BLUE SPRING STATE PARK

By  Mike Miller October 21, 2025

Blue Spring State Park covers 2,600 acres in Orange City, Florida. It centers on Blue Spring, a first-magnitude spring that pumps 104 million gallons daily.

The spring run flows 0.3 miles to the St. Johns River. Visitors swim, snorkel, tube, kayak, hike, and camp.

The park serves as a manatee refuge in winter. It protects habitats for wildlife and native plants.

It is always included in any list of the best places in Florida to see manatees.

Native Americans used the spring for 7,000 years. They left shell middens and pottery behind.

Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500s, and then Spain controlled Florida from 1513 to 1763 (First Spanish Period).

Blue Spring lay within the Timucua mission province of San Antonio. In 1856, Louis Thursby built a homestead and dock.

Steamboats stopped here until 1930. The Thursby House still stands and is now a museum in the park.

The state bought the land in 1972 to save the spring from development. It became a park that year.

Manatee counts began in 1970. The park joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. 

Blue Spring State Park is at 2100 West French Avenue, Orange City, FL 32763. From I-4, take Exit 114, go west on SR 472, then left on US 17-92, right on French Avenue.

The park opens daily at 8 AM and closes at sundown. Swimming and tubing closes for a few months when manatees arrive, usually November 15 to March 15.

Check the manatee count at the Park’s website. Rent kayaks and canoes at the concession. The boardwalk runs 0.3 miles along the spring run.

Hike the 4.5-mile Pine Island Trail. Camp at 51 sites. Call (386) 775-3663 for updates and always check the Park's website. 

• The spring holds a constant 73°F year-round, ideal for manatees and swimmers.  

• Over 500 manatees gather here on peak winter days, a Florida record.  

• The Thursby House, built in 1872, is situated on a shell midden. It has a widow’s walk for river views.  

• Scuba divers explore the spring vent at 120 feet deep with certification.  

• Alligators and garfish share the spring run with snorkelers in summer. 

BLUE SPRING STATE PARK WEBSITE

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