Silver Springs

Silver Springs in Marion County, Florida, is a group of artesian springs at the headwaters of the Silver River, long promoted as the world’s largest artesian spring and famous for glass-bottom boat tours begun in the late 1870s. It became Florida’s earliest commercial tourist attraction as steamboat and then rail travelers arrived, drawing prominent visitors and later serving as a film location for movies and television. Through the 20th century it expanded under various owners, while also reflecting segregation and the introduction of escaped rhesus macaques. Environmental decline and changing priorities eventually led to state ownership and, in 2013, incorporation into Silver Springs State Park.

Silver Springs, Florida · United States