Ginnie Springs is a privately owned campground along the Sante Fe River in Gilchrist County known for its three springs, scuba diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding, canoeing, river tubing, camping and party atmosphere.
Typically, the campsites on the river are the loudest…and I mean like club DJ loud. I always pick a site that is away from the action just a little bit.
The campsites themselves are actually better than the typical state park campsite, but there are side-effects of the campground’s rowdy nature–namely, we had to sweep up shards of glass before setting up camp.
The coolest thing that you can do on your family camping trip is taking a tube to the Santa Fe River. You can rent them for a fee or, like us, you can just buy a kick butt River Rapids 4-Person Tube (that easily fit my whole family of 6) for just a bit more than it would have cost to rent tubes.
There is an entry point for floating on the east side of the campgrounds and an exit point at the west point. The whole float takes around 50 minutes.
Part of the reason we camped at Ginnie Springs is because state parks do not let children under 5 tube or paddle on their rivers, and since I have three children under the age of 5 we went to Ginnie Springs.
The three springs on the property are gorgeous and you can swim in all of them. Ginnie Springs is the biggest and the most popular. The water is crystal clear and I spotted many people taking underwater photos with their go-pro cameras. It is hard to beat the beauty of a Florida spring.
You can also rent paddle boards, kayaks and canoes during your visit, but the most fun is had floating down the river in the bizarre parade of floats that people bring.
During my float I spotted a gigantic unicorn float, alligator floats and people with waterproof radios jamming while floating down the river.
Even though I always have a good time camping here with my family…this trip may not be for all the families out there that are looking for a quiet evening.
Additional Information
Location: 7300 Ginnie Springs Road, High Springs, FL 32643
Hours:
Summer M – Th 8:00am – 7:00pm, Friday and Saturday 8:00am – 9:00pm, Sunday 8:00am – 8:00pm
Winter M – Th 8:00am – 4:00pm, Friday and Saturday 8:00am – 8:00pm, Sunday 8:00am -6:00pm
Admission: Adults $14.02 (10% off 62+) | Children 6 – 12 $3.73 | 5 and Under FREE
Camping: Adult $22.43 (10% off 62+) | Children 6 – 12 $6.54 | 5 and Under FREE
Tube Rental: $6 single tube per day | $12 double tube per day
Website: https://ginniespringsoutdoors.com
Phone Number: 386-454-7188
My recommended tube for the river:
Doing it on the cheap…
There’s not any discounts I’m aware of except for 10% off for day passes and camping for 62+. There are group discounts starting with 30+ people for the day pass, so check that out if you have a big group.
You might be better off bringing your own tubes. I recommend the 4-Person Rabid Rivers tube, which is what our family used on the trip and it held up with no issues.
You may also want to consider these cheap river tubes from Amazon that come in packs and are cheaper per tube than renting them at Ginnie Springs. (Ginnie Springs lets you use their air hose for free to inflate your tubes).
