When people think of a Florida vacation, they first think of Disney World and the rest of the Orlando tourist attractions but there is a lot more to Central Florida than Mickey and Shamu.
Ocala
Ocala is 77 miles northwest from Orlando. Ocala has hills and sprawling horse and cattle ranches. There are many places to take trail rides. One such place is Young's Paso Fino Ranch. You can take a tour of the ranch and facilities and also make arrangements to trail ride one of their beautiful Paso Fino horses. The guides are experienced and friendly. There were about 10 adults in our group with three children and we all had a good time. 
Ocala is also the home to many fresh water springs that are great for kayaking and/or canoeing. We could not pass up the Silver River because we heard that there are Rhesus monkeys on the shores. The river is abounding in wildlife. In addition to the Rhesus monkeys, egret, heron, anhinga, ibis, snake, alligator and turtle can all be seen any day on Silver River.
Because the river is spring fed the water temperature remains cool even in the heat of Florida's summers. The trip from the nearest boat launch at Ray Wayside Park up to the mouth of the springs is 5 miles. You are paddling against the current so the trip up stream is a challenge. The park service is supposed to start a canoe and kayak shuttle but that had not been in place on our visit. The trip is worth every once of energy.
The water is clear and you can see the sandy bottom and the canopy of trees makes it a very pleasant trip. You don't have to travel very far up river before you see the Rhesus monkeys in the trees. At first they might escape your glance but soon enough you'll see groups sitting on fallen trees watching you paddle up stream. It is against the law to feed the wildlife on the river and you don't want to get too close to the monkeys as they will bite.
In the 1930's, Colonel Tooey created an attraction on the river by bringing the Rhesus monkeys to a small island in the river. Unbeknownst to Tooey, Rhesus monkeys are extremely good swimmers and escaped to other parts of the river.
If you make it to the top of the springs, you will be inside the Silver Springs attractions. Watch for the glass bottom boats. Although they are difficult not to notice, they run on electric and can sneak up behind you rather quickly.
Silver Springs, the headwaters of the river, is the largest artesian spring formation in the world. At certain locations the springs can reach depths of up to 80 feet and they are 99.8% pure. The main spring created a cavern 200 feet wide and 30 feet deep. The water flows from this spring with such force that you can see the sand and shells being tossed around at the inlets. The theme park does feed the wildlife up at the springs. So you will be sure to see gators, gar and other fish.
The total trip is 10 miles. Bring plenty of sunscreen, water and snacks so that you can enjoy a wonderful day on Silver River.
Directions to the boat ramp: At the junction of I-75 and SR 40 (exit 352, old 69) in Ocala, turn east (right) on SR 40 and go 9 miles to the Silver Springs attraction. Continue past the theme park on SR 40 for 3 miles to Ray Wayside Park. The park is 1/4 mile west of Delks Bluff Bridge. A canoe launch is located at the far end of the park just past the boat ramps. We paid a small usage fee of $3.00 at the time of our visit.
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