A visit to the springs always seems like a trip back in time--a glimpse of the Florida described by 18th-century naturalist William Bartram in his Travels, the lush vegetation and water bodies that have lured tourists more recently. . . .
Leaving from Gainesville in North Central Florida, we took the Williston Road past the town of Williston, and then headed in the direction of Dunnellon on U.S. 41.
On this warm March day, the head spring filled quickly with families, teens, babies and floats. But to get away from the crowds, we rented a two-person kayak and headed for the river.
My daughter and I were not adept kayakers. It took a while to get the hang of the bow position as the power paddler and the stern as the rudder or navigator. We focused on avoiding other paddlers, the occasional boat or kids on a tube. My sister, more skilled, had her kayak filled with fins and snorkel gear and likely a sketchbook. She planned to swim in these 70-degree waters to view sand boils, darting fish and reflections of light, which would become subjects in her paintings.
These limpid, clear waters are bordered by cypress and marshes and home to wildlife such as turtles, which line up on partially submerged trees or on mats vegetation, coots and wading birds as well as gar.
We arrived back at the kayak rental outpost and waited to pull out boats up on the ramp. The abrupt transition from the watery world to the head spring with bathers and then the here-and-now of loading the car . . . . was disconcerting. And now, at 2 p.m., we were hungry.
No trip to Rainbow is complete without lunch at the Front Porch Restaurant, a few miles south of the spring, known for country cooking and 27 pies and reminders, “save room for pie.” Here, for less than $10, we had a choice of fried chicken (sometimes gator), sandwiches, salads and soups. Of course, we couldn’t leave without trying a pie. Our party shared key lime, coconut cream and pecan. . . .
Although the springs look pristine and provide that connection to an earlier Florida, they are "endangered"--nitrates from fertilizers (yes, even from home lawns) and poor land and water management policies as well as invasive species, threaten their existence. We needed that respite provided by the springs but also needed to experience the springs to ensure their survival.
If you go. . . .
Rainbow Springs is among the 600 to 700 springs that dot the state. What’s amazing as my sister points out in her book, Aquiferious, is this drive takes you over the recharge area for Rainbow Springs.
It’s Florida’s fourth largest spring. From the 1930s into the 1970s, Rainbow Springs was a tourist attraction, offering boat rides that allowed viewing below the water line, manmade waterfalls and a leaf-shaped monorail. But competition from Disney World and other factors led to its closure in 1974. It later reopened in 1995 as part of the state park system.
Visit the book, Aquiferious, by Margaret Ross Tolbert, 2010. The section on Rainbow Springs, 90-95.
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