Ginnie Springs is a privately owned park in Gilchrist County about northwest of High Springs, Florida, USA. It is a located on the south side of the Santa Fe River, to which it is connected. The water is clear and cold and there are accessible caverns with a sand and limestone bottom. Ginnie Springs has been privately owned by the Wray family since 1971 and began functioning in 1976. In the mid-1990s when scuba divinggrew in popularity, Bob Wray opened the springs to the public. Due to the increasing number of scuba diver deaths, Wray took precautions by putting in an iron grate over the most dangerous part of the cave and placing warning signs for divers. The popularity of Ginnie took off and it became a nationally renowned diving spot which is still largely popular today. Today in addition to diving, customers can swim, snorkel, canoe, kayak, stand up paddleboard, and tube along the Sante Fe River. Along the river, there are various springs travelers can enter and swim in. This is a source for bottled spring water. Due to the crystal-clear water of the spring, it is easy to view wildlife as well as wreaths underneath. Nestle was granted permission to take over 1.1 million gallons daily from the aquifer that feeds Ginnie and other nearby springs. This has sparked a global outcry. Ginnie Springs is one of the most popular places in Florida to go river tubing. Tubing the Sante Fe River as part of the Ginnie Springs tube run takes about 1 hour to complete from start to finish. Since it is a privately owned spring, there are few restrictions on tubers in the Sante Fe River. Tubers are permitted to use tubes of any size and are also allowed to consume alcohol while tubing. Ginnie Springs is one of the few springs in Florida which allows the consumption of alcohol on the tube run. Ginnie is also well known for camping. Visitors can make reservations for water and electric campsites. There are 129 water and electric campsites in total, which are located across from the park’s store. A reservation is not needed for primitive campsites, but they are first-come, first-served.
