Falls In Florida ||Rainbow Springs State Park||

Waterfalls do exist in Florida.

I was out of high school the first time I ever saw a waterfall in person, but ever since them I have been in love.  I remember my first hike down to the base of Linville Falls in North Carolina and how I never wanted to leave the mist that covered my face.  A waterfall is this wonderful prize at the end of hike begging for us to sit and listen as the force of the water changes the earth beneath.

I heard there were falls in Florida, so we made a pit stop after a wedding on summer vacation.  We found Rainbow Spring State Park in Dunnellon, FL (http://www.floridastateparks.org/rainbowsprings/).  The park is filled with charming little waterfalls all over the paved trails.  Although these waterfalls are not naturally occurring, they are still very beautiful.  The park was once an amusement park in the 1930's, this is when the spring fed waterfalls were first built.  Now the park is preserved by the state park service.

This place is a dream in the hot Florida summers.  You can kayak, tube, or just swim in the clear water of the springs.

We decided to launch the our tandem kayak with five people and paddle down the Rainbow River.  I really thought it was going to be an amazing and peaceful paddle down the crystal green waters.  Well, it wasn't.  Judah and Eisley saw "beware of the alligator" signs and then got a little nervous of alligators.  Nico, then 11 months, just hated the entire experience.  We paddled down the river, while Nico cried and Judah and Eisley looked a little troubled.  It got a little better toward the end...a little.

You can also camp at Rainbow River State Park, but it was the middle of Summer when we went so we didn't.  We stayed in a fun little cabin just a few minutes away (http://www.rainbowrivers.com/)