Orlando, Florida is known for their themes parks and attractions, but just 30 miles away is Kelly Park/Rock Springs which has lots of things to do that are more relaxing. They have a natural springs for outdoor activities like tubing, swimming and more!
On our way to Orlando, we planned to stop by and check out Get Up and Go Kayaking, a local company known for their 100% clear kayaks!
As soon as we showed up to Kelly Park, there was a good line of cars waiting to get in. It’s important to know that once they reach max capacity they close the park unless you have a reservation with Get up and Go kayaking, like us!
Booking a tour can be done easily on their website:
🖥: https://getupandgokayaking.com/
📍: 400 E Kelly Park Rd, Apopka, FL 32712
Cost: $55 (plus tax) per person
The tour is about 2-2.5 hours long
Since it was our first time going on a tour with Get up and Go Kayaking, to accurately find the launch point, we put “King’s Landing” in the GPS.
The address is: 5722 Baptist Camp Rd, Apopka, FL 32712
Once we passed the line of cars getting into the park, at the end of the road is the entrance of our launch point. Right outside of the yellow “Enter” sign, is where we found plenty of parking on the side of the road amongst other cars.
We showed up early to our reservation (that’s rare for us lol) so we were able to explore the grounds.
And we definitely fell for this “Free Beer and Water” prank. 😂
The clear kayaks waiting for us at the starting point!
The springs are basically a natural lazy river. Although we were kayaking at a slower pace, we were paddling upstream, against the current, so it did take a little bit of muscle to keep up with the group! 💪🏼
The group sizes are small and everyone was really friendly. At some points (most of the time), we were super behind and once we finally caught up, our group gave us a big round of applause.😳😂 Our guide, Hunter, did stop periodically for our group to take a few breaks so we could really enjoy being surrounded by the Florida nature and wildlife. 🌱
We can’t even count the number of times we went off to the side and bumped into trees lol! It’s actually way harder than it looks! The spring itself is covered with different types of plants and trees, which made it feel like we were in a far away rainforest somewhere tropical! It was so peaceful, besides the spiders that crawled into our kayaks! 😱🕷
Along the way we saw tons of other people out, what looks like an abandoned home, and even some cute pets on kayaks like this dog! 🐶
We also went past a swimming area with a rope swing! How fun?!
The best part about kayaking in the clear kayaks is that we were able to see small fish swimming right below us!🐠 Our guide, Hunter, even spotted a HUGE turtle that we got to hold! This turtle was the biggest we’ve ever held! 🐢 And during certain times of the year, some tours spot other wildlife like alligators or otters.
As you may notice in some of our photos, there are areas that are less clear than others. But once we finally reached the point where the water became crystal clear, we were in awe!🤩 It was so cool to be able to see the water change from below us in the kayaks! 🔍🛶
Eventually we reached a bridge, which is the end/turn around point of our tour. We were able to get out of our kayaks and play around in the springs for a bit and of course, take some photos!
The water itself felt so refreshing and it really blew our minds how clear it was! 😍
On the other side of the bridge is where people were tubing at Kelly Park. What an awesome way to soak up the summer sun!☀️
Our tour took about 2 hours. Since we booked a time that was later in the day, our guide was really laid back and didn’t rush us to get back to the launch point. So we really got to enjoy Rock Springs! Get Up and Go Kayaking also offers bioluminescent tours that we are already planning on doing!🚣🏼♀️🌌 💫 If you’re visiting Florida, don’t miss one of the many gorgeous springs this area has to offer! It’s a great way to spend an afternoon out in the middle of nature, especially before or after a weekend of visiting the theme parks!
🌟 We definitely recommend bringing a waterproof case/pouch for your phone, a dry bag to hold all your belongings, swimsuit, towel, a change of clothes, water shoes, and sunscreen!
Special thanks to our guide Hunter! He was really fun and knowledgable about the springs. And as first time kayakers, he was super patient with our lack of kayaking skills lol!
Check out our YouTube video kayaking through the Springs! 🛶☀️👇🏼
