Best Orlando Springs & Nature Escapes

This guide rounds up the springs and preserves within an easy drive of downtown Orlando, for anyone who would rather see real Florida than wait in a theme park line. The list spreads from Apopka and Orange City to DeBary, Christmas, Clermont and the southwest edge of Orlando near Disney. Wekiwa Springs State Park has a 72-degree spring basin plus canoe and kayak rentals for paddling past turtles and wading birds. At Kelly Park, Rock Springs flows out of a limestone grotto and carries tubers down a clear, palm-lined run. Blue Spring State Park becomes a winter refuge for hundreds of West Indian manatees, viewed from a long boardwalk. Orlando Wetlands Park is free, with a 2,200-foot Cypress Boardwalk where herons, spoonbills and gators gather.

Kelly Park admits visitors first-come, first-served with a daily cap, so arrive early on summer weekends.