Paddling Adventures with Kids in Florida

Featured

Sarasota, FL

Myakka River State Park

A canopy walkway suspended in the treetops, an airboat across an alligator lake, and one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks.

• Nature
• Ages 3+
• ~5h
• Paid

Featured

Weeki Wachee, FL

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

The underwater mermaid theatre has run since 1947, plus a spring-fed water park and a clear paddling run down the Weeki Wachee River.

• Swimming
• Ages 2+
• ~5h
• Paid

Altoona, FL

Alexander Springs Recreation Area

A first-magnitude spring in Ocala National Forest with a rare gently sloping sand bottom - the easiest spring entry in Florida for small kids.

• Swimming
• Ages 2+
• ~4h
• Paid

Apopka, FL

Wekiwa Springs State Park

A big spring swimming basin twenty minutes from Orlando, with canoe rentals on the Wekiva River and thirteen miles of trail.

• Swimming
• Ages 2+
• ~4h
• Paid

Big Pine Key, FL

Bahia Honda State Park

The best natural beach in the Keys - shallow, warm, clear water off Sandspur Beach, with the old railroad bridge as the backdrop.

• Swimming
• Ages 2+
• ~5h
• Paid

Boynton Beach, FL

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

The last intact northern Everglades, with two short boardwalks over cypress swamp and sawgrass marsh and alligators on the levee at dawn.

• Nature
• Ages 3+
• ~3h
• Paid

Dunedin, FL

Caladesi Island State Park

A car-free barrier island reached by ferry, with three miles of undeveloped Gulf beach and a mangrove kayak trail behind it.

• Swimming
• Ages 3+
• ~5h
• Paid

Dunnellon, FL

Rainbow Springs State Park

Swim in a wide, shallow first-magnitude spring with a sandy entry, waterfalls and a paddling run - one of Florida's easiest springs with toddlers.

• Swimming
• Ages 2+
• ~4h
• Paid

Fort Myers Beach, FL

Lovers Key State Park

Manatees and dolphins in the back bay, a two-mile beach reached on foot, and a five-mile mangrove paddling trail through the tunnels.

• Kayaking
• Ages 3+
• ~4h
• Paid

Hobe Sound, FL

Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Paddle Florida's first Wild and Scenic River through cypress, and climb the sand pine ridge for a view over the whole coast.

• Kayaking
• Ages 5+
• ~5h
• Paid

Holt, FL

Blackwater River State Park

One of the purest sand-bottom rivers in the world, with a broad white sandbar on every bend for stopping to swim and eat. Gentle enough for kids.

• Kayaking
• Ages 5+
• ~5h
• Paid

Long Key, FL

Long Key State Park

A marked canoe trail through a shallow mangrove lagoon in the middle Keys - bring your own boat, because there is nothing to rent here.

• Kayaking
• Ages 5+
• ~3h
• Paid

Marathon, FL

Curry Hammock State Park

Shallow, protected flats ideal for a first family paddle, a quiet beach, and the best hawk-watching site in the Keys each October.

• Kayaking
• Ages 4+
• ~4h
• Paid

Sanibel, FL

J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

A four-mile drive through mangrove estuary where roseate spoonbills, ibis and alligators feed at close range on a falling tide.

• Nature
• Ages 3+
• ~3h
• Paid

Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Grayton Beach State Park

Sugar-white sand and emerald Gulf water on Florida's 30A, plus a rare coastal dune lake behind the beach that kids can paddle a kayak across.

• Swimming
• Ages 2+
• ~4h
• Paid

Silver Springs, FL

Juniper Springs Recreation Area

A seven-mile canoe run through narrow jungle-like creek in Ocala National Forest, plus a 1930s stone millhouse and a CCC-built spring pool.

• Kayaking
• Ages 8+
• ~5h
• Paid

Silver Springs, FL

Silver Springs State Park

Glass-bottom boats have run over these springs since the 1870s. Paddle the run yourself to find the wild monkeys along the bank.

• Kayaking
• Ages 3+
• ~3h
• Paid

St. Augustine, FL

Anastasia State Park

Four miles of Atlantic beach plus a warm, shallow tidal lagoon that is close to perfect for beginner paddlers, ten minutes from St. Augustine.

• Swimming
• Ages 3+
• ~5h
• Paid

Thonotosassa, FL

Hillsborough River State Park

Class II rapids - genuinely rare in Florida - viewed from a suspension footbridge, plus canoe rentals in a CCC-built park near Tampa.

• Kayaking
• Ages 5+
• ~4h
• Paid

Tierra Verde, FL

Fort De Soto Park

Five interconnected islands with a shallow lagoon beach built for toddlers, a Spanish-American War fort, and a paddling trail.

• Swimming
• Ages 1+
• ~5h
• Paid