8/4/2023 0 Comments Rainbow springs state park![]() There is a pool located behind this building but it has not been cleaned and filled yet. ![]() The campground Ranger station is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm only with a little store inside that sells drinks, snacks, camping supplies and such. There are three bathhouses and three separate loops of camping included a section just for tent campers. The sites are mostly a mixture of crushed rock with a clothesline, fire pit, and picnic table and are quite spacious with foliage in between each one. The campground has sewers on every site as well as the electric and water. Note: Most of the information for this historic review was supplied by Rainbow Springs State Park staff and The Friends of Rainbow Springs.Rainbow Springs State Park is a very popular place to stay all year round. Stop for a visit and experience the Real Florida at Rainbow Springs State Park. Both of these areas have new facilities and open up new recreational opportunities for park visitors. The campground and tubing entrance are about seven miles away, by car. 41 and at the headsprings of the Rainbow River. Today, the park consists of more than 1,470 acres and has three main entrances. By 1993, state funding allowed for park staff to join the volunteers. This organization led the way in opening the park by physically clearing paths and bringing life back to the gardens and other features. The citizens that supported the acquisition of the park soon formed the park’s Citizen Support Organization, called Friends of Rainbow Springs, Inc. The spring was saved from direct encroachment and in the process a part of Florida history was preserved as well. On October 25, 1990, Rainbow Springs State Park joined the Florida Park Service. It opened to the public as a state park on a full-time basis in 1995. It reopened as a state park in 1990, following petitioning by concerned citizens on behalf of the attraction, the state of Florida purchased Rainbow Springs. By 1974, Rainbow Springs was closed and the facilities fell into disrepair. The interstate passed by the small towns that hosted such attractions and newer, modern attractions in Orlando drew many away from the older parks. The development of the interstate highway system in Florida eventually led to the demise of the Rainbow Springs attraction. The ownership of the Rainbow Springs attraction changed hands several times, and at one time was owned by S&H Green Stamps and Holiday Inn. It is also an aquatic preserve and an Outstanding Florida Water. Department of the Interior designated Rainbow River as a National Natural Landmark. A zoo, rodeo, and gift shops and honeymoon cabins were added. The boats were steered by a captain who told the story of the springs and the creatures that called the springs home. But at Rainbow Springs the distinctive sub-boats had stairs that went below the waterline of the boat and visitors could look out at eye level. Most springs offered some form of glass bottom boat ride, enabling visitors to view the spring through the clear glass floor. One of the features that separated Rainbow Springs from similar attractions was the way that visitors could view the spring bottom. Visitors enjoyed viewing a large aviary, three waterfalls, a rodeo, a small zoo complex and a historic garden. This feature was added to the park in the 1960s. Another feature found only at Rainbow Springs was the Leaf Ride, a monorail system with leaf-shaped gondolas used to transport visitors through the park at tree level.
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