Had such a fun time at this lodge and the state park. Â Some friends of mine had told me about how awful this place was going to be and how it was not going to meet my standards. Â Well they were wrong as this place gives you all of "old Florida" packaged into one location. Â Yes, it is not a five star hotel, but then again you are in the middle of the forest.
I liked the overall location as it is in the middle of the forest and you can just take a hike right outside of your room. Â There is a big roaring fireplace in the main lobby and tables with games that you can just sit around and play. Â The ceiling is so intricate and beautiful and "old joe" is a sight to be seen. Â The rooms are basic but you will be exploring the lodge, hiking or trying the delicious food and it will not matter.
The restaurant was quite a surprise. Â The presentation is superb and the food is typical American type food. Â You will not be disappointed with the food. Â The price of the food is another matter.
Definitely try the boat tour as it is so relaxing and you get to see so many beautiful birds and wildlife. Â
I will go to this location once again as it gave me exactly what I was looking for.
After many years of dining at the lodge for holidays and special family events, I believe this year was our last. Â Although our reservation was for 2 pm, we were not seated for an hour. Â The food was institutional at best. Â One vegetable offering was canned Lima beans and corn. Â The turkey was pressed meat, the roast beef was fatty. Â Most of thr deserts were grocery store frozen style. Â Is was just so disappointing. Â I image they cut their budget and it showed. Â I felt sorry for the few staff who were working and doing their best to appease the unhappy patrons.
Review Source:This review is for the Boat Ride and park only as I didn't stay in the lodge.
I've lived in Tallahassee for a few months and aside from FSU games, I couldn't find anything great to do that said "Florida." Â Well, I found this and this was it!
The park is beautiful and there are plenty of species of wildlife to see. Â But the boat ride itself was the highlight and I would gladly go back to visit. Â It costs $6 per car to get in (up to 8 people in the car) and the boat ride is $8 per adult and $3 per kid. Â We went in December, so there were only 8 people on the 40+ people boat. Â We were allowed to move around, which made the experience much better (I was told that during the summer, the boats are full and you have to stay seated). Â We saw 15 or so manatees and about 10 crocs along the ~45 min ride, along with countless bird species. Â The guides are great about getting you a great view of the animals, as they slow down/stop the boat so you can get a great view and pictures before moving on. Â We were told not to expect much because of the crappy weather that day, but we were pleasantly surprised by how much we saw. Â The rangers were extremely helpful in answering questions and explaining about everything we saw on the ride.
The spring/swimming hole is also a great place to visit and see wildlife. Â Just from the dock, we were able to see 5 manatees swimming around. Â You're actually allowed to swim in the spring as well, but we went when it was a bit cooler so we avoided that activity. Â
Overall, great experience that is a must see for anyone around the area. Â Inexpensive, beautiful and peaceful. Â For anyone who loves nature/wildlife, I definitely recommend this...but even for anyone else this is a great experience. Â Bring a camera for sure, and in winter months bring a coat as it gets a bit cooler. Enjoy!!
This is the best place to go if you are ever in the Tallahassee area. Â The river tour is amazing and you will see alligators, anhingas, and manatees galore. Â All of the rangers and lodge staff are local Wakulla folks, so the authentic accents alone are worth the price of admission. Â This place has not changed in years and really gives you the feeling of 'time travel'. Â Great gift shop and soda fountain. Â Swimming area is a lot of fun and the temperature stays the same year-round. Â A little cold, but worth it.
The glass-bottom boats have not run for years. Â It is funny, because they post a sign out there everyday...no glass bottom boat tours today. Â You will enjoy the Tarzan and Creature of the Black Lagoon stories and don't miss Ol' Joe in the Lodge.
Again, one of my favorite places, can't miss North Florida attraction. Â Very inexpensive and great for the whole family.
This place was the most beautiful and serene natural environment I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. It was once private property owned by Edward Ball before he realized how much money he could make off the land. The hotel was once his mansion - breathtaking. There are alligators in sight, although rarely close enough to encounter. They offer a river cruise where you can get up close and personal with the local nature. I saw alligators, snapping turtles, all kinds of birdlife, flying fish, and manatees. You can swim in the river and the manatee will come right up to you. They are huge but gentle creatures. It was an experience I will never forget!
Review Source:We didn't stay at the lodge but we did drive past to take the river tour. Amazing. Definitely get there for the morning ride - I think they do it at 9.45am. The mist is still rolling over the bayou, and it's much quieter than I imagine for the afternoon rides.
Pat and Bob were our two guides, lovely as they were I can't imagine they'd be much good at fending off the gators - of which we saw a ton. The river is teeming with them and plenty of other wildlife, we even saw a few manatees.
After the tour we took a dip in the swimming area, which is lovely... that's about it. If you're in the Florida panhandle, I can say this is well worth the trip.
I am going to review the Spring/park and the Lodge restaurant.
1.) The Spring/ park - AMAZING!!! The boat tour is inexpensive and the best thing you will do ever for that little $. The park rangers were extremely knowledgeable. They would reverse just to make sure everyone observed whatever critter we were supposed to see. The river was pristine and untouched. We observed manatees, numerous alligators, gorgeous birds, turtles and nature that was breathtaking. Â Take the tour, it's worth the drive. The beach part and the park were very well kept, clean and beautiful. The beach was somewhat crowded and the water a 70 degrees year round. You can see to the bottom.
2.) The Lodge Restaurant: The lodge itself is a gorgeous building. The construction, detailed ornamental painted ceiling and beams- a great homage to the bye gone era of quality craftsmanship. HOWEVER, whoever manages the lodge & restaurant are doing a poor job. Its dirty...every chandelier has light bulbs out and cobwebs galore. The interior furniture is looking run down and the dinning area looks like a crummy diner with the cheap plastic style, sticky table cloths and fake flowers. The food is okay. If you eat there get the fried chicken, the oyster po'boy or the navy bean soup. They are worth it. Service is SO SLOW! and bad...refill- never heard of one there. To many staff and not enough of them are working.
I LOVE springs, so Wakulla Springs is perfect for me. I agree with previous reviewers, the weekends can get pretty crowded, but I've always been able to find a spot for my towel on the little beach. The water is clear and cold, which is refreshing in our oppressive summers. I love to swim out to the two floating docks they've created and just sun bathe all day. There's also a high dive dock that is really fun to jump off of. Besides swimming, there are boat tours which are around 10$, and if the water is clear enough they give glass bottom boat tours. If you're feeling real high class, there is a historic hotel that you can stay in, or even just wander through while you wait for your boat tour. They also sell ice cream on the weekends. So beautiful, perfect for groups. The only downside is that you can't bring beer!
Look out for gators and manatees :)
Parking is 6$ a vehicle, so keep that in mind as well!
Really, really beautiful spot. The boat tours are about $10 a person and definitely worth it. We went in March and saw so much wildlife that it was almost overwhelming! Gators, cormorants, manatees, ibis, wood ducks, turtles... I could go on all day.
Breakfast at the restaurant was okay, nothing stellar. The hiking trail (I think it goes about 5 miles in) was also nice. I think it costs $4 per vehicle to get into the park itself. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!
We had an awesome tour guide on the boat, and the staff was extremely friendly. Â HOWEVER- they get 4 stars instead of five for bad planning. Â We celebrated my grandmothers 100th birthday here, and for some reason they had scheduled a wedding in the lobby at the same time. Â Therefore, we had to take my 100 year old grandmother THROUGH THE KITCHEN to go all the way around the building to get to the bathroom on the other side. Â Exsqueeze me?? Â
Besides that we had a good time- if you eat there get the fried chicken. Â It was so freaking awesome.
Several years back we came here and did the boat tour which was nice, there were critters and creatures to see along the river including an alligator which seemed to open his jaws on cue as we floated on the water.
This trip we only came to sit on the little beach and splash around in very, very cold water which was totally refreshing on a hot summer's day. The people watching is wonderful. The water is super clear and the kids seemed to love the high dive platform.
Even though the crowds get a little crazy on the weekends, this is still one of the best swimming holes around. When they cut the hydrilla the water is sooo clear and beautiful, but if they don't it is a little bit of a hassle to swim through. Sometimes you'll be able to see a gator or manatee in the distance but I highly recommend kayaking the river (there's a loading ramp for boats a few miles down at the Highway 98 bridge). That way you can see manatees in the wild as well as huge gators, sliders, beautiful birds, etc. Downstream is a lot less crowded but it is a popular fishing spot. The diving platform is AWESOME and super scary. Cherokee sinks is another spring (sinkhole actually) owned by the state that's part of the park that you used to be able to swim in, but I wouldn't recommend it now due to the amount of huge snapping turtles living in the water. Â The sink itself is totally huge and impressive, the water is GORGEOUS. The hike there is halfway decent, but it was more fun when it was a swimming hole.
Fun fact: Sally Ward spring  is at the entrance to the park and totally underrated and I've heard the cave diving here is *amazing*. Security is tight though, and I think the only diving allowed here is for scientific research/mapping.
This is a review of the restaurant. I had the fried grouper. It was fresh, black grouper and very well prepared. The world famous, award winning navy bean soup was OK but not great. Cheese grits were the real, slow cooked grits! Yum. Hubby got the shrimp po boy. It looked good. Cole slaw was fresh and sweet. Good southern meal! I like the character of this place. A step back into time!
Review Source:Wakulla Springs is one of the last pristine rivers in Florida. If you are visiting the Tallahassee area, you definitely need to put this on your list! Be sure to leave yourself about an hour to take the boat tour. If you haven't been able to see alligators in the wild, then you'll love this trip.
It's great for kids, and packed with history so adults will love it too!
When it comes to State Parks, I always think of the one nearest to where I grew up - Wakulla Springs. Sure, I loved the feel of the old lodge, the cold springs were always fun to swim in, and the boat tours were fun - but on a recent visit I think that my fond memories were maybe clouded a bit with nostalgia. The springs are still clear and beautiful and of course packed with all the local flavor that Wakulla County residents offer, but the thing that got me most disappointed was the complete lack of Glass Bottom boat tours on the day I went due to "unclear water" conditions - completely lame. Oh, and skip getting anything other than ice cream at the snack bar - the ice cream is a welcomed treat on a hot day but the rest of the food is just awful.
Review Source:For my 100th review I've saved this special place. Last century (last millenium, even, and before it was a state park) we spent our honeymoon at Wakulla Lodge. Spring, what spring?
We've been back a couple of times, once to spend the night and once for the day. Henry the Pole-Vaulting Fish. 'Nuff said.
This is one of my favorite places in the entire state. Â I just went here for the third time. Â My friend and I took the river cruise and were not disappointed. Â It was cold and rainy so all you could see of the alligators were eyes and snouts. Â Towards the end of the trip we did get to see a mother alligator with five small babies swimming around her. Â Each less than a foot long.
Now was a great time of year to go - not crowded and lots of birds - ospreys, ibis, herons and beautiful wood ducks.
We had lunch at the lodge where I had a best chef salad of my life - tons of meet and veggies and none of that waste-of-space iceberg lettuce.
Lunch was followed by an afternoon hike and we enjoyed a bug free walk surrounded by cypress trees and wildflowers.
Oh yeah...when the weather's hot, I swam here once.  It wasn't until after I dove off the platform, I thought of all the alligators I had just seen.  I swam back to shore at world record speed.  I didn't see any alligators  in the swimming area but I don't think I'll try it again.
Took the family here for a river cruise. Â Great way to see the "real" Florida. Â Lots of Gators, etc. Â You can often see Manatees on this cruise too, but we missed them by about a week. Â We didn't swim the springs, but it looks like a lot of fun. Â 35 ft. diving platform into 125 ft. deep crystal clear water. Â There were divers exploring the springs cave when we were there. Â Very cool. Â Also nice trails available to hike, ride if you are inclined.
The Lodge is also very nice. Â Fun little "soda/ice cream" bar to get snacks.
Great way to spend a day with the family.
I never went in the water - I just went on the river cruise and it was off-season and there was no crowd and I enjoyed it. Â There was also an archaeological dig going on, which was fun because the workers and volunteers were very eager to share information and show us what they were finding. Â The boat tour is pretty cheap and we saw lots of wildlife and water creatures (tons of alligators) so I thought it was worth it. Â From what they told us, the water has not been clear enough to run the glass bottom boats for quite some time and they are not expecting conditions to get any better. Â But, I still enjoyed the river boat cruise.
We ate at the Ball Room restaurant in the lodge. Â It was surprisingly quite good. Â It is a very old-fashioned restaurant - they even show you the old menu from back in the 1940s. Â I was with a friend and we decided to split the seafood sampler platter. Â It was all fried and included grouper, scallops, oysters, shrimp, hush puppies, soft shell crab and two sides. Â The two sides allowed us to each get a house salad, which was excellent. Â It was mainly iceberg lettuce but had lots of cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, onions and sprouts on it, too, and tasty dressing (I had blue cheese). Â We were also served a huge basket of assorted crackers with butter. Â The seafood itself was delicious, even though all fried, and there was a ton of it. Â One platter fed two of us for two LARGE meals. Â The service was friendly and fast and it was a very pleasant setting for lunch. Â It was old-school but I sort of have a soft spot for this kind of place that has held on to the way it used to be.
It is also worth a look around inside the lodge to see the beautifully painted ceiling and the other historical decorations. Â This would be a peaceful place to stay as it is quiet and the grounds are very lovely.
I dunno. The spring is kinda pretty, but when this place is packed in the summer, it's seriously packed. And most of the people that go here are more local to Wakulla. *cough* If you like watching underage girls in skimpy rebel flag bikinis flounce around with their older boyfriends, this is definitely the place for you. :P I've also heard that the water has gotten pretty dirty over the years.
"Among the culprits blamed for the deteriorating water quality are Tallahassee's spray field, where treated sewage irrigates crops; urban runoff; and septic tanks in the area that drains into Wakulla Springs."
Nice! Also in 2006 there was a "mysterious illness" outbreak among people who had swam there. Just Google "wakulla springs pollution" and you'll probably never want to swim there again.
Not trying to be a fear monger or anything. I've swam there. Hell, I might even do it again. It is still clear enough to put snorkle gear on and look around (and take underwater pictures). It's pretty awesome to have a mask on and go under near the dive tower and look over the edge towards the massive cave system. But for the love of pie please do not swallow any of the water or swim with any open sores/wounds! Just because it's a spring does not mean it's clean. Because it's NOT.
The park itself is nothing too special. There's a glass bottom boat tour (which only runs if the water is clear enough) that I've never been on, but would like to to see the Mastodon fossils. There's a fairly large picnic area with tables and grills. Soda and snack machines. The lodge has some artifacts and history.
A really beautiful park. The water is always going to be soooo cold, but it never holds me back from jumping off that high plank. I always have a good time here and I feel so clean after swimming in the spring. They have a glass bottom boat tour, I've never actually been on it, but it seems pretty interesting.
Review Source:
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