Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

Home of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs, the sapphire water of Wakulla Springs boasts manatees, alligators and a host of diverse wildlife that can be viewed from a riverboat or the diving platform.

Wakulla Springs is a place where history stretches back thousands of years, from early Native Americans who lived in shoreline villages to filmmakers who recognized the primeval quality of the park’s swamps and wildlife when they decided to film Tarzan’s Secret Treasure (1941) and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) here.

Today, visitors can swim where mastodons once roamed and take guided boat tours where dugout canoes once glided across the cool waters. Alligators, manatees and an abundance of bird life can all be seen.

Visitors can also marvel at a 1930s Spanish style lodge with its period furniture, original elevators and colorful painted ceilings that depict wildlife and Old Florida scenes.