmers like to hang out on the stairs because the water is too deep and cold for them to be anywhere else.
The cavern ballroom is definitely an enjoyable dive but I won't ever be back during the Summer months.

Came here for a day on the water and a night of camping. As many people do, we set up our site and went tubing for the afternoon. There were 3 of us altogether & as we returned our two rental tubes, we decided to leave the campground for firewood & some extra food/snacks. Upon our return (less than an hour later) we found an empty campsite with no tent and one personal tube also gone. Since we live in south Florida we had no other option other than to drive home 4 hours south. We explained our situation and the manager on duty did not seem to care at all and said that “this occasionally happens”. He was reluctant to refund us for anything (tubes or camping passes) but eventually refunded our camping passes to day passes giving each person a total of 10$ back. Personally I think this was pretty lackluster considering the fact that thousands of people visit this spring daily and 90$ would have (at the bare minimum) covered the loss of our tent and tube. I’ve been camping plenty of times and I have thankfully never had anything stolen...therefore I will NEVER return to this spring & I will make sure that everyone I know, knows that your belongings are not safe here and the college aged staff will not care. Very disappointed as a Florida resident.

Overall we had fun floating down the river, but I don't think it was worth it since the water wasn't very clear like the pictures. We went in July 2022, and some friends told us that it was probably because it had been raining. We only went for the day, but we did drive though the campgrounds in order to find parking. Parking was difficult to find because it was quite crowded on a Sunday. The campgrounds aren't very nice and I personally would never stay here. It's fun day trip though.

Went on a Saturday, heard it gets busy but it was out of control. The line of cars was out to main highway just to drive up. Took about an hr maybe a bit longer to get to the gate. Paid our $20 per person to get in. Parked in the field( it’s just a free for all tents campers cars all over). Website said they an air station so didn’t bother to fill the tube we had ( big mistake). Wanted 45 min to get air for the tube. Everyone was filling up the biggest tubes and floats they could. Even an air mattress. Their air chucks aren’t meant for filling tubs so that adds to the time. Finally made it down to the water after about 2hrs of being there to find the springs are so full you can’t get in. It was just a sea of tubs. Couldn’t even see the water. Got out in the river finally which was black water. It was fully of party people lots and lots of people smoking. Like a frat party on the water (glad the kids didn’t go with). Spent 45 “floating” down the river and the got the hell out of there. Will never go back. All around terrible experience not to mention all the trash every where. Parts of it smelled like a land fill. Save the time and money and don’t go.

I enjoy the nature of the place the refreshing water is amazing. It is a wonderful place to visit. I do not recommend for small kids the water is too cold. You have to paid per person to enter the prize varies. You have to rent the tubes or brings yours is like 6 dollars each. The sell food and have store.

I used to bring my son to Ginnie Springs every summer and this year I brought my grandson. What a huge disappointment. I’m guessing but there had to be over 100,000 in the park when we arrived at 9:30 am. The crowds at the springs made them difficult to access and unsafe to enjoy.

County parks have limits to the number of people allowed to enter for a reason. The owners of Ginnie must be making a fortune on admission, camping and rentals. Apparently money is more important to them than the safety of their customers.

They use to be more of a hidden gem. Not so much anymore but I love it !! Great place for kids. Beautiful springs of course

My family and friends drove 4 1/2 hours to ginnie springs . We were told it was an amazing family oriented place , online it said no alcohol no loud music no pets no smoking ETC... ETC....
boy that was a slap in the face once we got there everything they said that wasn’t allowed was allowed loud music from every direction dogs a lot of alcohol drinking and a lot of weed smoking that’s what shocked me the most everyone was just walking around with beer in there hands and smoking weed like nothing . It was soo strong in the air that me and my family started feeling weird comes to find out that’s the feeling when your high . Remember I had my kids with me . I was pissed ,
Don’t get me wrong it is a beautiful place clear water super cold but beautiful so if your looking for a family outing place this isent it
It’s full of college kids who just don’t care
Don’t waste your money here

My husband and I camped at Ginnie Springs and had a wonderful time. We rented a double tube and floated down the river and snorkeled in the cool springs. Staff were efficient and friendly.

The Springs are beautiful & a great way to spend the day. Staff was friendly & helpful. We visited in October & didn't experience long lines or wait times. Camp ground is nice, however it does seem like party central. Loud music played all night long makes it hard to enjoy camping. Music was never addressed. Maybe not the best family friendly environment because the language in music choice is not for everyone. Maybe better to just day visit and forego the camping. Definitely worth seeing, just know what to expect.

My family and I had a TERRIBLE experience, the park is super crowded, there seems to be no limit of people, where we passed on foot to try to get down with our tubes in Rio, they were full of cars passing along with people who were walking, the camping was all over the park, many people with their speakers with different music and playing super loud, people drinking alcohol all over the park, several people drunk, we saw people using drugs freely, there was a fire pit and grills everywhere , so there was a lot of smoke, we couldn't go down in Rio with so many people that there were, as it's allowed to take your own tube, people took huge inflatable boats, and so you couldn't go down in the water it was so congested. There was garbage everywhere, the smell of garbage was horrible. people climbed trees and threw themselves into the river without worrying about who went down in their tubes. We tried to get out of the river as soon as we got in but there was no way the ramp was super crowded so we had to go down as far as we could until we found a ramp that was reasonably empty to get out of the river. For the price we paid per person, we expected a decent park.
The Santa Fé River has very dark waters. the springs were so full that there was no way to see the crystal clear waters. We were disappointed to see such a beautiful place without any care for the environment, organization and supervision. Definitely not a place to go with a family looking for tranquility.

I almost died here!!!
I was there on July 4th and the management was super careless and unhelpful. We were on tubes and other than signs saying tube exit there was no other way to stop you from floating off in the river. No patrol whatsoever. We tried exiting in the tube exits but the current were too strong and kept pulling us away a long distance from the exits. We missed all the exits and with no one one around us and music blasting loud our help screams where not heard. Trying to help my friend I fell into the Santa Fe river which was 15 feet and started drowning. Long story short a tree branch saved my life. When we told the management we almost drowned and that we need help to get our tubes back because our car keys was attached with it. They didn’t care. The lady who looks like a manager to a bunch of kids in the front desk kept repeating that she needs replacement for the tubes. Which we did not deny to. But there was no concern from anyone about the fact that we almost drowned there. It was a nightmare experience, with poor management and guidance and you can see people drinking and doing weed all the time on the tubes. If you visit this springs and manage to go on the river go at your own risk. I heard from the ranger there that many have drowned and gone missing in the river. Attaching a pic of my car being towed after losing the key in the river and almost losing my life.

Ginnie Springs is amazing. It is one of the most beautiful rivers that I have ever seen and the Springs are numerous. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly as we camped for a few nights. For what they charge you would think that the camping sites would be better suited especially when paying for Water and Electric. Also we received a neighbor who immediately retrieve their Boombox from the back of their car and turned it on high not that we didn't enjoy the music. I will definitely recommend coming here especially in the area to enjoy all the Springs the Florida has to offer. They have all the amenities as far as you need scuba diving equipment snorkeling equipment which make your visit amazing. They even have an air hose to blow up your own tubes which was great. Too many campsites push together to be comfortable. More of a unruly place on the weekends. Definitely recommend these beautiful springs. More exploring tomorrow.

I was in the park with my family, wife and two kids, unfortunately the experience was very bad, it's definitely not the place for family, people drunk and doing drugs as if they were at home, even inside the river, the place could be great if there was no overcrowding. The owners only want their money, they don't care about their well being or about the nature that is being destroyed. I do not indicate

This was my first time camping outside and I loved it. I did not know what to expect and it was a bit overwhelming at first but I settled in quick. Floating down the river was such an amazing experience and very relaxing. will defiantly come back and do it again

I went with my mom, cousins, nieces and nephews. They loved this adventure! The teens were having a boring time on our trip. When we were done on this adventure they loved it and didn't want to leave.

Magical and magnificent place, quite incredible. In April the water is 20/22 degrees but very few people. Very cool and relaxed atmosphere, without much noise in summer.
On the other hand, count on $20 for entry without rental of buoys or kayaks.... IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE for a day while the Rainbow Spring is only a few dollars and it's great too.

It is very clear blue water. We snorkled and rented a canoe and enjoyed some fun (of others) at the river. See you have a good place for your keys or bag, we found it an unpleasant thought to loose it in the water.
Unfortunately we were too scared of the dark water of the river so we returned. But many use a tire and have lots of fun!
The blue spring is suitable for all because you can remain in the clear and shallow water and see some big fish.

For advanced/cave divers this is a great spot! Take care of safety rules of cave diving.

We visited two times in three days as a must repeat on our visit to Lady Lake. We swam and floated using a six man float. Fins and goggles are a must, snorkels are fun too. We packed a lunch and had no problem finding parking and a picnic table. Its packed on the weekend compared to the weekdays. Lots of people, tons of families--yes there are people having a lot of fun. We went to enjoy the swimming and snorkeling and had a blast.

What can I say? I felt like I landed in some apocalyptic scene, people “living” in hovels, wandering around smoking different substances, speaking another language. The natural beauty of the springs cannot be ignored. But it was super crowded on a Sunday morning. The river you tube down is very brown which I think is tannins but it is different than you expect from the springs. The operations are questionable. The rentals are easy but there is basically NO signage so you have no idea where to put your tube in. There are no lockers so you have to walk a long ways in bare feet over a rough roadway. Would recommend a different spring until they clean this up and make it a bit more user friendly.

First time at a spring after living on Florida, and ghe experience was great. Went there gor a day trip which was relaxing, and fantastic nature. Picnic tables are available along with charcoal grills. Very clean, and they keep the environment in mind. Recommend going its a nice day trip.

I have been here a few times to Cave dive in the springs and the staff have gone out of their way to hassle either me or someone in my group every time. This time they flat out told me I don't want to dive and acted like they wanted to refuse me entry because I wasn't a high school kid with a cooler of beer. One of the ladies at the counter told me to not leave anything unattended because it WILL be stolen and they wont be responsible among other nice warnings.

The springs and cave are amazing but you can tell they certainly cater to the drunk teenage to college student crowd. Its not a family friendly place and honestly if I go back I wont bring my wife and kids with me because of the open and uncontrolled atmosphere of drugs, sex, and underage drinking.

The facilities are nice, but wear shower shoes because people are not using them to wash themselves. Also watch out for the obvious drunk people in pickups, golf carts, and ATVs because they are roaming everywhere with the super loud music.

If you are looking for Girls Gone Wild or Spring Breakers this is the place for you, If you want to dive the cave or bring your family you might want to reconsider unless its winter and the party off season maybe.

It is a beautiful place. We visited for the 4th of July. It was a big mistake. It was very unorganized and super crowded. We couldn’t enjoy the place. We wanted to scuba but they weren’t renting equipment due to de Covid-19. Maybe next time...

3rd time going and this will be the last. park "Ranger" with delusions of law enforcement made what would have been an amazing experience dreadful. no radio playing AT 5:30 PM ON A SATURDAY?! while trying to celebrate family birthday. They changed the rules since we last camped there and shame on the group I guess for not reading thoroughly their waiver agreement. At least the regular staff was very friendly.

I will never go back here. Not only was it over crowded but it was just nasty. Bottle caps, broken glass, the smell of marijuana, very loud music…definitely not a place for wholesome family fun. It was so crowded it was scary. I can’t believe they let that many people in there. If you’re looking for a giant booze and drug filled party then this is your place.

You can read the reviews and know what you are getting yourself into, sadly, I did not since I was invited and blindly went. NEVER AGAIN. All the reviews are true. If you want a big frat party ( in the middle of a pandemic), this is the place for you. All the springs ( the ones that were opened), were so crowded, you thought this was Disney. Nobody told us before we paid, so we paid and left within 15 minutes. Nice way to run a business.

I love the nature of this place is beautiful i coming to enjoy whit my family is a lot loud music but thats ok for me many many many people coming here to enjoy good luck if you can find a spot to seat and eat
We have to eat in the car lol
The only concern is not lifeguards in this place and is very dangerous for not swimming people

I grew up going to Ginnie Springs and loved it. It is TERRIBLE now. I never write reviews but DO NOT GO THERE if you don't want to spend a small fortune to have music blasting non stop and never be able to sleep. The first night was music blasting in our tent by the campsite next to us that started setting up at 3am.(someone stole their speaker that day so that ended) the next day we went to springs...the water was packed with people to the point where you couldn't even swim. People blast music on golf carts ALL DAY. There was not a peaceful moment in this campground. That night was car alarms going off about 50 times during the night. We had paid for an additional day but decided to just leave. I'll NEVER GO BACK.

We just went for the day to go tubing. It was very expensive, $50 just to get in and an additional $10 per tube rental. You have to walk 20 - 30 minutes to get to where you put the tube in. Then it's about a 40 minute float. I guess I'm just used to the rainbow river and itchnatucky which provide trams to drive you and also cost less and have longer floats. I wouldn't come back.

We went here with the grandson , it was a very enjoyable day. There's many things to do here. You can tube down the river, rent kayaks, canoes. You can camp here, and even Scuba dive if you are certified.we even saw some mermaids when we were there. If you are in the area , check this place out. It's worth the admission price.

The experience was amazing the prices of the rentals were okay. The daily admission fee i find it a bit high for people whom just visit for top 2hrs considering theres no closer parkings to the springs unless you camping. So be mindful if you have elderly whom have trouble walking long distances. Would love for the park to improve this one day. Everything else was amazing. Thank you Fl!

I was very upset wiht my stay at ginnie springs. I drove 8 1/2 hours got to the gate at 1:30 AM the guy at the gate was giving my group attitude he was very rude rushing us when we had questions one of my friends said a smart comment that wasn't even terrible they kicked us out of the park for that night we had to go at 2 AM searching for a hotel room spent $180 in the hotel room plus $380 at the park that we didn't even get to use because they kicked us out and they told us if we came back the next day and he apologize to the manager and the guy they would let him in we went back the next day they did not let him in threaten to kick all of us out if we did not make him leave the premises right now I was very disappointed with this day I was so excited to go I've been waiting so long to go we asked for a refund for one night because we didn't get to camp they didn't give us the refund they charge me an extra $30 for no reason I asked to speak to the manager and she did not want to speak to me she said no which is very awful and rude customer serviceI I called her phone number but nobody answered I emailed them and nobody answered me I asked someone to call me so I could talk to them and no one ever contacted me

Arrived on Saturday August 1,2020. First time, thought to visit to rent a canoe. Arrived at 9:15am $20/person at entrance where I asked about canoe rental and was told to go to guest service building. I was shocked by how crowded Ginnie Springs was. Inside the building, no one wearing masks, not even employees setting any kind of good example, so I felt awkward with my mask on but I just had too, almost shoulder to shoulder in that place. Was told canoes were sold out, asked if I can get a refund since I paid at the entrance to park at guest services and was about to leave, they said all sales are final. Would be nice to have been told at entrance canoes were sold out. I left mainly because of how crowded it was. My friend stayed with her family, she had her own kayaks and rented floats. She was unable to use her kayak because it was so crowded in the water she would not have been able to paddle without hitting someone. She was not happy. She sent me pictures of how crowded it was in the water. Not a good experience and what makes it worse is the amount of money spent. I recommended going to silver springs but read due to covid they lowered their capacity and it's been harder to get into so we went to Ginnie which seems to not be monitoring any level of capacity and definitely free-for-all vibe.

My friend and I (18 & 19) had a fantastic time at Ginnie Springs! Compared to a few other places we looked at, the prices for admission and rentals were VERY reasonable. The staff was friendly, helpful, and very organized with how they do things. There weren't that many people there when we went, it could have been because of the day and time (a Thursday morning/afternoon) or it could've been because of the weather (was a bit rainy driving up but was PERFECT when we got there). The people that were there were mostly families with children as young as maybe 10 years old. There were plenty of things to do in the water as well as out of it.

The only thing I would recommend is wearing water shoes or any shoes you don't mind getting wet/dirty as the ground can get muddy since it's mostly just covered by dirt.

All in all it was a fantastic day and I would definitely go back!

Beautiful but I would avoid on holidays 😅 I would suggest the camping option as it is a bit pricey to go just for the day and so nice you won’t want to leave!

This is not a review of the spring itself. The springs are STUNNING! This is a review of the property owners. The atmosphere is awful. I like a party like the next person, but this is next level. So many people extremely intoxicated. Fights breaking out, people getting shot (Two separate instances while I was there, and one person died. Went a few years ago and a person was run over by a car and died. I thought at the time that it was just a crazy thing that happened, but it seems to be the norm and ownership doesn't even care enough to shut down for an adequate period of time while they get their act together to make their establishment a somewhat safe place. They blame the Memorial Day Holiday, but if they can't handle the crowds, they charge a hefty fee for, don't let as many people in as they do.

After looking forward to spending some time here, we were disappointed and surprised that our ADA registered service animal would be the reason we were treated so poorly and treated with a discriminatory requests to leave behind personal and private information before we were allow on site. From the moment we arrived, it was evident they did not want any animals on site. Their No Pets signage was everywhere. Service animals are not pets so we thought we would be ok. When we arrived, we let the gate person know we had a service dog and he immediately became insistent that we would not be able to be on site without registering him at the front desk, so we proceeded to do our due diligence and went to register him. When we got to the front desk, they required that we show our ID, which was acceptable.for us, but when they asked us to photo copy our ID and keep it in their records.for a year, the red flags went up. When we asked of we could have the copy of the ID back at the end our visit, they refused.and could not clearly tell us how they dispose of our informarion after a year. One person said they shred it. Another person said they disposed of it. It was a great example of bad management practice and even worse treatment of people with service animals. They admitted they only ask for and keep photo copies of IDs for people with service animals, so that was a huge red flag for us. This was clearly a violation of our privacy and we decided to leave. We tried to show them proof of their bad practice, but they were not interested. Overall, it was a truly bad experience with very clear intentions of not allowing anyone who has a service animal to be on site unless they are willing to sacrifice their privacy at the hands of careless and ignorant people. We look forward to reporting them so they can learn that their practice is not acceptable and grossly discriminatory.

We love visiting the springs around Florida and this place was the WORST experience. We just wanted to see the springs. They wanted our license, our name & address, sign a waiver, hold $30 on credit card & even told us we couldn’t make a tik Tok video because they were afraid we were making money off of them. I told them they should have more trust if they’re going to run a business because it felt like we were treated as criminals getting booked for prison. Not friendly at all. They may be gathering everyone’s info to sell, not sure why they want a camera up our butts. Never go back, DO NOT recommend.

Very busy. Almost too busy. Be careful, there are highs and low spots in the floor of the spring. We lost footing numerous times due to unevenness, log under the water and rocks. Would recommend getting a camp site for the day, or night. Make sure to jump on a float, raft or boat, exit the spring at the end and go down the Santa Fe River to the last tube exit. Super neat and fun time.
However, there were not enough tables or grills. We had to find a nook in the trees to put down our cookout food, towels and bags. One family was so rude and would not allow hundreds of people to use the grill because they had aluminum foil on top. We know, everyone in our party asked and we witnessed hundreds more ask. Yet, they had no food or charcoal in the grill for over three hours. Signs should be posted to allow all visitors an opportunity to use the grills. They also monopolized three tables and would not allow anyone to use them even though there was no one around and only one person and one bag per table. Seems as if some feel they are super special. Signs should be posted for this issue as well. This would allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy the ability to sit and eat.
We allowed everyone to pass by us and to find a spot next to us and even helped people in and out of the water. Yes, there are stairs leading in the water for use, except we were on the other side of the water. Everyone else we met seemed very nice. I would recommend bringing sunblock, a folding table, chairs, umbrella and food/drinks.
We stayed for 5 - 6 hours.
Also, people need to be monitored, as well as having an authority figure patrolling the area. We saw some things that were not for children to see or hear. People play loud music and most of it is not censored. Their behavior is questionable and could be related to Spring Break or Frat house behavior. I am young enough to appreciate differences yet, some may not approve. Please be aware of some of these issues before you go.

This is a privately owned campground so the focus is on making money. It's not a place for families or people trying to enjoy a peaceful vacation. If you're into drunk people, excessively loud music blasting all day until midnight and again promptly at 8am, smoking pot, crude songs and language, then this is your party place. Although the check-in brochure specifically says these things listed above are not allowed, the owner nor staff do anything to control the groups. Staff is very unfriendly and rude. When we got there to check in and asked if we could check out the sites and the charged use a day entry fee plus we paid for our camp site. Then we rented a paddle boards and as we was going down river one of the drunk campers knocked my husband off his board and he couldn't recover the paddle before it sunk to the bottom of the river. We went back to the office explained what happened and they charged use $100.00 for a paddle that sunk When it was suppose to float. We ended up leaving two days early and the wouldn't refund us the two days. This ruined our spring break vacation. WE WILL NEVER GO BACK EVER!!!!

Not a family place at all. Filled with rap music and raging teen angst.
You couldn’t pay me to go back. Such a shame. The springs are amazing.

We arrived at 8:20am on a Saturday and had to wait in a car line for 20-30 minutes to park. The spring itself was absolutely beautiful BUT we went to go tubing and the river was black. We also had to walk our tubes to the place to put it and walk the tubes back to the car. There’s no shuttle, which we were not aware of. Also, the tube run was so fast. We were done in maybe 30-45 minutes. You basically just tube by all of the camp sites and everyone was blasting music by 9am. There were also people with microphones and DJing so it had those club vibes. It was a lot to take in. We had fun- was an OK experience, but will 100% not be back.

This place is rachet ! And so am I and my family. So we are on our way lmaoo so we can get rachet as well !

It was Loud, , dirty, and definitely not safe. Everyone trashed the river, which is crazy since that is what people
Come to enjoy. Can’t figure out how they stay in business.

I really hoped that the reviews that I read on here were exaggerated or that maybe some folks just went on a crowded day and had a lousy experience .... but no .... It really is as gross, if not more, than I expected. The lines are slow and long, the parking is messy and unorganized. The people are drunk and rude. The water is merky and dark. There are beer cans, bottles and trash everywhere. We even saw a baby diaper floating along the water.

I'm guessing this is all because it is a privately owned Spring, unlike Ichetucknee Spring which is an actual State protected spring and is kept spotless.
My advise to you: If you want to get piss poor drunk and you don't care about your surroundings, visit Ginnie Springs. If you want to actually enjoy beautiful water, better quality people, clean trails ... go the Ichetucknee route.

Sooo disappointed the owners care more about making money than preserving this beautiful collection of springs. I went yesterday and as usual the park was packed with campers, tents right on top of each other and every square inch of the park.
Garbage all over the place and more disheartening- in the water. The water and the environment under water looks trampled and beaten up.
As if it couldn't be worse... the loud music and noise!!!! A large collection of loud obnoxious people who have no regard for nature or tranquility. Dregs!

Awful! I guess I should start by saying that I should have never plan on visiting Ginnie Springs on a holiday!
Overpacked, most people were smoking weed and acting stupid! Loud music, no rules! Trash everywhere! Facilities disgusting and well I will never go back!
Gross, expensive and nothing but riff raff getting into some kind of altercation! Didn’t feel safe and it occurred to me that it was dangerous Cosme to bet here after man purposefully dropped his cell phone in the spring only to use as excuse to manhandle me and my girlfriends as he was “looking” for cell phone!

I don’t think I’d camp in the summer based on reviews but during winter it was filled with many families. Campground was decent. Lot was next to front so easy to use the free WiFi. Fire pits were included. Nice sand volleyball courts. Springs are pretty.

First time camping here. Was stoked on the springs but not on the extremely obnoxious drunks everywhere (I’m 22, you can party respectfully)that littered the river and left their trash and bottles everywhere (really eco friendly). Had extremely rude, loud neighbors that blasted salsa, screaming and yelling till 4 or 5 am, and not a ranger in sight (as they claim to have patrolling) during their “quiet hours” of 12 to 8 am. Paid for two nights but left after one due to the rude neighbors we had and asked for a refund. Luckily we got it (you’re basically paying an extra high spring fee to have an hours sleep with inconsiderate people). Beware of the backcountry camping section as this seemed to be the area for the single celled organisms. Get a ranger actually patrolling like you claim Ginnie during your “quiet hours” to prevent ruining a good camp experience for all, let alone trashing a natural ecosystem at the expense of rude humans.

My momma, grandmomma, three young adult cousins and I went tubing down the river and floated into one of the springs. It was the Wednesday after Memorial Day, we arrived about 10:30am and it was peaceful and not extremely busy. We floated down twice and had a lot of fun and enjoyed our time. By the time we left at 2-2:30pm, it had gotten very crowded but was expected on a very hot day. Water was beautiful and we had a picnic lunch. Would definitely go back!

This place is absolutely beautiful! Ginnie Springs Outdoors, LLC covers area on banks of Santa Fe River that has 7 individual springs. Each one is unique. The water is absolutely crystal clear. The temperature is always about 72F. Some people call it refreshing, I call it cold! Yet it was an unforgettable experience to dip in and snorkel to see the water pushing up from the earth. You can use the Santa Fe River to float from one end of the park down or just walk from spring to spring.
This place also offers camping. You can set up your tent just about anywhere. Most area is covered with big trees. We were there on Saturday in summer and the place was packed! It was heavy party atmosphere and kind of loud with music. We had a small child with us and I was happy we were not staying overnight in a tent.
Ginnie Spring was on my bucket list for 19 years and I am very glad I got to see it and any nature lover should see it as well!

Rented snorkel gear from one of the nicest girls there, very helpful. Springs were very nice to both swim in and snorkel. Was the start of spring break so was starting to get busy later in the day. Great place.

We try to dive here as much as we can. The cave system is very beautiful. We purchased an annual pass and it has paid for itself. Restrooms are usually clean, tables/benches for your gear are maintained, and they do sell some gear in the main store.

The springs are beautiful and it is lovely to float down the river. We found the staff really nice and helpful, we rented inner tubes. We brought 6 kids, and the teenagers found it thrilling, but not because of the springs! We had a great time, but the party scene was a little crazy - huge floats with 8-10 people drinking straight from wine bottles, popping champagne and smoking, very loud music, mobs of people.

Favorite part: how fun and laid back everything was for people that don’t have a stick up their ass.
Least favorite part: the people who come here without knowing what to expect and trying to make this another Karen safe environment.
Don’t come if you like to party, drink, commune with strangers, etc. Your lack of knowledge on a place or event does not entitle you to so “righteously” ordain it as a horrible experience asking for more regulations and rules. For the people reading who are these types of people, stop being so close-minded, self-centered, and overall just miserable. Don’t worry we hate you too.
To the rest, have a great time, lay on a floatieand drink, and just enjoy not being a rule following slave for a few days ;)

The good... I'll start by saying that the beauty of the natural springs here is amazing. That's about all the good i can say about this place.

The bad... The cost to get in just to swim was $20/person, which is ridiculous, especially considering there are several other natural spings in the area that are just as pretty but only cost $6.

Just getting to the desk to hand the staff my money to gain entry to the park took more than 1/2 hour. The Office/Lobby area was in complete disarray. There were probably 100 people in there and most of us had no idea where to go to get our passes. There were people registering to camp, dive, or just swim, but there was no organization to it whatsoever. Also, in that jam packed room, I counted five people with masks on, not including the staff. I will say the woman who waited on me was informative and friendly.

This park, which one would think would be a family atmosphere, seemed more like a concert venue. Every other person had a beer in their hand. Many were on the boardwalk while others were standing in the water or floating down the river. You know most of those beer cans are just getting dumped into the river and springs.

There was music blasting from every direction.

Pot and cigarette smoke filled the air.

Droves of people jammed the entries to the water and you either had to wait for them to move (and they were in no hurry), or enter near one of the cypress trees with their sharp roots and knees.

Several people were very rude and many were drunk.

The only solace this place offered was while freediving into springs and caves. Most people can't venture very far below the surface and it's quiet and peaceful down there. But when you come up, you have to avoid kicking feet and people loaded on tubes in every direction.

I am a huge fan of Florida's springs and love freediving in them. I'd wanted to visit Ginnie for many years, but hadn't had the chance. Now that we've been there, we will be sure to never return. What a dissappointment!

Sure there are signs posted of what not to do. IE: no trespassing, no dogs, no alcohol, quiet time at 11pm.....but NONE OF IT IS ENFORCED! When we expressed our concern .. we were told .."you don't have to stay here." Wow!!
The Springs are gorgeous, just don't read the signs and don't expect anything to be professional or mature. Also, if you're over 25 consider another nearby Spring.

Keep away unless you are incredibly drunk and/or high by 1:00 p.m., and enjoy profane music. I went with my family and will never be back under these conditions. I grew up coming here decades ago. We went today and it was NOT family friendly. There were many groups, the majority of which had heavy alcohol (hard liquor) floating down the river in loud larger groups. Portable music and clouds of smoke that was not attributable to vaping. I had my kids with me and was ashamed. One man chose this time to take down his swim trunks to the music. Parents lost their kids for lack of attention. Adults were making out without any care. Dress code very lax. Please beware.

Our teenager found this amazing stop on an Instagram post. We weren't sure what to expect but decided to do a quick day trip to see what it was all about. It was totally worth the stop. The springs were amazing. Crystal blue water with underwater caves you could see snorkeling. We snorkeled but there were many scuba divers too. We also rented a paddle board to take on the river as well. Very fair pricing too! I can't believe we never heard about this place before!

It was so hot the day we were there that the water felt like ice when we went in! It didn't take long to adjust to the temperature though. It was a wonderful park to visit and we will surely be going back.

Privately owned, admission ranges from $14. to $20. a day, and the pandemic has that changing because that have to reduce the number of people. The attendance is college age and families. They have facilities, campground, rentals, swimming, paddling.

the River is crystal clear. Bathrooms are really nice and accommodating. Overall, just wish I had a gold cart or bicycle.

Dogs lovers .. Take action . No dogs , no Money ... The place needs urgently to change the owners and administration , Cant understand why you wanna run such a beautiful place in such a bad mood , the weed is becoming a huge problem .

Very loud. Drunk obnoxious people. Filthy. Foam parties. Too many people. Worst outdoor experience of my life. Expensive. Owners want to make maximum profit and trash the spring. They will soon ruin it.

Ginnie Springs. It's really the only place I've been camping at for the pas 13 years usually twice a year. Why? Because I can just show up and be guaranteed a camp site. It's huge. Unfortunately making reservations at a cool camping site in Florida is sometimes extremely hard. This is privately owned, so your left to do more or less what you want (That's a good thing and a bad thing, keep reading). The place is huge, it's pretty much primitive camping, though every site has running water. There are plenty of bathrooms with really nice showers. The price is not exactly cheap, but cheaper than anything comparable, 25 to 30 an night per person depending on season. When camping, I like to have space, don't want strangers within arms reach. You can find this at Ginnie Springs, but it's primitive, so come ready.
There are seven springs to go swim in, you can float down the river. They rent all you want, from paddle boards to canoes. The only thing, is that in my opinion, you must avoid Friday's and Saturday's. The weekends are just unbearable, over crowded by a bunch of people who have absolutely no respect for anyone. Loud music at all hours, partying at all hours.
The park makes absolutely no effort to stop any of this. Anything goes. So... don't go on the weekends, don't waste your money.
You won't enjoy it. I wouldn't enjoy it.
Arrive Sunday and leave Thursday it's awesome. Bring ear plugs anyway, just in case. Definitely bring bikes if you got them, it's really cool to ride them around the park.

Checked this place out on a weekday after labor day and school had started in hopes of avoiding the crowds. The girl at the register was very confused that I was there alone. Tried to charge me for 2 people and then for 2 tubes. I already wasn’t thrilled about going on vacation alone, thanks for making it more awkward. She also could not tell me when off-season pricing started. The lady at tube pickup was very nice, suggested the best places for parking, and gave me a cord to strap my tube to the car.

I parked and then hit the tube trail to start a float down the river before it got warmer. The trail is well marked in some areas but when you get to Devil’s Spring you have to go around the spring but the trail is not clear after that. The downside of going when it’s not busy, there was no one to follow. I ended up just walking along as close to the river as I could through camping areas till I found the river entry stairs. Not long after I got in the water a couple arrived that were obviously under the influence of something and being very obnoxious along with their accompanying music. I hung onto a tree on the side of the river until they floated far enough away that I could continue a peaceful float. I would hope they were camping and were not allowed entry that morning in that condition.

The float was mostly relaxing aside from everyone that was blasting music in the campsites and on passing kayaks. I did see one alligator but it was not interested in me as I floated by about 15’ away.

After tubing, I went snorkeling in Dogwood Spring for a while, very nice not many people there. After dogwood, I visited Ginnie Spring which seemed to be the main attraction with significantly more people. The spring and the area around it had a lot of trash in it, lots of cups, bottle caps, and vape pens all in and out of the water. Several groups of people smoking weed and every group with music had it loud enough so they could hear over the next group. One of the groups in the pavilions had the same few songs on repeat, one of which had a blaring car horn in a song that was loud enough that I thought it was real the first few times. The rules for the place state “no excessive noise at any time” but it’s obvious no one cares to enforce that.

I left the noise and wandered down to Devil's Spring. Less than 4 people were there when I arrived and it was in the shade with much cleaner water. It was just as relaxing as Dogwood spring but a little bigger. While I was there the scuba divers began showing up. Some of them were giving lessons which was ok for a little while but after a while, there were about 7 of them and they all stood on the stairs to the water or in the water in front of the stairs talking shop completely oblivious that other people were there wanting to get out of the water. Since my towel and shoes were on the bench at those stairs I had to use the others to get out before walking around to get my belongings that they had already set some of their stuff on top of.

On my way back to my car to leave there was a pickup by Ginnie Springs doing donuts in the gravel slinging rocks all over other people's cars. An employee in a golf cart just sat there laughing, no attempt to stop him or remove him from the park.

This place has the potential to be a really nice place. Before I came I read all the rules and thought they were really strict, but that also lead me to believe they would not tolerate people breaking the rules, but that was not the case. Unfortunately, all the inconsiderate people that don’t care about the environment or other people really bring this place down.

We took the day and drove up to Ginnie Springs with our family for the first time. There were lots of things to do here. Snorkeling, rafting, scuba diving, grilling, play ground for the kids, volleyball and camping. Its like a big "party pit". We left around 3ish in the afternoon because we had a 3 hour drive home but was probably a good thing since we had little children and the later it gets, the harder the partying seems to get. This is not a State park so its pretty much anything goes. We still had a great time and now that we know what to expect, we cannot wait to go back with a group of friends and leave kids home.

The springs are beautiful as I remember from years back, as was the Sante Fe River that links the springs. I kayaked and saw many families enjoying tubing together downstream. The bathroom in my camping area was clean, as were the campsites, and there was ample hot water. But flies hatching from the overflowing, odiferous center dumpster made it impossible to eat outside unless you had a screened shelter. Loud music blaring from multiple sources during the day continued in the evening. There was a parade of golf carts and other vehicles blasting their horns and music after midnight, including tunes with explicit lyrics. Vehicles driving around lit up my tent periodically until 3 a.m., at which time music stopped. I can see where Ginnie Springs may be a great family daytrip destination on a hot day, but if you are looking to enjoy peace and nature camping at night, look elsewhere.

Campers blasting music. Even the staff was blasting music out of the golf cart. Kind of ruins it if you just want to listen to nature. Not peaceful. Would be paradise without all the noise. Also, staff at the entrance weren’t wearing masks.

We have been going to Ginnie Springs for more than 20 years. I would give this place a 5 star rating for the 1st 15 years...the last few years we have gone, there have been some noticeable changes. Because this spring is close to a college town, we've always avoided going on weekends as there is a lot of drinking, smoking weed and just obnoxious behavior, not family oriented at all! The changes we've noticed this summer are so much trash everywhere! After people camp, they leave their trash and even abandon there tents, floats, and trash everywhere. Clean up after yourselves people! We were there for four nights and noticed many areas aren't even being cleaned by the employees. This worries me for Ginnie Springs...they are losing the beautiful springs to trash and trashy people! I also believe the new owners are more interested in money than keeping the place eco beautiful

Absolutely breath taking scuba,snorkeling,kayaking, tubing, camping and rv camping this place is just amazing we had such a wonderful time Nd can not wait for another visit

Snorkeling and Tubing was great! Buy the water protecting case for your phone. Totally worth it for underwater photos and videos. Thought the area was clean, though read that there’s a lot of partying on weekends it didn’t show on the Monday we went.

Beautiful springs to spend a whole day with the family!

Even though it was pouring when we arrived, we had an amazing experience and the kids love lazy tubing on the springs.

Is very sad 😞 how bad has become you are not able to swim in peace for all the floating and the CBD smelled is just too much

The person who wrote this review was in the park in 2016. Since that time we have been there 6 times and find Ginnie Springs the most Family Friendly park in Florida for tubing.
There is NOT a large population of HS and College there drinking and doing drugs. We also go on Sunday afternoon. There are families here and there has never been any issues of any kind each time we have attended. If there are young people kissing and making out...how is that offending...they could be doing worse..now couldn't they? Think back to your teens years in the back of those cars, huh?

Now...take Itchnetucknee...this is one of the worst Springs for Alcohol and it is by adults in their 30s and 40s...it is not college nor HS age. These parks have restrictions
on Under Age Drinking. If you don't believe they would do nothing about it...just ask THEM! They won't have a bad reputation as much as they can keep from that.

Now...take Blue Springs...if you are not inside by 9AM you won't ever get in until maybe? 1-2PM as they CLOSE THE GATES and will only allow so many public inside.
Same goes with Kelly Park in Apopka, FL...they allow only so many inside for the day...once they meet the capacity...no one else gets in NO MATTER HOW MANY PUBLIC LEAVE ALL DAY LONG?? This is BEING VERY LAZY!

Thus, Ginnie Springs Never Closes the gates and they Never become over crowded and packed. You can count on this. And...there is various Spring Heads to enter the water...no other Spring Park has so many Spring Heads...thus the other parks are very full an possibly crowded?!

We won't beat up Ginnie Springs as there is no reason to do so. We are a club of people in our 50s and 60s...so you know we are not going to cause anyone any trouble and embarrass children.

As for gators...so they may show on the banks but we have Never seen one. Gators cannot live or be in water 72 degrees...thus they do not get in these waters. They have to maintain a higher temperature level so that they don't die. Springs are safe for people. Rivers, Ponds, Retention Ponds, Lakes, Streams, Creeks...do not go in...Gators can live in these bodies of water. Become educated before you make false statements.

We drove 3 hours to spend a relaxing weekend at Ginnie Springs this weekend.

We had 4 different groups all around us BLASTING music as loud as they could. 4 genres at once starting at 7:30am and until 2-4am both nights.

The group across from us partook in domestic violence. After he finished beating his girlfriend, he punched the guy at the site next to us. Was informed they were calling the cops after he got knocked out, but they were convinced not to by the assailant since he was “on probation and does not want to go back to jail”

Had teenagers doing wheelys literally on our campsite at midnight.

The majority of people being disrespectful were 30-45 years old, they should have at least SOME regard for those around them at this stage of their life.

This weekend was EASTER. This is supposed to be a peaceful time for family. People go to the WOODS for PEACE AND QUIET and to hear the sound of nature, not the sound of your Sound Cloud playlist.

My boyfriend has been coming to Ginnie Springs for over 20 years. This was my second year and we will never be returning after what we saw and endured.

We told the guard on our way out, when we left early losing $120, everything that happened and his response “yeah that happens here”.

Water is cold and beautiful in the springs. The Santa Fe river was that connects the springs was a little dark and scary but fine. Next time we will bring a BIG float or rent paddle boards. We had a great time.

Been coming here since 1978 as a kid. I have a lot of memories here. My first dive here in 1985. Things and people do change. But it is still an awesome place to create memories. Here is the truth - YES! There is a lot of partying going on with all kinds of people and yes, people get drunk and high here and it can get packed and the music can be loud at times. The crowd is generally younger but you will find a mix at times. I really don’t consider it to be suitable for kids under 12 at times. I didn’t bring my kids until they were 14 or so. It can get wild. But, you just have to know before you go. Spring through fall can be really crowded. Expect this! It’s Florida and a spring. But, go in with great expectations and you will leave with an amazing experience. Get here early. I always arrive 15 to 30 mins early if I’m coming for the day to get a great spot. Parking can get crazy if you arrive after 11am. The price is about $14 pp, no matter what you plan on doing. Diving is around $22. They have picnic tables throughout, bring your own grill, food, coolers and chairs. Bring a volleyball, football and frisbee. Bring your raft, tube, snorkel gear and wetsuit if you need one. Spring is 72* year round. Great on a hot day. No lifeguards so make sure you can swim! They give free PFD’s out. Be prepared! They have awesome employees and a great country store and deli in case you need anything. There are about 6 restroom/showers throughout the 6 springs, Ginnie being the biggest. You can rent tubes or bring your own to tube the Santa Fe. The Santa Fe is brown due to the trees in the water, not pollution! It is safe to tube for everyone. The campsites vary. There is no one area for tents or RV’s. You may be tenting next to an RV. And you never know who your neighbor will be but if you go in with a great attitude, you will make some great friends. There is volleyball and football rentals, canoe and kayak rentals, Paddleboard rentals, snorkel rentals and dive equipment rentals. They have air fill stations for tanks and tubes. NO PETS! Except service animals. All in all, just have a good time and you will walk away with some awesome memories and great friends.

Ginnie Springs has changed from a serene, peaceful setting to a PARTIER'S PARADISE. We set up camp on a quiet site. That is, until dinner time rolled around. Our neighbors, on the other side of a wooded patch of vegetation, were allowed to blast their music and their festivities until nearly 1 AM. Festivities included making loops, tearing through the campground in an ATV with a flashing rooftop light while people hooted and hollered. These were middle age adults. Not college students.

When my husband complained to management, they told him that they had received complaints from other campsites as well. But, this group had more than a dozen tents (entry cost is per tent), there were no hard-fast noise ordinances, and they were not going to ask these people to leave.

When my husband returned, he said the good news was that management was coming by to give us some earplugs (I thought he was joking); and, the bad news was that these same people had partied loud the night before until after 12:30 am. The manager did visit the site, and asked the partiers to turn the volume down. That worked. For the next 2 songs.

It is really a shame how the inconsiderate acts of some can ruin it for so many others.

Our opportunities to camp are few and far between. We look forward to the chance to unplug, unwind, and tune in to nature. Ginnie Springs no longer offers that in a camping experience.

We missed hearing nature: the crackling sounds of the fire, the hoot owls and night crickets, the wind in the trees.

We missed a decent night's sleep.

We miss Ginnie Springs for what it was. We won't ever return.

Had a fantastic time paddle boarding up the river! The actual Ginnie Spring was BUSY but the river was very quiet and relaxing. Perfect way to spend the afternoon! AND, Jeff the Detroit Lions Fan that works there is the man- so kind and willing to help!

Dirty Disorganized and Disgusting. No signs to tell you where to go, no employees around to help. The employees in the "store" or rental places were useless, ambivalent and rude. DROVE TWO HOURS TO DIVE. Got there and was told had to have a "buddy". No where does it say that on their literature. Rented a rube instead and floated through the river of filth through the camp grounds of Sodom & Gomorrah. Was wasted by time we reached the end by the amount of 2nd hand CBD smoke in the campground. Loud and unenjoyable. Unless you're ready to explain all things "evil" to your kids, go somewhere else. The state of Florida needs to come in, buy this place & turn it around. And be prepared - no lockers anywhere. You bring it in, you're carrying it ALL day. Miserable.

The water is so clear and the ballroom is a have to see. The water is 72 degrees year round. The accomdations for divers is wonderful. A place to gear up close to the spring and the bath house has nice showers as well.

what i see this park become drugs place, no good to be with my son.
because of lack of control, become. Unsafe, note administration must put attention. And be more organized.in order to get a better place to share and enjoy with the family.

Besides the natural beauty of the area, I was most impressed with the way Ginnie Springs was run. Their main concern is your safety. Right from entering to paying to parking, everything is extremely organized. As a dive instructor for almost 25 years, the safety aspect is important to me. The meld between tubers and divers works much better than other places we've been to. All in all, a very special place.

This place is AWESOME! My family and 8 other families come here every year for almost 10 years and have the best time camping out. If you're coming here to hear sounds of nature and not see big booties then you coming to the wrong place! I would personally avoid holiday weekends.

Easy float down the Santa Fe River from Ginnie Springs, it took about 1 hour and it clearly marked where to exit. The walk back to the start was only about 15 minutes. We floated a few times. I wish we could've stayed in the spring longer to snorkel, but it was too crowded. By mid-afternoon, I don't see how anymore people could get through the spring from the stairs to the river to float.

the instagram for ginnie springs had two posts mentioning no more day admission passes for certain days due to max capacity. this was one thing we were aware of when visiting the spring, however, when we arrived there were THOUSANDS of people in the park. they were everywhere. it is a privately owned park so they do not have to follow the same regulations as state parks, but if that was them not at max capacity i would hate to see what they looked like full. we had to pay $80 to get in, then had to park where the campers park (even though we were just going to stay for a few hours). we had to walk down to the spring only to find out there was no room to even stand in the spring with the amount of people in it. we spent $80 to sweat, look at the spring, and leave. terrible experience, i wouldn’t recommend going now if you ever go at all.

Disgusting facilities ,dirty bathroom, never clean it in two days, waiting 1hour in line for check in rude people, we was driving around try to find place to camp and the the employee was o rush, they said hello moveee , we went to the office put the complaint but the manager don't care, don't came to this place, horrible, the spring is beautiful but the facility nasty

Couldn’t listen to our music during the day or at night with others over powering... We planned to stay 2 nights and stayed one. The five of us couldn’t sleep. We even moved to a different campsite the following morning and the people next to us let us know we would have the same experience by blasting music so loud you think that you were at a nightclub. That may sound fun but on top of that imagine people driving by your campsite on rotation all through the night and morning shouting, blinking lights, various types of music blaring depending on who was making their round. You want have the consideration to listen to your own music unless you want to be louder and that’s not ideal. You’re semi-quiet moments will be if you stay at your campsite while everyone else enjoys the springs. Still people will walk by with speakers so large they have to tote them around on crates with wheels. I love music I just couldn’t relax. It was over stimulating and cost $30 per person per night, Im surprised at the cost increase since the other reviewers are saying $20. After a sleepless night, moving our things to another site hoping for the best, we found we could not escape it unless we left. So we did. I may go again but with a Rx sleeping pill 🤷🏻‍♀️.

The Gilcrist County Sheriffs office has to stage deputies near this park nightly for the crime committed on the premises. Our RV was egged on the first night. We called the Sheriif’s and they advised us to stay at Hart Springs or Otter Springs if we want a safe/enjoyable experience. This place is trash. Stay clear!!

Very disappointed. The worst rental experience ever: poorly organized, you have to wait an hour in line to return your equipment back. Not family friendly. Loud parties everywhere. Long lines everywhere. Go to Rainbow Springs, or Crystal River, or any other Springs!

The natural beauty of this park and the affordability of the tube rentals get 5 stars, but the clustered mess of parking areas gets ZERO! They have three young people standing together when you pull in to answer which direction to go wether camping or day pass, but nobody directing parking in their various parking areas?! My husband and I passed by our car walking to get tubes and realized we were stuck in because there was a car in front of and behind us. Luckily the person next to us moved at that moment giving us space to make a multi point turn and back into the area creating space for us to pull straight out into what we thought would be the exit lane, seeing at though it was lane between two rows of parking, since only a handful of people were blocking in cars on the end where we were parked, we thought going out the other way would lead us to an exit.

You would think that fixed the problem but NOPE! Hours later when it was time to leave, we realized us ((along with many other cars)) were stuck in what had become a circle of
Cars closed on both ends!!!! SERIOUSLY?!?! Luckily a guy was standing at his truck and backed out so we could Squeeze though, then went back to his spot. Which, just trapped everyone else back in.

We told the guy at the exit who collects your pass and he said the park was under new management. I hope they see this and take into consideration they need some sort of fix for the parking issue. We were parked at the Ginnie Spring lot by the bath house and volley ball court.

We were in an RV in the water/electric area so can’t speak for the primitive camping. Apparently some changes were needed, on the website the ownership says they have made the changes. The place was very well staffed, security seemed to be doing their job. We noticed shouting match going on while walking on the “tube trail” security was right there.
Keep in mind the quiet hours are midnight -8am. The ppl next to us with a tent ended up leaving at 10:30pm, because of the noise, they were worried they wouldn’t get any sleep. We were totally fine in an RV. The river was great, there are several “floatilllas” lots of ppl attached and drinking. People were having a grand time. I would definitely say the facility is very pricey, but it’s unique. I’d go back.

The river is beautiful, but not as beautiful as the videos make it out to be, the camping site is terrible, there is no security, there are a lot of people drinking, a lot of drugs, a lot of crazy people, in the three days I was there they never washed the bathrooms, a lot of people, There are no rules or rather they don't enforce them, all night there is loud music and a lot of noise, it has been the worst place I have ever visited and to that we must add that we paid three nights and Friday, Saturday and Sunday $360 for three people and the night On this Saturday, May 25, 2024, they shot one person to death, another died from an overdose and there was a car accident, the people are very crazy, they closed the river and did not return the money for the night that we did not use, we thank God for being well and able to return home, the nights sleeping there if you can say that were terrible, if you come be prepared not to sleep, it seems like you are in the anteroom of hell, I do not recommend this place at all

Ginnie Springs is amazing, for the most part all the reviews are true with the exception of rude staff and dirty bathrooms. All the bathrooms I saw were clean, and nice. The staff I interacted with was very friendly and helpful. They even have people that drive around on golf carts and hand out trash bags, and take the full ones each day from your campsite. Now on to the GOOD stuff, oh and if you don’t like the things that I am going to mention, there are hundreds of other campgrounds and springs in the state of Florida, go to those instead of complaining about Ginnie Springs. This is a party place!, it is awesome for people who want to come have a good time, drink your drink of choice, listen to music, and float down the river. Yes you will see drunk people, yes you will see scantily clad people, yes you will hear music, yes you will see giant floating cities of tubes tided together, yes you will hear some profanity, and yes if you came here for a good time you will find it here. Now some reviews said you will see fighting, music until 4-5am, and lots of angry people. I for one did not see one angry person, never saw any fighting or even things that looked close to it. There was lots of music from all over the place but at 12am on the spot, security came by each site and asked the people to turn it off. To me this was the perfect balance of fun, with just enough rules to keep order. The campground is huge and offers all sorts of camping options, the tube run is awesome, and generally just a beautiful place. So to sum it up, if you want to have a place you can let loose, have some drinks, and party this is the Place!!! If you are looking for a quiet place to take your little kids, and disagree with alcohol consumption then I suggest going to Disney and stay at Fort Wilderness, I have never been, but I am going to assume it’s the exact opposite.

The place was beautiful at some point, right now is trashed, so crowded, they have a online list of rules, don’t be fulled, they are not enforced at all, is garbage everywhere, bottles caps , old clothes pieces of camping equipment , plastic, the Santa Fe River bottom is full of garbage in front of this property, the music is so loud everywhere, you cannot enjoy nature, is a shame they administration allows this to happen, I guess is the kind of crowd this place brings. We stayed for one night during the week and had to leave, I will never be back. We saw so land turtles and snakes smashed on the road inside the springs.

Natural Love and Diving! Good for family trips and an excellent place to get dive certificate. I recommend a several day visit.

I have been a patron of your establishment for over 15 years and have always enjoyed my visits. However, during my recent visit, I had an unpleasant encounter with an employee named Brian. Before I could even speak to him, he rudely threatened to have me trespassed due to the volume of my speakers. While my speakers are larger than some portable ones, the music was significantly lower than others playing in the area, and inaudible from the road.
I immediately apologized and offered to pack up my equipment, but Brian was inflexible. I had used these same speakers for the previous six days without issue, and even confirmed with multiple rangers that the volume was acceptable.
I believe Brian's actions were unwarranted and discriminatory. I respectfully request a review of this incident and appropriate action taken.

Water is beautiful, the owners and people are aweful. It is just full of nasty partiers, sex, drugs, and is not family-friendly. Sadly, the owners encourage this behavior and don't care since they make so much money. You won't get in on the weekend, mile long line of people waiting. Trash everywhere, drunk folks, you name it. :(

The natural springs are beautiful. EVERYTHING else, not so much. Trash, cans, bottles, you name it, it’s littered EVERYWHERE. There seems to be no method to the madness. People camp, park, drive haphazardly all over the place. LOUD EXPLICIT music well into the morning, screaming/yelling all night long, no consideration for others .
It seems that once you pay your fees, it’s a free for all…anything goes, and it does.
Sad to say, we were relieved to leave.

If your looking for a new place to take all your crazy friends while on a SUP and floats this is it. But make sure it has not recently flooded and not a busy weekend or it will be so crowded in the springs you really can't get any good photos alone like you see in Instagram. We plan on coming back soon and camping out for sure

Upon going to the gate we told the lady we just wanted to get some info, she huffed and puffed but said fine. Then she said I’m taking the license plate number just in case you go back and not to the info center...ummm ok whatever. However, that being said one star because they do not let 10 years olds scuba dive even tho padi lowered the age to 10. I did here the spring was cool tho.

Interesting family experience where people can swim , kayak, paddle or simple relax on a tube while going down the river. Very important to arrive early as the limit of people in the river for the long ride fills up very fast.A unique experience

I came with my two girls on a mom/daughter trip. They are 12 and 14. To say the springs are gorgeous is a huge understatement. The water is crystal clear. We came after a busy Memorial Day weekend (so we were told by the very helpful lady selling us tickets). She asked that we please ignore the mess and that they were still cleaning everything up from the festivities. Let me tell you one thing... it must have been one heck of a party. And it definitely hadn’t wrapped up yet at this point. My girls (who are normal young teens) said they were very uncomfortable at several of the pools due to the college age people there. We tried out each of the swimming areas and were only there for a few hours before we called it a day. The springs are amazing. Definitely worth a visit. But don’t plan a whole day there, unless you are 20 something and ready to party. At one point some young men were catcalling my girls and I yelled back “they are 12 and 14!” Open liquor bottles everywhere. Broken glass. Maybe next time we come back we will pick a different timetable. Still. With all that being said, definitely worth a see.

The springs are gorgeous! The water is kept very clean, I didn’t see any trash or bottle caps or anything in the springs or in the Santa Fe river. The snorkeling rentals and paddle boards were well priced and SO MUCH FUN! All primitive campsites were first come first serve, so we were able to take our pick. I don’t know when I’ll be coming back to Florida, but when I do, I will absolutely stay here again. (Also, it was super cool to see so many scuba divers!)

We have been diving and swimming at Ginnie for years and continue to enjoy every trip. We do avoid summer holidays because of the large crowds. The water is beautiful and the grounds are maintained moderately well. There is an ample staff to assist when needed.

June 5, 2023, we took a trip to Ginnie Springs. It is a beautiful and exceptional Nature Park. As we floated the river, I observed the wonderful camping area along the river. Venturing into each of the springs and enjoying the cool clear water. Because each spring was full of people we were able to make some new friends. We stayed cage whole day and even had to pay a late fee because it was after 5:00 pm before we got back to return our floating devices. The walk back was rather lengthy and I think it would be nice if they had a place to return your equipment at the exit spot. But read your Map, Price & Rules guide so you know. A very tiring but wonderful day. I’d enjoy doing it again. I enjoyed watching a group of Mexican enjoying themselves. The men were standing on the bank and singing to the rest of the family that was in the water. Good entertainment for me and everyone. My grandson, his girlfriend and I had a wonderful. I am 82 years old grandma and this was something I enjoyed.

Camped in our motor home for a few days in August 2020. Everyone we came in contact with was nice and having a good time. Worker bees every where making sure the place was clean.
We floated the river twice and it took about one and a half hours. Brought our coolers, food and drinks.

Can't wait to go back.

Wowza…this place was not for us! The springs were absolutely stunning! However, we only stayed for half an hour. They need to advertise that they are 420 friendly. It is not our thing and there were quite a few large groups smoking weed as they lounged in tubes in the spring. It reeked. People were shoving their beer cans into the roots of trees that were in the water as they floated by. Music was blaring, people were screaming, it was just not the environment we were looking for. We were upset to have wasted the $40 entry fee plus the $20 to rent snorkel gear, but you live and learn.

No organization, not sure where to go, no one to ask when on tube in springs. We were there a week ago, already on river, thunder then lightning, no one to tell us to get out, and where we were, nowhere to exit. Extremely scary.
Then once we found tube exit, no transportation back to main building, so we carried our tubes back, in rain, trail had people driving on same trail and we kept having to get over , off trail. I am used to tube rental places bringing people back once done. For 25.00 (holiday charge) plus cost of tube, we should have had better experience. Like another review said, many drinking alcohol and smoking, many feeling no pain lol.

Maybe we went during spring break or these people took late classes but there were college kids everywhere. It was so crowded it took a lot of fun away. Spent an hour just trying to check in, and we got there early. I've dived the reefs of the Caribbean and the Pacific and these caves were just boring to me. Couldn't dive more that 50 feet without running into someone or waiting for others to exit a tunnel so you could enter. It had its moments but I feel this is to commercialized. You can get the same beauty and type of activities at cheaper and less crowded springs around.

Very quiet when we visited but that made the experience much better. Staff were all friendly and helpful. Amazing place - we rented a tube and spent over an hour drifting down the river watching the wildlife. Very enjoyable day - would highly recommend especially in the quiet season.

This is a private springs, comprising 7 smaller springs, but definitely worth the time to see. From casual swimmers to cavern certified divers, this is an experience worth having. If you are not so adventurous, you can rent a tube and float down the river, where the water is warm. The individual springs are generally cold, but you get used to them quickly. as a privately owned campground, there are no alcohol restrictions, other than no bottles. Therefore, if you have a family, I would go on days other than holidays, which tend to attract college age crowds. The place is a blast, and I always look forward to camping there!

We went here to dive and enjoyed the facilities as well as diving the springs. Water was 74 F and crystal clear. Lots of fun. Air temp finally warmed up to about 65F so the water felt comfy in a 3MM suit. Easy diving for recreational and some great caving is done here if that's what you are in to. Divers from all over the world come here. Not crowded this time of year. Change rooms are clean and warm with nice showers. Camping is available. $30.00 FOR DIVERS TO DIVE.

This was a horrible place to visit, very overcrowded. And Ginnie Springs has no control over the people visiting their establishments. The parking was terrible approximately a half mile walk just to get to the entrance of the Springs area. And having a handicap placard doesn't help. A very heavy presence of marijuana smell throughout the facility.

$20 entry per person. That’s before renting kayaks or sups. Learned that it’s privately owned so that makes sense. It’s not a state, city, county park.

This is a private spring $15.00 per person to get in. Not the usual experience you get with the state parks. This was early and out of season

BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO COME TO! Everything is at your own risk, but you will have an equal amount of fun, the water is FREEEEEEZING cold, so many cute fishies down at the bottom of the spring, harmless I promise. At lot of college kids come here and hang out, as well a qualified divers too. It was such a relaxing place to be, but I do advise to bring bug repellent otherwise you won’t be so relaxed. But indeed it was such a great time here

I took my family and a few other people to Ginnie Springs. We had been once before, I don’t remember it being as disorganized and crowded as it was this time around. So we waited in a car line to have a lady write down how many people in the car, then we had to park and wait in another line for in hour to pay to back into our cars to go park about half a mile away from the springs. I think this would go a lot smoother if the same line your car is the same one you pay and then park. Just doesn’t make sense too me. Then after all of that you wait in another line for a tube if you rent one. After that you walk to the spring with no sidewalks and drunk unruly people drive by you yelling! I’m ok with people having a good time, but there were children all over. I’m surprised that someone wasn’t hurt. This time another for us it rained and the springs were very murky, not clear like years past. The next time I come I won’t be bringing my children.

Great place for new divers to get their “feet wet” with diving!! Several things to see but easy enough for newbies to navigate. Several other springs nearby to see and dive. Well worth the visit. Beautiful!!

Floating down the river was so relaxing. Stopping off at the springs was a little cold this time of year, but all in all it was a fun visit.

the springs was a thing of beauty. A very nice day trip and very refreshing on a hot day. It is old Florida at its best !

Great place to go camping, clean and beautiful and clean amenities, exelent place to meet mother nature.

Start to finish this was the worst camping experience I’ve encountered. The staff is amazingly rude. One would think that to get past their rigid check in policy that the park would have been top notch- not the case. The campsite was barely able to accommodate the size RV we indicated we were traveling in (ended up parked over the fire pit) and we had to clean the campsite upon arrival. Despite their many rules and regulations, once inside the campground it’s quite chaotic. Loud music, partying, obvious drug use and crowds. We tried to snorkel in the springs but it wasn’t safe for our children- teens and young adults obviously under the influence of drugs or alcohol were diving and jumping off of the rails at the springs not watching out for any other swimmers. This was an anticipated part of our trip and we were beyond disappointed. The springs themselves are so beautiful- it’s sad that this privately owned campground is their main access point. It would be a beautiful state park.

This obviously is some people’s scene, but it was definitely not ours. Crowds of people, loud music from every direction. This was once a beautiful place, but it is impossible to enjoy that beauty with the crowds. I’m not sure why anyone finds this appealing. Zero COVID practices in place, unless you count the masks around the employees necks. Outdoors is usually a safe bet for social distancing, but this place was crowded and disgusting to me. We laid the entrance, tried to check out some springs, but ended up leaving after 10 minutes because people were sardined in the springs.

Very nice staff and facilities. Brought our paddle boards and enjoyed the scenery. Snorkeled the springs . Enjoyed the cold , clear water of the springs .

The only low point were groups of load and vulgar people. A lady told about a drunken brawl, in front of children , near one of the springs the day before. The entry fee should have cover security.

A very unique place. Took the family and had a great time. Went in July so was a little crowded but get there early. Had a great time diving to see the springs and float down the river. It is really casual and was great on a hot July day.

This spring is absolutely magnificent, unfortunately it's almost been ruined by the droves of people who visit it. I've seen beer bottles and cigarette buts all over, even floating alongside me in the river. If you like loud music, the sound and smell of generators. Honestly the place is so gorgeous that it's ALMOST worth it. But there are better places to go if you want a quiet nature experience. If you wanna go party by the river...this is a good choice.

This was the craziest camping site I have ever been to!! There were no rules enforced. All night there was loud music people partying, yelling and driving around drunk and disorderly! I was there Friday-Sunday and each night it was 4 in the morning before there was finally a little peace. Saturday morning there was an emergency airlift due to a child being hit by a vehicle. It is not a place for families with children.

I had the worst experience at Ginnie Springs. Today was my son's 17th birthday. He was sooooo excited to go camping and show his 2 best friends his favorite place to camp. We drove 4.5 hours and when we arrived we were denied entrance to the park because his two friends (both 17) parents weren't with us. I've been going to Ginnie for 8 years and never heard that rule. Although this was our first time bringing his friends. The family next to us with 4 kids all the same age and obviously not siblings, lied and said they were all related and were allowed entrance. I asked them outside if they were related and they laughed and said they weren't. They knew the trick to getting friends in without parents, you just lie. We then asked if we could purchase a day pass, because we were just going to get a hotel. They wouldn't let us come into the park at all. The manager wouldn't come out of the office to speak with me. My son was devastated and I was embarrassed and so sad for him. We spent 9 hours in the car after driving all the way back home. His special birthday was ruined. Ginnie Springs lost a loyal family's business. I'm so disappointed. They did refund the money I paid for the campsite minus $40 as a cancellation fee. Salt on the wound. But nothing is worse than seeing my son so emotional because he was really looking forward to it and couldn’t wait to share what was once his favorite place, with his friends…

We went previously and had fun but we paid $20 a person an we brought our own tunes. There was literally trash floating past us. My daughter actually started picking up trash. Was very unhappy we will not be going back. We'll take the short trip north an pay a flat fee of 10 per car an the river will be clean

Let me start with a positive. I enjoyed my days here. The springs are beautiful, there is a store at the front of the campsite that has a good number of camping and food items as well as hot coffee for sale. I was comfortable and even had fun during the day.
However, at night there were groups of campers blaring music and screaming long past the very poorly reinforced quiet hours that don't even start until midnight. Our first night we got less than 3 hours of sleep because of the noise.
When we complained about it, the manager at the time showed herself to be rather sexist - I'm a woman and complained to her and she defended the rangers who did not quiet down the other campers for more than a couple minutes, and would interrupt and deflect when I said anything. I was trying to be very polite but she did not make it easy.
When my male friend spoke with her, she listened fully to him and told him she'd send someone out to speak with the other campers. It shouldn't take a man complaining about the same campers I did to get something done.
The rangers who spoke with the campers came over to let us know that they had, and they were polite and jovial with us - obviously it helped because it wasn't long after midnight that they quieted down the following night.
Outside of that, the staff I interacted with were friendly and nice, the shop was decorated for Halloween, which was delightful, the rental fees for the park and for the tubes to use in the springs were extremely reasonable. If I was confident that I wouldn't be spoken down to or kept up half the night by drunk college kids, I would consider going again!

We loved Ginnie Springs. We took our kayak around and the color of the water was just amazing. We jumped off of a rope swing. When we were leaving we met the owner, Mark and his two dogs on a paddle board!!

To be honest, the reviews scared the crap out of me. However, I was pleasantly surprised when we got there. It was six of us, all in our twenties. If you have children, I would recommend going during the week. The weekend can get loud, especially Saturday. But it was not nearly as bad as I was thinking. The park was clean considering the traffic and the water ways were clean and refreshing. I very much enjoy my person space and my sleep. We dint have an issue of people walking through our site nor did I personally see a ton of liter. If you want the super clear water, Ginnie and Dogwood are your best bets. Devils was murky bc of how many people are in there kicking up the silt. We got there on Thursday and we were able to get a good spot across the path from the river and close to the tub entrance. Our primitive campsite was plenty big enough for our two vehicles, 3 tents and 4 coolers. I would go camping here again and I would especially love to try it out in the off season!

-Also the whole no golf cart, no atv rule is a joke. There were golf carts and side by sides everywhere. So by all means, take your toys.

We went to Ginnie on a hot day to cool down, and it was absolutely beautiful!
BRING YOUR OWN THINGS THOUGHT!

We rented some tubes and masks, but renting equipment is kinda pricey, and in addition you pay for entrance, so I would definitely recommend you to bring snorkel gear and tubes yourself! Other than that a WONDERFUL experience!

Beautiful, quiet, nature reserve. Lots of insects and gecko's to observe. Love the new aluminum bridge and dock area, next to the steep slippery boat dock.

Joe was so very kind and sweet. He offered us hot coco and was talkative the only reason I liked my trip. Water was cold and rained both nights.

Ginnie springs beat all my expectations, really cool plan to go with the family or friends, 15$ to get into the park per person, and many places to grill ,you can bring your own food or buy some at the deli, there is also many camping spots, and you can bring your own floating device or rent one.

We went camping here without knowing what it was like. We were expecting nature, peace, but instead got loud music, drinking, smoking (including marijuana), air horns, fireworks, huge crowds. It's so crowded that people are constantly walking thru your campsite, unattended children in your stuff, so many people/floats in the spring that you can't see the water, balls, frisbees flying thru your campsite. Unbelievable.

Ginnie springs

Other than the mass of compete idiots, drunk 13 year olds, trash everywhere, the overwhelming stench of weed, cigarettes, and booze, the devils ear was stunning. But obviously the owners don’t give a crap about conserving this place. They are clearly only wanting to make thousands of dollars by overcrowding this natural spring. So disappointing and underwhelming for $20 a person. Wish I could take back every penny. Will never be going back there. Thank you especially to the selfish owners for ruining a beautiful place.

We visited on a long weekend in March did some camping(not on this location) we did tandem kayaking ( it’s about $46 per couple ). It’s a beautiful park the water was cold but we didn’t do any swimming even though hundreds of people did. You an kayak up and down the river for ever. We had a “flooded” river so we had a much stronger current. It’s well worth it though as you can see lots of nature !

This was a fantastic day trip that I took my daughter and her friend to visit. I'm glad we went during the weekday, as it was already busy. I read that it can become very crowded with college students on the weekends. Though there were plenty of younger crowds in the water, there was still more than enough room to float around and enjoy the cool water and be lazy as much as you want. We chose to rent their tubes, which was a great idea. We braved the chilled water, floated around the springs to adjust and decided to float down the river. It was very relaxing. Watching the variety of rafts and floats in the river was hysterical, as I seen anywhere from a giant unicorn to an actual inflatable mattress being used. It was plenty of fun for our short day trip. We would definitely return again....on a weekday though. Certainly was worth the drive.

This is a privately owned campground so the focus is on making money. It's not a place for families or people wanting a break from work and the city. If you're into drunk people, excessively loud music blasting all day until midnight and again promptly at 8am, smoking pot, air horns, crude songs and language, and blow-up dolls, then this is your party place. Although the check-in brochure specifically says these things listed above are not allowed, the owner nor staff do anything to control the groups. There are many other springs and state parks in FL if you're interested in real Florida camping.

Never ever go to this hell hole, atmosphere of animals (humans) was apparent, all walks of life, disgusting facilities, no security control throughout the area, the smell of CBD and trash all over the place not to mention the stench of feces and urine. Do not recommend!

Not a state park and very expensive for a spring. A major party and drinking hole. Not a safe environment and seems to be lots of trouble and crime in park. Definitely not recommend for families.

The people were completely out of control. Loud music all day and night. You could not enjoy your own music it was so bad. The rules apply to no one and the workers have no say. Upon checking in the girl look like she was going to cry. It took a while to find our spot because she couldnt talk to give us directions. The Main spring was beautiful except for the trash left by other visitors. Beer cans, soda cans, garbage everywhere. The other springs are do not look like the pictures at all. We won't go back. I can't recommend it to anyone. Our food was great...we cooked it.

Went camping in our motor home in July 10th to 12, despite it being middle of the week, the place was crowded, bunch of younger drunk , loud, and "not considered of others " people. Staff is nice though and. First night music stopped about 1am, second night at 3am. Springs are small and crowded , with adults smoking weed and drinking alcohol around children. Nasty dumpsters, trash everywhere. Owners only care about money and not the renters destroying environment.

Absolutely beautiful place! Fun hang out spot but the campsites could use a little attention (fireplace had glass and junk in it) and the map should have roads labeled (it was very easy to get lost and we weren't the only ones).

On Saturday, June 4, 2022, we were swimming on the Santa Fe River about 8 miles from Ginny Spring, when two women drifted up in a kayak. They were lost and didn't know how to get back to the Springs where they rented their Kayak. They were from Holland and spoke halting English.

We called the Springs for them since their phone wouldn't connect. We explained the women's situation. The attendant was rude and non-responsive and told us the women would have to walk back or paddle 8 miles upstream against a current at least 6 miles per hour.

We gave the women water and loaded their rented kayak on our truck, hauled them back to the park to return them to their car and the kayak to the livery. The gate attendant was rude and dismissive and refused to allow us entrance to simply take their kayaks back to the waterfront livery--unless we paid entry fees. We took the women to kayak rental place and the attendant told them they would have to carry kayak to the livery hundreds of yards away. Everyone we spoke to there in authority was rude and in this situation, cruel. I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone. There are dozens of springs in Florida, better run, with more accommodating personnel. The owner should be ashamed of his people.

Ginnie Springs continues a long history of managing multiple spring diving and swimming areas as well as party and camping. The diving is world class - if you are a cavern/cave diver. The area is used by some shops to conduct training dives and the staff does a good job of controlling risky behavior. The area is spread out enough so that you should be able to find a quiet place or a community place with music and BBQ.

We drove from Atlanta to visit Gennie Spring over the Memorial Day weekend and had a real nightmare. Upon arrival after waiting in a long car line up at 9:30AM, we were told that day visitor needs to turn around and they will only let you go through if you buy two days pass ("it's up to you if you want to sleep in your car"). So we bought the camping even though we were staying in Gainesville. BTW, my 13 year old was considered an adult for full price. Once in, the whole place is basically trashed. All space were overran by half naked people smoking and blasting loud music. Large signs of foul languages are on public display everywhere. People got in fights and others stood by to enjoy the scene while eating popcorns. It was quite a zoo. We stayed a grand total of 2 hours and left. It is a shame that we went to FL to subject ourselves to this and blew hundreds of dollars on such a bad experience.

If you plan on going just realize that this place is VERY unorganized. From the beginning of trying to research things online to actually getting there and trying to get started was really difficult.
There isn’t a number to cal to ask questions prior to going and when you get there, there are no directions or signs explaining what you need to do. Just know that they do it have any lockers for your stuff so leave everything in your car. Only bring with you what you can actually take on the river. You are allowed to bring your own tubes but since the website didn’t let us know we didn’t bring them. Had we brought them it would have made it much easier. It’s extremely crowded but if they were a slight bit organized it wouldn’t be too bad. There are no signs directing you as to which line to stand in to rent tubes or where to get the tubes or anything about how long the tubing trip is. It’s not 100 percent clear if you can bring coolers either.
They really really need to have someone completely organize the process.
Now..... once you FINALLY get through the initial process and get into the springs and start going it’s really nice. Water is clean and had a good family time. You are able to stop along the side of the river where it’s shallow and hang out. Once the tubing is over, the walk back isn’t terrible but just remember that the more you take with you done the river, the more you have to carry when you walk 20 minutes back to the parking area.

Anyone visit Northern part of Florida, please don’t forget to visit many Springs around. Among of them is Ginnie Spring where you can swim, campground, kayak, etc . It’s beautiful with crystal clear bluish torquoise water.
About 30’ minutes drive towards northern there is a place called Ichetuckee spring where you can dive in to see a Blue Hole. It’s also an iconic place to visit.

I have been diving at Ginnie Springs since the mid 1970's. I have seen it grow from a great place to dive and train to what it is today. Just 3-4 years ago I was taking SCUBA Classes there on a routine basis. After last weekend I will never return. It seems that the current management is more interested in packing people in like sardines and collecting dollars than they are about giving visitors a quality experience. I had tried to call for days before coming to Florida to get more information but no one would answer the phone. a recording simply said that they were open. Our family of 3 arrived there on Saturday morning and paid the very high entrance fee of $35.00 each. It was then that I was informed that the dive shop was closed and we would not be able to get more air fills after diving. Once we got to the spring there was literally no parking. The thousands of tubers were parked in the adjacent fields. Yes, I do mean thousands of people, elbow to elbow. the spring was so full that you couldn't get into the water. (Look it up on Youtube ) it is ridiculous. After suiting up and finally making it to the water we managed to get underwater for a brief dive. there were so many people in the Spring that I will never ever go back again. After the short dive we packed everything up (wasting our money) and headed away to a less congested place.

It's disgusting that the owners and managers there don't care anything about the environment and the experience there. They really don't care about divers at all. they are more interested in getting all the dollars they can by cramming thousands of people into the Spring. It's a wild party crowd with girls running around in thongs and generally an intoxicated crowd of people that won't move aside to give you access to the Spring. People cruise the parking area with big trucks, 4 wheelers and other vehicles racing back and forth with (way to loud) music playing. Trash is everywhere and you don't want to even go in the restrooms which are disgusting.
So I'll keep my good memories of Ginnie Springs when it was managed by divers who cared about diving. If you are a diver, do yourself a favor and go to one of the State Parks like Manatee, where the admission is capped, the environment is protected, and you can have a truly wonderful dive experience.

This place is absolutely horrible : disgusting (trash everywhere), super crowded (despite the current virus), loud, stinky (various smoke from grills, cigarette, weed, motor boats).

+ it is a real rip off : $20/person (!!) and it is absolutely not justified. There is no infrastructure ; the parking is wild.

You really want to avoid this place.

Driving from SW Florida to Indiana, we decided to check out Ginnie Springs. We brought the kids to swim a little bit in the beautiful springs they have. Unfortunately, we could barely even see the springs. I would estimate there were easily a few thousand people there. Zero explanation on where to go to do anything. They make sure you pay right up front.
If we had any idea how many people would be there and how disorganized it was, we would never have wasted our money.

It is extremely obvious that people do whatever they want there.

If you love thousands of people confined to a small patch of land, drugs everywhere, and music blaring… you found your place!

After seeing this place on YouTube several times, I had high hopes. It was a complete and utter disappointment. All we wanted to do (after paying 65.00 to get into the park) was spend a short period of time in one of the springs. As soon as you see the springs (which are naturally beautiful) you will realize you dont want to swim in a confined area (regardless of the beauty) with 100+ drunk/stoned swimmers/tubers. Honestly, there were so many people it took us a few minutes to even find out how to get into the spring.

We walked from Ginnie Spring to Devil Spring and realized we just wasted 65.00.

Some things to keep in mind if are thinking about venturing to this awful decision:

1. This is NOT a place for children. Regardless what other may tell you. The place is absolutely not for children.
2. You will probably get a contact high before you even see water.
3. No one, not even the workers, know what is going on.
4. The place has potential, as long as its managed correctly.

Save your money.
Go elsewhere.

The family and I were passing through and had heard of this place and decided to stop and check it out. You first have to stop at the gate and get a pass from the attendant, then take that to the office to pay your entry fee. No problem there, they were very helpful explaining the springs and how the rental of snorkeling gear worked. Even marked on the map where the best place for my kids to snorkel would be. So off we went to explore. After parking we ran into several people heavily intoxicated. That's no big deal they are on their own camping trip and are grown adults. The next thing we hear extremely loud music and your girls dancing around. Once again everyone is entitled to do their own thing. We made it to the spring and started snorkeling and was amazed at how clear the water was. We watched divers come and go which my kids thought was awesome. Then the tubes started to crowd us out of spring. There were so many you could no longer snorkel. No big deal we just walked to one of the smaller springs through the woods. Got there and a giant inflatable raft 10 ft across was tied up in the middle and jet skis were parked in the mouth of the spring, with at least three different types of music blasting from different groups. Once again that is fine. This time we wade in and explore and have a good time watching the fish and swimming down to the spring opening. After about thirty minutes in that spring we decided to call it a day.
To summarize:
Beautiful location and springs are amazingly clear. I would love to return on another day, possibly a weekday. The crowds seem to get out of hand in a hurry and no one seems to enforce any of the rules they have in place. There is lots of drinking, smoking. loud music, and screaming people. It does not really seem like a place for small kids.

I'm a disabled veteran and a Ghilcrest County local. Not only am I not allowed to bring my divide dog, but they would not allow my concerned family to come in to check on me and also refused to send anyone to find me . My family ended up having to callb the Gilchrist County non emergency number. I had been drinking and finally awoken, but to a bunch of confusion. No one was there to assist me and the female staff members were unprofessional and down right rude! I told one who disrespected my daughter that we could talk about it outside ( As I was about to pay for my children and she was leaving the building) then I was literally challenged by one of other women to go outside (seemed to be the manager), but when I accepted, she had me handcuffed. Thank heavens for Gilchrist Country because they WERE professional and calm. We spent every mother's day at the Springs until this year when said woman decided to trespass me. I didn't put my hands on anyone or even curse until she did that. They desperately need new staff and I'd like for the Wray family to know how their staff is treating their local veterans.

clear water ... stay away from the drunks.. During the summer months, there are WAY to many drunks and fast cars... Staff should police the road better

one think I know this place is runed with teenagers that don't respect retired people, this was my first camping trip I checked in with a young lady I explained I have a rv and need power I gave a slip of paper that the front gate to show what im driving,i paid spot in full.the young lady told me to pick any spot so I pick one up a cross from office, so then I went in side to pick up a water hose, the fellow let me end was getting to lock up, so I ask thats a good spot yes then he said you have to have reservations so I said I just check in then he told me I can't park or camp there's then the manger young boy 22 or so said the same thing. turns out the young girl maid a miss take and did not give me a rv spot only a tent spot.so I asked for them to make it the right spot they said no!! so then I ask my money back if you can't give me a spot they said no!! go to SILVER SPRINGS people! I don't need ginnie spring to ruin my first camping trip!

This spring has kayaks, canoes, and tubes to rent. The river is easy to navigate if you’re looking to kayak, but if you want to relax I recommend floating downstream on a tube. If you have family or friends you can tie the tubes together. The little coves off the river are filled with clear blue water with stairs leading down into each. They’re all slightly different so you should walk down and check out them all! There is a deli, but I recommend bring your own snacks/lunch/drinks. Campsites are available if you want to stay.

Made an online reservation, then realized that they do not allow pets. Cancelled the reservation in less than 5 minutes. They still insisted on a $15 cancellation fee.

Should be a beautiful nature getaway, as I’m sure it once was, but is now a trashed up drug den. Beyond disappointed.

Everyone's so friendly prices not too bad crystal clear water absolutely love the place can't wait to go on another weekend away with my husband it was just so peaceful

I'm 23 and my husband is 24. We get partying but this place is complete and total trash. We read reviews even before going and that read ALL wrong. People doing drugs floating the river was the worst.. Takes about 20 minutes to even put your tube in from the ramps. Watched people hitting vehicles with there vehicles. They had what appeared to be a "sex bus" parked in the field surrounded by people doing drugs and who knows what else. Over all it's very unclean, unsafe(broken bottles in the fields, campgrounds, water EVERYWHERE) WAY over priced and not advertised correct. This place is only concerned about money and not the experience. I will NOT recommend to anyone EVER.

Definitely not as kid friendly as you'd think, especially for young ones and no pets allowed. $20/adult was a little steep just for entry and then having to pay for other stuff on top of that. Plus, no organization with where to go besides a paper map. Lots of big tubes in the swimming holes, so not much space to move around. I'd be willing to go back, but definitely when I'm kid free. Despite the freezing water, it really is a beautiful place.

Although the area is beautiful & the staff are friendly, we will not be returning to this location Party central for inconsiderate drunk people/students etc. we had to listen to singing & shouting, loud music & people puking until at least 4am !!! No enforcement... very disappointed !!! 😡😡

It was beautiful and the river was fun to float! Not too many people to where it was overcrowded but you can tell it’s a popular spot. The campers next to us were playing music very loud at night but not after 12 (and we didn’t mind). It’s expensive to get in but they keep the bathhouses nice and collect the trash daily! Definitely worth a visit. The springs are cooooold but it was refreshing after being in the sun floating the river.

Did a morning of diving at several of the springs. Great vis, lots of fish, turtles. The on-site dive shop was SUPER helpful with arranging weights, tanks, and a bit of rental gear. Lunch at the deli (near dive shop) was efficient, with reasonably-priced food. Will visit here again to do some hiking & camping, in addition to dives.

I have been to Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River and Ichtucknee in Fort White and had marvelous experiences. Ginnie Springs was a disappointment. Not for families . Very crowded with lots of drinking. Loud music, smelly fumes from campers, Good luck finding a parking spot and later finding you car. Rented double float but was offered two singles. No signage, you just wonder around trying to return the floats. One staff member gave me wrong direction, another just drove by.The water was tanin stained like the St. Johns River. AWFUL I'll never be back.

All the springs are absolutely naturally beautiful. Water is clear and fresh from and near the springs. I’ve visited many years ago and unfortunately some things have changed for the worst.

The shoreline and the park itself is much much less desirable. Trash everywhere - cans, bottles, cups, bottle caps, food wrappers and lots of things people either left because they were too drunk to remember where the left them or decided they didn’t need anymore- floats, rafts, masks, sunscreen, hair clips, and lots of shoes/flip flops.

Unfortunately, trash, bottles, & cans, and debris along the shoreline and in the river. Lots of cans & bottles underwater from careless visitors that don’t care about the environment. Lots of underage drinking and drug use.

Campsites full of trash and debris people left behind that didn’t seem to ever get picked up unless they were in a bag and in the trash can.

Lots of loud music from Spanish to hard core rap for your listening pleasure all throughout the night with lack of respect for anyone around them.

Flys everywhere to enjoy the trash and alcohol left behind by visitors not picking up after themselves.

Overcrowded sites with several tents and vehicles oftentimes blocking part of the roadway, as there did not seem to be a limit to how many people per site.

Surely hope that the owners wake up and start taking are of the place rather than just wanting to make a profit.

For a very low cost an entire family or group of friends can enjoy themselves here with entry level excitement to last a whole week!

We were looking forward to discovering Ginnie springs. Unfortunately we were disappointed and surprise by their discriminatory actions towards us because we had a service animal. We were treated poorly and clearly discriminated against. They violate the federal ADA requirements and maliciously single you out requiring personal and sensitive information. For anybody visiting the springs, they sign a waiver. However, if you're visiting with a service animal they require you to sign the waiver and they mandate that you provide personal and sensitive information including photocopying driver's license and vehicle information. This is a clear discriminatory action towards someone with a service animal. It is against the federal regulations as laid out in the American disability act. We tried to speak with the manager about it and he continued to state that it is their policy and if we didn't like it we had to leave. Is this clearly an example of a bad management practice and even worse treatment of people with service animals. This should be a huge red flag for anyone traveling with a service animal. Anyone with a disability and a claim shall be filed with the federal authorities to investigate their discriminatory actions. We tried to show them in writing that their intentions were a violation directly from the federal website, but they did not care. They were only concerned with sacrificing your personal information at the careless hands of ignorant people.
It's clear from the signage all around the facility and even the entrance sign that they do not allow or want pets anywhere on their property. Service animals, have federal protection as well as the handlers of the service animal. It's very obvious, that Ginnie Springs believes they are above the law. There are plenty beautiful springs to visit throughout the area, so do yourself a favor and stay away from this discriminatory, rude and misinformed place managed by ignorant people. Attached is a picture of the manager that needs additional training on federal rules, regulations and laws.

Security was very rude ! , price for natural event very high , recommend salt springs, reasonable and nice people I don’t suggest waisting your time or money going there, in the past was good but now not so good

My family came here to scuba dive and camp. I can agree with previous comments about it being loud at night. Didn’t bother us to much, we are flexible and like to see people have a great time with friends. What did bother us was the customer service in the general store, the older long haired racist cashier. (Careen) that thinks my Filipina wife is a second hand citizen. She absolutely needs to be fired! The sandwich shop next door was absolutely amazing! Other than that we had fun. Will I come back? Not sure…

Ginnie springs is a beautiful area with beautiful springs. The sad part is that it’s obvious the owners care more about making profit than preserving the environment. It’s also apparent they cater to college kids and party goers as alcohol is allowed and beer bottles are everywhere. I was very disappointed with the amount of litter around dogwood springs and twin springs. I would recommend supporting a different springs in the area if you want your money going to actually help preserve the environment and protect the animals that live there.

If I could rate a zero or negative I sure would. The management has a long list of prohibited acttivities- all of which are completely ignored. Do not waste your money as these pictures are not representative of what we experienced. The water was a dark brown and not at all clear. This was like a college frat party gone all wrong.

They helped us get back to our spring & were so patient and kind I would go back just for them .(:::

We’ve been camping here for the past 20 years and always loved the beauty and peacefulness of the springs and float time, even liked the craziness of the weekend watching the drunks, parties and wild floats. Each year however has gotten more crowded and out of control ... this year was close to unbearable on Saturday with a little better on Sunday. Really disappointed in how there seems to be no care in how many people are allowed in and/or where they camp. People were everywhere, the smell of weed was everywhere, loud music, trash and even human feces were around the springs. I’m giving this a two rating only because I do have such great memories of Ginnie and I probably will be back, just not on a weekend. I wish the friendly staff and ownership would take back some control.

This was a waste of a day! We made the drive from St. Augustine. Sat in a car line for an hour to park, and waited another 45 minutes just to air up our tubes! There was a tiny sliver a pretty blue water that you could hardly see because the area was packed tube to tube. The pretty water is the small area you see on the advertised picture the rest of the area and river are a disgusting brown/ black color, it’s not appetizing floating down a dirty brown black river. It was difficult to get a breath of fresh air on the river as so many people were smoking, the whole place was clouded with cigarette and marijuana smoke, it was disgusting. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE!!

The state of Florida should take over this Spring Spent a day there . Very expensive compared to other Springs. The kid at the entrance seem to be more interested in his loud music than helping visitors coming in to the park. Place was trashy What working employees they had was busy cleaning up the trash all over the park. On the other hand the main spring was great for diving.

Beautiful place completely ruined by obnoxious college students blaring extremely loud vulgar music throughout the campgrounds at all hours of the night. The quiet hours, which don't even start until midnight, are only loosely enforced. The bathrooms are far too small to handle the crowds and are disgusting by evening time. The tubing exit site should be renamed Beer Can Springs since that is what is mostly seen on the bottom there.

I went a year ago it was crowded and hardly no space but relaxing . My son is there now he arrived yesterday he said it was hardly no one there and it is nice . I guess the rest of the spring breakers went to Miami instead 😂😂😂. I am going back when the kids go back to school

We camped overnight and one word sums up our experience.. Disappointment.

It is overpriced and overpriced. We paid regular for a flooded camp site or were told to camp in the horse field which was way away from the water...

We walked forever.. No trams or assistance with tubes or boats. We finally got to Ginnie Springs only to see that the spring was so full we could not even see the water.. We finally got in and within minutes the water was no longer clear but was dark brown. We floated down and got out at out camp site

We left and went to Poe springs only up return to drunk after drunk getting out at OUR site and walking through cussing and falling .. Dropping canoes almost hitting our car.

Quiet hours are 12am to 8am.. But we were unlucky to be camping between college students and a family reunion and had rap blasting on one side of us and country on the other.

At midnight when they didn't quiet down we went to the front gate and complained only to be told that security was making rounds.. An hour later we stopped "security" at the closest dumpster and asked them could they help bc we had our kids trying to sleep.. Security at first acted like they didn't hear the music but then reluctantly went to the college students and took the speaker.. Bc they apparently Were not even at the camp site..
But they never approached the reunion...
ALL night we heard people floating down the river and screaming.. Loud music.. Cussing... Drunk after drunk person stumbling through our campsite..

It was an awful experience.. We paid to stay in the middle of an uncontrolled party situation...even the bath houses were awful.. Puke... And mud all over the floors.

I felt we were specifically targeted and treated very unprofessionally by park rangers. They threatened to eject us for playing music too loud and claimed we were warned. While I understand they need to keep order, they need some training on how to treat guests.

What a horrible place! The owner should be shut down for negligence. I went on the weekend in Summer 2020 with friends and have never seen anything so over capacity in my life. We arrived at 9:30 am and didn't get in till 1 pm because we were in a line of cars outside for 2 hours! People would cut in line and no one would stop them. When we got there, there was NO ROOM for sitting or for doing anything. People on top of each other LITERALLY. The water was so crowded you couldn't swim or move. People were rowdy, loud, and drunk. Loud music playing from every corner and people were openly consuming drugs. They are terribly understaffed. I saw no one trying to keep any type of order or peace. There was trash everywhere. A literal disgusting pit and all in the middle of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. It is absolutely the most irresponsible thing I've ever seen to allow that many people to crowd together (1000's) in small areas like that and I wouldn't be surprised if myself and their employees all caught COVID19. They are asking for a lawsuit and I can't wait for them to lose so that Ginnie Springs can be under new, more responsible management.

Don’t camp here. Drunk/high college kids all over the place. Super expensive for a trashy camp site. Absolutely not worth it, try a different campground near by and then drive to the springs.

A very stunning snorkeling site.

Blue sea like water in a river.

Recommended with fam or friends.

There are dining tables, and parking. All free i believe. Spend all day there as its long to get to from Tampa.

The place is not appropriate if you want to have a decent relaxing weekend with your family.
Every where you go the music is very loud, it’s extra crowded, people drinking, the smell of cigars and marijuana everywhere, ladies showing their boobs, it’s ridiculous!!!
I WILL NEVER go back again.
In the way to the camp there is a street full of police, so watch out if you decide to go.

Food time with the kids and the best canoeing experience. Easy getting in and out of the river and floating back was great.

First off, it is expensive for a spring. $20 per person to get in and even more to rent a tube if you want to float down the river. While trying to pay, the staff couldn’t have been more unfriendly and were plain out rude. The river itself is just dirty. I would not advise bringing anyone under 18 with you because there is a lot of loud explicit music along with the smell of weed everywhere. The spring itself was nice but from what I’ve heard there is no limit so don’t even try to come on a holiday or weekend. It will be over crowded. Overall, a cool experience but nothing I haven’t experienced better at other springs. It was fun to do one time but I will likely never be back.

It is real how clear and beat this water is. I can for a scuba diving trip and saw a good bit of wildlife under the water also. Turtles, founder, and other schools of fish. This is a great place to do cave diving if your rained. This place is beautiful to snorkel or dive.

The scenery is gorgeous and the spring water is nice, cool, and very clear. However, the staff does not regulate the amount of people who go inside which is especially important during COVID-19. The river they have there too is also nice, the dark red color of the water kind of threw me off, but in general it makes for a good lazy river. My experience was fun and I would go again but it would not be my first choice if I were to choose which spring to go to for vacation.

5 or 6 springs feeding the river!! 72°! You can bring your own floot, canoe and or kayak!!! Everyone was so nice. No one got out of hand!! Young people everywhere! Great place to primitive camp(had lights with water about every 100 ft) or campground with utilities. Bath houses along and along. Professional volleyball courts. Takes about 1 and half hours to go down. So we were able to go down twice. All kinds of floats!!!!
Air was available to blown up your own. Of course you can rent tubes, kayaks, canoes, wet suits,masks and snokels, diving gear. They have a cave you can dive in!!
The store well stocked, the café had excellent food. All workers were too nice!#! Our young man who rented to us even called us by name when we can back with tubes!We are 60 years old and had a great time!!! Will be back!!

SCAM ALERT!!! DO NOT TRUST RENTAL SHOP WITH YOUR CARD IMPRINT!! I went to Ginnie over a month ago and rented some equipment, had a blast. Used it and returned it the next day. Over a month later they blindsided me with a $250 charge.I tried calling to straighten it out, but they told me that everyone was too busy to help me because of an upcoming holiday weekend. I patiently waited until Tuesday to call back and they just gave me the run around. The rude operator keeps accusing me of stealing from them, and saying that I should've kept my reciept if I really returned the gear. I kept it for a few days, but it's been over a month! They didn't try to call or bother to let me know in any way, just hit my card out of the blue. It's impossible to get ahold of any manager because everyone just transfers you to the useless automated phone recording. Awful experience, I definitely don't recommend trusting them with a card at all. I don't think they did it on purpose, they're just super unorganized. The real reason it strikes me is their inability to effectively resolve the issue. They're treating me like a liar and it really grinds my gears

Not a place for your kids. Everything goes here, so if you are good with your child smelling pot, see sex acts, and just rude people then this is the place for. Camping looks great, soaking in the water was nice.

Wish we could give ZERO stars.

My daughter went to Ginnie Springs a week ago with her basketball team. A group of about 17 girls and their coach. They signed a contract that they were supposed to follow, procedures that Ginnie Springs is supposed to follow as well. Ginnie Springs workers didn't follow procedure in handing out "yellow tickets" to any of the girls in the group when they picked up their tubes. When the tubing portion was over and the girls had to turn in the tubes, again procedure wasn't followed as the tubes weren't individually checked in, they were handed off to a group of workers who rolled the tubes to the back.

About a week later, we are charged for the tube. Again, Ginnie Springs incompetent management can't keep their story straight. When we first called, they said the tube my daughter used was damaged. Then when we called back after being placed on hold for over 30 minutes they changed their story stating the tube was never turned in at all. Then, they even admitted that they didn't take inventory to see if the tube was in fact missing.

We wrote an e-mail because we were told that's our best option since they refuse to answer for their complete negligence. The reply back was that there was nothing they could do because the contract my daughter signed was binding. THEY DIDN'T EVEN FOLLOW THEIR OWN PROCEDURE ON 3 DIFFERENT ISSUES!!! Now, because of their obviously terrible management and incompetence we are charged for an inner tube that's not even missing???

This place has the potential to be one of the best campgrounds in Florida. However, it is not managed properly. Instead of charging like traditional campgrounds where you pay for your spot and are charged for additional people, they charge strictly per person. There seems to be no limit on the amount of people they allow in. There are more tent camping spots than RV spots yet they allow the tent campers to reserve RV spots and pile up to 15 tents on each spot. The partying is out of control and you cant's go 30 minutes without seeing or smelling the drug use that goes on there. The bath house I was near never had hot water and it was disgusting. Water was backing up and flowing out of it.

We lost power at our site multiple times during the weekend. It was confirmed not to be just our site but apparently everyone that was on our line. We even lost water at one point. When we contacted the front office, we were advised that they have been having issues with their electric and it would be reported to management without sending anyone out to check it out. Almost as if they didn't care.

Ginnie Springs Outdoors only cares about packing the place with as many people as possible. They do not care about making it a pleasurable experience for guest. It's a shame, the place could be great under better management.

The spring is really awesome. What you would expect from a Florida Spring. Entry price is way to high but the rental prices were ok. My wife did that tubing down the river and said it was not worth it and there was not clearly marked paths on how to get to entrance and how to get back at the end. Stick to just floating around in the spring unless you are kayaking or paddle boarding. If your in the area it’s worth the visit. You can even bring charcoal to cook on one of there grills.

So many people. Couldn't really see the springs as SO MANY PEOPLE. My wife suggested it is what we envision Spring Break is when all the high school / college kids gather in one place. If you're into partying and enjoying everyone else's music this might be the place for you. Otherwise, you better stay away except in cold weather.

Excellent cave diving location with professional set up spots. Clean and quiet!👍😎. No loud and crazed people running around. Everyone there was respectful. Lots of campsites and full hook ups!

I would rate the staff in the camp store and dive rental FIVE STARS…. But once you exit those doors, be prepared! It’s crowded, but that’s expected. What is NOT expected is that everyone is ALLOWED to blast speakers everywhere, between the hours of 8am - 11pm. The volume at several sites was maximum level. Golf carts with gigantic speakers driving and stopping with speakers blaring! I asked the park rangers if music at this level was allowed. “YES, all hours until 11pm” What a shame that such a beautiful place is ruined by not enforcing common decency rules. We left with headaches!

The most fun springs around. Absolutely beautiful and cheap to rent a kayAk 20 bux for the day. Can’t wait to go back next year

Had a nice day at Ginnie Springs today. After reading previous reviews, almost did not go-glad we did. 5 springs, the largest being Ginnie. We rented tubes, and parked at Ginnie Springs (you can park at any of them). Arrived about 11am (Monday), parking no problem. Very busy at each of the springs, with people having a good time. Once out on the river though, all was quiet…saw many birds, turtles, and even an alligator (small). We ate lunch at “the Deli” which was open 10-3 today. The hamburgers were very good and large. Lots of places along the river with rope swings, we had a very good time!

Went here for cave diving and I absolutely loved it!!! Would recommend it to every (cave trained) diver. Lot’s of good cave. If not for the diving, still a very nice place to visit. Plenty outdoor things to do.

The water is cold but beautiful. I would probably not get a tube next time, they are very hard to navigate due to the water is still and not flowing. It is also very crowed. People hang around the steps to go into the water, so it is difficult to get in. They could use some staff members to monitor the grounds.

Not worth your money and time. We waited 1 1/2 hours just to get in and rent a kayak. Long line and it doesn’t even move. The security gay does a poor job managing the door, people come in and out while you wait.

After 30 years of annual camping at Ginnie we are done. The new owners are completely negligent and have turned this natural area into a drunken, drugged up red neck race. Lots of other beautiful springs in Florida..avoid this one.

Expensive camping since per person per night and admission to float. But a fun time and we have camped and floated more than once. It can be a party campground but there are people enforcing rules. We are young at heart so the party atmosphere is usually tolerated well with us.

Good scuba diving with multiple locations. Fun environment, laid back staff. Rented tanks on site- super easy.

Not Family Friendly.

About 12 people came out of the water and into our camp site. They seemed drunk, had blood shot eyes, and spoke broken English. When confronted about being inside our site and pushed one of the wives in front of our kids and this started a commotion.
We told everyone there are kids here please stop. I was sucker punched in the jaw and kicked a few times after getting knocked down.
They said they would be back with guns.

Staff and Law Enforcement came over but left after about 30 minutes. We packed and left. Ginnie Springs doesn't offer refunds if you leave, even because of the unsafe environment.
Heading to ER now, for swollen jaw and knot of my head.

So True... There are loud crazy people there... Mostly on summer weekends. Fortunately they usually run out of energy by the end of the weekend. Then again I really enjoy playing classic rock at 5:00 AM right next to a tent full of hangovers!
The springs are crystal clear. The river is beautiful! This year it was very high and slowly rising. We had to move our camp to higher ground after our second day. Our weekday neighbors were delightful. They brought out a guitar and a Pianica and took requests. They were quite talented. Another neighbor was a diver. He showed us videos of his dives. The caves are fascinating. Another neighbor shared a watermelon with us. We always have a great time camping at Ginnie Springs.
The Sante Fe flooded 5 ' higher a few days after we broke camp. That means most of Ginnie Springs' campsites were part of the Santa Fe River. I am looking forward to some fossil hunting when Ginnie Springs reopens. (Probably need a $5 state permit).
Recomended length of stay - 3 nights

We went camping over thanksgiving weekend. NEVER AGAIN!!! As other reviewers have quoted, this is not a family friendly park. They do not enforce the LOUD music. We have gone 2 years in a row and it’s horrible. You call the front desk to complain about the loud music, they turn it down for about 1 minute and it’s back up. Do not go there unless you like the REALLY loud music.