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Wakulla Springs
Wakulla Springs, Wakulla County
UNDERWATER · ANIMALS
8STRANGENESS
OUT OF TEN
OUT OF TEN
WHAT IT IS
One of the deepest freshwater springs on earth, full of mastodon bones, with a 1930s lodge and glass-bottom boats.
The spring vent drops past 300 feet into a cave system divers are still mapping, and the bottom has produced the near-complete skeletons of mastodons and giant ground sloths. Tarzan films and Creature from the Black Lagoon were both shot here. The lodge, built in 1937 by a financier who wanted a private retreat, still has its marble floors, cypress ceiling beams, and a stuffed alligator named Old Joe in a case in the lobby.
HOW IT SCORES
Rarity9/10
Is there anywhere else like it?
Backstory10/10
How did this come to be?
Disrepair4/10
What is holding it together?
Commitment8/10
How far do they take the bit?
NEARBY
BEFORE YOU DRIVE
- ENTRY FEE
- $6 per vehicle
- HOURS
- 8am until sunset
- BEST TIME
- Winter, when the water clears and the manatees come in.
- HOW LONG
- Half a day
- PARKING
- Free with entry
- PAYMENT
- Cards accepted
- ACCESS
- Lodge and river boat accessible
COORDINATES
30.2358° N, 84.3025° W
465 Wakulla Park Drive, 15 miles south of Tallahassee.
OPEN IN MAPS →DETAILS COMPILED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. FEES CHANGE. CALL AHEAD.