Magnolia Park - Apopka, FL

One day Duane and I were restless at the house and wanted to get away and explore.  We decided to check out Lake Apopka as we have been there several times on the Winter Garden side but had not really checked out anywhere else around it.  Upon our drive we stumbled upon a small local park - Magnolia Park.  We were the only ones there and decided to get out a take a look.  It was extremely peaceful and quite on the side we were on.  There was a building with a nice patio that overlooked the lake, as well as an arbor which would make a good place for a wedding.  Walking a little further we noticed that there was also a public boat ramp that could be used to get on Lake Apopka.  The other side of the street housed a sand volleyball court, a basketball court, baseball and softball fields .  If you are looking a for a nice, shady area to hang out with your family.  I would definitely recommend checking this place out.

While swimming is prohibited in Lake Apopka, fishing and boating is allowed. Primitive and RV campsites are available.

Check out their website for times and directions.  They also have many family friendly activities that are held at the park.  Check them out and see if any are right for you. - http://apps.ocfl.net/dept/CEsrvcs/Parks/ParkDetails.asp?ParkID=26

Kayaking at Wekiwa Springs - Apopka, FL

Since the weather has turned extremely hot out I wanted to do something that was in the water but also had a little excersize and nature involved, so I immediately thought of kayaking.  There are so many beautiful areas in Florida to kayak at but I also wanted to stay relatively close so I chose Wekiwa Springs in Apopka.  Only a 30 minute drive and it was well worth it.  Miki, Cody and I got to the park around 9am and the line had already started forming, if you go to any of the springs remember, once the parking lot is full they close the gates so get there as early as you can.  It was only $6.00 for the 3 of us to enter the park. We immediately went to the concession stand to rent us our kayaks.  Miki rented a single one and Cody and I were in a double.  Good thing we got there when we did because they only have a few and the line behind us to get one started to get pretty long.  Once we rented them we went down to the dock area and our adventrue begin.  We had the pleasure of being one of the few people on the water at that time so it was very peaceful and serene.  We saw a large gator hanging out in the water, but he submerged as we passed.  There were many birds and dragon flys zipping around as the river is teaming with fish and insects for them to enjoy.  We kayaked up to an area known as Wekiwa Island (which I found out that you can also get to by land) that had chairs lined up along the banks, a tiki bar, and picnic tables.  We found out that this is a pet friendly area and your dogs can come hang out with you and take a dip if they want.  They also rent kayaks here, but by either a full day or half day, unlike the state park which rents them out for 2 hour minimum and then and upcharge for each hour after that.  Since we only had 2 hours and it took us about an hour to get the island, we turned around and started heading back.  We saw a few baby alligators hanging out on a dead log soaking up the sun.  After our excursion we decided to take a dip in the swimming hole.  The water here remember is spring fed so it is always a constant 72 degrees.  It is a little bit of a shock to the system when you first get in, but after a few minutes you get used to the frigidness of the water.  You are allowed to bring picnics, canopys, etc and make an all day adventure if you want. All in all, we had a great time and the kayaks were only $15/single and $22/double and they offer canoe rental as well.  I would suggest this to anyone that wants to get away from it all for at least just a few hours.

Kelley Park / Rock Springs - Apopka, FL

Kelly Park

400 E Kelly Park RD

Apopka 32712

http://www.orangecountyfl.net/dept/cesrvcs/parks/ParkDetails.asp?ParkID=22

Open Monday - Sunday - 8am - 8pm (summer) 8am - 6pm (winter)

While Cody was attending the YMCA summer camp he told me about this really cool place that they would go tubing at.  I looked into it and thought this seemed something very Florida like so off we went.  Everyone I talked to said get there early, because once the parking lot is full there is no more admission.  So we left the house around 7:30 am and off we went.  Before we got to the entrance of the park I saw tub rental places offering some pretty good prices so that you would not have to swim the entire time, but float.  They charge a deposit as well as a rental fee for each of the tubes, but you receive your deposit back when you bring the tubes back after you are done and it an all day rental.  After tying these to the back hatch of the van we were off.  This is really important to get because there are NO tube rentals in the park itself.  We paid a nominal fee of $1 per person at the entrance to the park. There were tons of people flowing in and I was glad that we decided to go early because about an hour after we entered (right around 10) the park was already closed.

The water was cold due to it being a spring but after a few minutes of the heat it was very refreshing.  You walk you tubes through a walkway to the top of the float and are able to jump into an area where the spring flows in.  It is about 25 foot deep and helps your body get acclimated to the temperature of the water.  I would definitely suggest bringing something to float on as the entire float is filled with very large, very sharp rocks that are not very knee friendly.  The float itself was about 25 minutes where you then flow into a larger area that is used for swimming. This is a nice area if you have smaller kids or do not want to do the floating.  There is another passage way after this that you can continue down if you would like.

Want to stay for the entire day?  No problem.  They have areas that you can set up a canopy and bring your picnic baskets and coolers.  In addition to this they also have a concession stand that offers many good items without breaking the bank.  Don't like to much sun?  There were many shady areas that you can hang out in from the tall forest that surrounds the area.  Tired of swimming?  There were also trails that you could hike in or large areas that you could toss a ball or frisbee around to work up a sweat before going back in and cooling off.