Green Cove Spring

In the 1870s, Northern tourists arrived by steamboat to a small Florida town on the St. Johns River to soak in the warm, sulfurous mineral water that bubbled out of the limestone. They called it the Saratoga of the South. The Clarendon Hotel rose on the riverbank, the town's population quadrupled, and for two decades Green Cove Springs was one of the most fashionable winter destinations in the American South. The Clarendon burned in 1900. The tourists moved on to St. Augustine and Palm Beach. The spring kept flowing.

Today the spring feeds a municipal swimming pool at 77°F — warmer than any other spring-fed pool in Florida — in a park on the same riverbank where the hotel once stood, with live oaks, Spanish moss, a splash pad, a kayak launch on the St. Johns, and a walkable historic downtown that still carries the architecture of its gilded past.

• Location: Green Cove Springs (Clay County), on the St. Johns River
• Address: 200 Spring Street, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
• Park entry: Free (pool is separate: $5 adult / $3 child, cash only)
• Pool season: May through late September
• Water temperature: 77°F year-round — Florida's warmest spring-fed pool
• Magnitude: Third-magnitude (~1.8M gal/day)
• Pool capacity: 75 people (pool + deck combined)
• Splash pad: Free, daily during season
• Phone: 904-297-7070 (pool management)

• Jacksonville: 35 minutes south (US-17 south through Orange Park)
• St. Augustine: 40 minutes west (SR-16 to US-17)
• Orlando: 2 hours north (I-4 east to I-95 north)

The park sits in the heart of downtown Green Cove Springs, walkable to restaurants, shops, and the City Marina on the St. Johns River.

The spring vent discharges at a constant 77°F — notably warmer than most Florida springs (which run 68–74°F). The municipal pool is fed continuously by the spring, keeping the water refreshed without chemical treatment. Depth ranges from 2 to 8 feet. Lifeguards are on duty during pool hours. The slight sulfurous mineral content gives the water a faint rotten-egg scent near the vent — natural, harmless, and the same chemistry that made the town a Victorian health resort.

Pool hours: Friday–Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m. in shoulder season; daily in summer (early June–mid-August). Closed late September through April. Cash only at the pool gate.

The splash pad adjacent to the pool is free and open daily during the season.

• Swimming in the spring-fed pool (seasonal, lifeguarded, $5 adult / $3 child, cash only)
• Splash pad (free, seasonal)
• Kayaking and paddleboarding from the South Dock Kayak Launch into Spring Run and the St. Johns River
• Fishing from the renovated boardwalk fishing pier on the St. Johns (no license required for city pier)
• City Marina — 12 floating slips for visiting boaters; full-service Green Cove Springs Marina (851 Bulkhead Rd) for larger vessels
• Historic downtown walk — sidewalk plaques and QR codes at four grand 19th-century hotel sites, Victorian commercial architecture along Walnut Street and Orange Avenue
• Spring Run viewing — 200-ft spring run from the pool to the St. Johns River
• Playground, picnic pavilions, riverwalk

• Green Cove Springs Inn — 20-room motel, walking distance to the park
• Jacksonville / Orange Park (~30 miles) — full hotel range
• St. Augustine (~40 miles) — boutique B&Bs and historic-district inns

Dining (all walkable from the park):

• Sunrise to Sunset Diner — classic American, all-day breakfast
• La Casita Mexican — authentic, family-friendly
• Red's Wine Bar — flatbreads, live music, trivia
• The Turmeric Kitchen — Indian cuisine

• Cash only at the pool. No credit/debit. ATMs in downtown.
• Pool caps at 75 people. Arrive before 11 a.m. on summer weekends.
• 77°F water is the warmest spring-fed pool in FL — genuinely comfortable, not bracing like 68°F Panhandle springs.
• Sulfur smell is natural. Dissipates quickly; harmless.
• South Dock Kayak Launch may have periodic closures for safety upgrades — check greencovesprings.com.
• Small-town pace is the point. This is not a major tourist spring; it's a neighborhood gem with 150 years of swimming history. Adjust expectations from Ichetucknee accordingly — and enjoy the difference.

Last verified: May 28, 2026. Pool is seasonal (May–September). Verify hours and current policies at greencovesprings.com or call 904-297-7070.