Where to go, and when · with the homework done
FLORIDA · TROY SPRING · THE SUWANNEE RIVER The USGS gauge inside Troy Spring was reading 71.4°F (21.9°C) on September 11, 2026, and that is the number you meet on the first step. Most swimmers gasp, tread hard for half a minute, then stop thinking about it. The same gauge reads close to that in … Read more
FLORIDA · MADISON BLUE SPRING · CAVE DIVING Water leaves the ground at Madison Blue Spring at 73.2 °F (22.9 °C). That is what the USGS gauge read on 11 September 2026, and it reads close to that every day of the year, because a spring holds the temperature of the ground it comes through … Read more
FLORIDA · GILCHRIST BLUE SPRINGS · STATE PARK The water at Blue Spring does one thing extremely well: it holds its clarity. Sand grains on the bottom keep their edges, a small fish two feet down looks close enough to touch, and the color runs from pale blue over the vent to green where the … Read more
FANNING SPRINGS · THE SPRING GUIDE · NATURE COAST The USGS gauge on the spring run read 73.4 °F (23.0 °C) at Fanning Springs on September 11, 2026, and that one number does most of the explaining. Lower yourself off the steps and your breath catches, then it passes, and you stay in. The reading … Read more
FLORIDA · MANATEE SPRINGS · THE SUWANNEE END On September 11, 2026, the USGS gauge at Manatee Springs read 72.9 °F (22.7 °C). That single number does two jobs in one year: in August it takes your breath away for a moment before your shoulders drop, and on a cold January morning the surface steams … Read more
DE LEON SPRINGS · VOLUSIA COUNTY · THE SPRING GUIDE The water comes up into a limestone bowl here, and most first-timers spend a full minute standing in it to the knees, negotiating with themselves about the rest. It is clear enough to count the pebbles under your own feet and watch a small fish … Read more
