Off the Beaten Path in Florida: A Guide to Visiting Secluded Beaches and Pristine Springs

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When I think of Florida the first two things that pop into my head are Disneyworld and Miami Beach. However, I was looking to have a more off the beaten path Florida experience. I had no idea what amazing natural attractions Florida had to offer. There are so many remote places in Florida that are perfect for a secluded getaway.  If you love the outdoors, kayaking, SUP, diving, and camping…you seriously need to check out Florida’s amazing natural side. 

Get off the beaten path in Florida

I already love being out in nature.  Hiking, exploring beautiful beaches, kayaking, scuba diving… the list of outdoor adventures I’m checking off my bucket list just doesn’t ever stop growing.  Florida is full of amazing outdoor adventures any time of the year.

Living on the Gulf Coast, there are beautiful beaches in my region, but I also wanted to get out and explore something totally new. My friend and I were ready for a quick, secluded summer getaway.

A hiking adventure sounded lovely, but let’s be real in the middle of the summer in the south—that would be miserable. I’d heard of Florida’s beautiful natural springs, and I’d always wanted to visit but never really had the time.  Being located only a few hours drive away from us in Louisiana, it sounded like the perfect way to explore nature during the summer. 

First stop: the beach!

Maybe it’s because I’m a water sign, but I am entirely convinced I am meant to be a mermaid.  Almost every trip I take, there is some kind of beach time involved.  

Florida’s beaches are extremely popular summer destinations. A crowded beach is not the vibe I was looking for with this week of relaxation. We wanted something more off the beaten path on this Florida trip.  So, instead of hitting up some of my more well-known favorites, such as Miami, I looked for small beach towns. Scanning Google Maps, I was looking for places with few hotel or restaurants, basically a little off the grid.  

Navarre Beach fit the bill perfectly. It’s a sleepy, little beach town.  Driving in, we saw one convenience store, one restaurant, and one hotel as you come in from the city of Navarre. If you’re looking for accommodations here, most of what you will find are condos and beach houses.  For us, this was perfect.  The plan was just to hang out on the beach, relax and eat some fresh seafood. That’s exactly what this place is all about. 

 When we walked down to the beach on a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon, I was expecting to see far more people out on the beach than we did.  Pretty much everyone had their own private space in front of their property. If you’re looking for off the beaten path Florida beach, Navarre Beach is perfect for a secluded Florida getaway. 

Getting there: 

If you’re driving it’s super easy to get to coming off of interstate-10.  We drove in through Louisiana.  It’s about a 4 hour drive in from New Orleans. 

If you’re coming in from further away, Navarre Beach is located right between Destin and Pensacola.  Both of these cities have airports that are about 20 miles away from Navarre. 

Budget:

Most small one bedroom condos in this area will run around $200-250 a night.

Into the jungle

Well, it’s not technically a jungle, but our river-front luxury cabin definitely gave me some jungle vibes, especially after dark when the cicadas started singing. It was the perfect secluded Florida getaway! Looking around, the landscape definitely reminded me of some of my Central America trips in the past.

Driving in, the road went from paved to not…we had a truly secluded getaway on the Suwannee River. I brought my paddle board along for this adventure, but our Airbnb hosts also provided two kayaks to use in the river. 

The best part was the hot tub out on the deck overlooking the water. We spent hours in that thing every night. Whether you’re looking to plan a girls’ getaway with friends or have a romantic bae-cation, this spot was so perfect!  You check out the listing here on Airbnb. (If it’s your first time using Airbnb, click here to get a $35 discount off your first booking!)

Getting there: 

The closest town to our Airbnb was Branford, Florida which is located about 2 hours from Tallahassee and 1 hour from Gainesville.  So if you’re flying in, those two cities are the closest airports.  

We drove in from Interstate 10 coming from Navarre Beach. Getting off the interstate at Live Oak, Florida, we had about an hour’s drive from the exit to our accommodations. This place is truly out in the country.  If you’re looking to get off the grid and connect with nature, this is an amazing remote place in Central Florida! 

This would be a perfect stopping point in the middle of a longer Florida road trip.

Exploring Florida’s Magical Springs

You’re really getting off the beaten path in Florida to visit the many natural springs scattered throughout the state. Most of these are located in rural areas, so you will definitely needs a car to visit. Seeing these springs for the first time, I can totally see how Ponce de Leon thought he had found the fountain of youth way back in the day. They are truly paradise! Crystal clear, turquoise water fills all of these beautiful natural springs. I only had a chance to visit two of the many springs scattered all over central Florida, and I can’t wait to be back to explore more! 

Ichetucknee State Park

If you love kayaking, SUP, tubing… the spring fed river here is the most gorgeous ever! I have never seen more clear water in my entire life! I took my SUP out on the river a little downstream from the spring and I could see every blade of grass, every fish, every stone that was in that river. . . It was unreal! 

 The spring itself is a bright turquoise blue…no filter needed here! The water stays at 72 degrees Fahrenheit year round.  So while it felt a bit chilly on the initial plunge, it was a welcome refresher for me after pumping up (and then deflating) my inflatable SUP in the July heat. 

I visited on a Monday morning, and I highly recommend getting there early.  Many state parks are limiting capacity due to social distancing guidelines.  When I arrived around 8:30 am, there were only a few people hanging around.  I saw a small group diving the blue hole and a few swimmers in the main spring. Toward mid-day, the spring definitely got more crowded.  So if you’re looking to visit at the least crowded time, arriving early is key. 

There are two entrances to the state park.  If you’re looking to kayak or tube down the river, make sure you enter in the south entrance which has the river entry access points. To visit the main spring or the blue hole, you can enter in the north entrance. Note, if you plan to swim in the springs, the park doesn’t permit tubes in the spring itself. So if you’re not planning to tube down the river, you won’t need to rent or bring one. It didn’t look to me like you could drive from one entrance to the other inside the park, so make sure you enter at the proper entrance for what you’re looking to do. 

For more information see the official state park’s website here.

Ginnie Springs

Ginnie Springs is a popular area with several different springs connected through the Santa Fe River.  You can scuba dive the underwater caverns if you’re a certified diver, or snorkel if not.  They’ve also got kayaks and tubes to rent if you’d like to paddle or float down the river. 

I visited on a weekday so it wasn’t very crowded, but it is a very popular spot on holidays and weekends.

Ginnie Springs is a privately owned property and the admission is higher than that of the state parks, however, I feel like it was totally worth it!  The admission price was $15 per person for us arriving on a week day, though the weekend price is $20.  To rent a tube was $6 for the day. You can also rent paddle boards and kayaks for 3 or 6 hours. 

There were four different, crystal clear springs.  I have never seen water more blue—it reminded me so much of Mexico’s cenotes. The water was super chilly, being fed by underground springs, but so refreshing on a hot summer day! 

There are camping facilities on site if you’d like to bring your tent and camp out. It definitely seemed like more of a party-vibe around the camp sites, though, so if you’re looking for something more quiet, try one of the state parks’ campgrounds instead. 

See more information on Ginnie Springs’ pricing and reservations here.

Looking to plan a longer Florida trip? Drive on down to South Florida and check out Miami as well!