North Florida springs

North Florida spring country runs roughly from the Suwannee River in the west to the St. Johns in the east, with the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers in the middle. The Suwannee corridor alone has more than a dozen state parks and county parks built around springs: Manatee Springs, Fanning Springs, Troy Spring, Lafayette Blue, Madison Blue, and Peacock Springs among them. Most are a comfortable day trip from Gainesville or Jacksonville and an easy overnight from Orlando.

The region also holds the state's marquee dive and tube sites. Ginnie Springs on the Santa Fe is the best-known private spring in Florida for tubing, camping, and cavern diving; Ichetucknee Springs State Park is the benchmark tubing run. West of Tallahassee, Wakulla Springs is one of the largest and deepest springs on Earth, with glass-bottom boat tours and a historic lodge, and the Panhandle adds Jackson Blue, Morrison, Vortex, and Ponce de Leon.

Because the region is rural, plan on cash for some county parks, limited cell service on the river, and long stretches between fuel. Summer weekends fill the popular parks before noon; spring and fall are the sweet spots. After heavy rain the Suwannee and Santa Fe can rise and flood the springs with dark river water for a week or more, so check recent conditions on the profile before you drive.