The St. Johns River: 30 Experiences to Explore the Scenic Florida Waterway

Modern-day explorers can find natural serenity and plenty of places for a full immersion in the wilderness along Florida’s longest river.

Visitors to Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka dive to the spring boil on a hot summer day in this underwater view, Friday, August 23, 2024. At 7,723 acres, Wekiwa Springs is one of the largest state parks in Central Florida, pumping 42 million gallons of 72-degree water into the Wekiva River daily. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

By Patrick Connolly From Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO—Take a trip on the St. Johns River, whether by boat or by wandering its shores on foot, and it’s possible to imagine a time when saber-toothed cats and mastodons wandered the Florida peninsula or the Timucua people inhabited its banks.