History | Florida State Parks

Safety Updates

Effective immediately, Florida State Parks will follow local orders requiring facial coverings or masks to provide for staff and visitor safety. These requirements vary from area to area.

DEP continues to re-open Florida State Parks as part of the phased plan to re-open Florida. As these parks re-open areas, experiences and amenities, DEP will be taking measures to ensure the protection of staff and the public. During this phase of re-opening, visitors should expect limited hours, capacity and amenities. As part of the phased re-opening of limited overnight accommodations, measures may be in place to reduce camping density. Currently, no walk-in sites are available.

Florida State Parks has begun a phased return of programs and events.

Our main priority is the safety of our guests and staff. As such, we will continue to review operations on a daily basis and make additional operational changes as may be deemed necessary for protection of public health.

View details about Online Payment, Park Closures, Campground Closures, Park Programs and Events, and Facial Coverings.

Limited Visitation at this Park

Effective July 2, 2020: Blue Spring State Park is open (see hours of operation and fee information below). Picnicking and trails are available. Swimming is available at reduced capacity, however the spring boil is closed. Restroom availability may be limited. All other park facilities are closed. Visitors are expected to maintain distances of at least six feet apart.

Arrive Early

Blue Spring State Park frequently reaches capacity during the week and on the weekends, during both the winter and summer months. To avoid waiting, please visit the park early.

Blue Spring is a first magnitude spring on the St. Johns River.

Thursby House — The Thursby House, built in 1872

Gold Rush prospector turned orange-grower Louis Thursby purchased Blue Spring in 1856. Before the railroad rolled through in the 1880s, Thursby's Blue Spring Landing was a hotbed of steamboat activity, shipping tourists and goods to Jacksonville and beyond. Mrs. Thursby was Orange City's first postmistress.

'The Forgotten Mermaids,' an episode of the Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau, was filmed here in 1971. The documentary brought attention to the manatee and the importance of Blue Spring as a winter refuge, greatly influencing the state's decision to purchase the land.