Kelly Park is near Apopka adjacent to Wikiwa Springs State Park which is also very popular. Turn off the I4 at exit 60 for the 429 to Apopka take exit 33 for US-441 turn left at s. Park Ave and continue on Rock springs Road. Turn right at E. kelly Park Road and follow the signs.

Just before turning right into the approach road to the park, there is a grocery store on the left and a bar on the right. The bar also hires large balck rings for floaitng on the water for a few dollars. Entry to the park is also very cheap.

It was early January when we visited but the weather was very warm. We found ourselves almost alone in the park but I’m told that it is very popular in the summer. There is plenty of car parking amongst the trees and we made for the children’s play area at first where the boys had a wonderful time. There are plenty of picnic tables amongst the trees and there is also a kiosk where they sell snacks and drinks but not in the “off” season when we were there. The shop was in the centre of the park near the water where there are also changing rooms, showers and toilets, all beatifully clean.

We entered the water where there is a sort of pool near the changing rooms. This proved to be a mistake as parts of that area are deeper and my young grandson’ns arms weren’t long enough to reach over the side of the large ring to paddle. The best thing is to enter the water further upstream when the very slow current will take you along through the area where the pool is and further downstream. The stream itself is very shallow. After the initial mishap, I walked with my graqndson in his ring and the water was mainly around waistlevel and never got above my armpits and I am only 5 foot tall. It is a bit disconcerting at first to find oneself wading through the weeds but once I realized what they were I was fine.

We ended the day in the children’s part of the pool where there is a paddling area and also a sandpit. The water was beatifully clear and the children were able to see all the little fish swimming around. It was a lovely day that cost very little but just as much of an adventure for my grandsons and going on the rides in the theme parks.

In the first couple of days of our holiday we did some internet searching and came up with a couple of options. The first we tried was Kelly Park, north of Orlando itself in Apopka. We read on the internet that Kelly Park was about 20 minutes’ drive away from our villa in Kissimmee and that it was a large parkland containing a naturally fast flowing river which we could whiz down on inflatable inner tubes which we could rent at the site.

Actually getting to the park was not quite so simple as we had anticipated. Instead of a 20-minute drive, it actually took us 40 minutes to get there. We drove straight to Kelly Park (passing a sort of roadside cafe with stacks of inner tubes outside) only to find that we should rent the tubes, not at the park itself but back at the café we had passed five minutes earlier. There was also a sign at the park telling us that it was almost to capacity and could close for entry for the day in the next 15 minutes or so. We were then faced with a dilemma as to whether to go back and hire the tubes, not knowing if we could get into the park when we returned, but we decided after coming all this way, we may as well chance it. We picked up the tubes and, luckily, made it into the park.

And we were delighted that we did!

The whole setting of the park was absolutely stunning and a breath of fresh air after the unnatural colours and plastics of some of the attractions in Orlando. We made our way to the start of the flowing river and meandered our way to the beautiful tiny beach area at the end, and were hooked. We spent about three solid hours doing the same thing over and over and loving every minute of it.

Just a couple of words of warning. There was very little in the way of facilities at the park, and no food options other than a snack bar for ice creams and chocolate bars. Next time we will definitely take a picnic or even a small portable BBQ. There was also nowhere to put valuables, so I would suggest taking a waterproof plastic container which you can attached to yourselves just for the car keys and take as little else as you can possibly manage. Oh, and when you see a roadside café with a stack of inner tubes piled outside, stop and pick up your tubes then, to save yourselves a trip back!

The Orange County park is built around one of the Apopka area’s crystal clear springs. Rock Springs bubbles up from a cleft in a rock and, instead of spreading out into a pool, becomes a swiftly running stream that quickly slows to a meander. The activity of choice here, and the major reason for the park’s obvious popularity, is riding down the stream in an inner tube or on a float. Being that the water source is a natural spring, the water is crystal clear and cool, but not too cold. The depth varies between 2 to 4 feet deep, so it is possible to walk in the river, although you have to watch out for rocks and weed.

About two thirds of the way down, the river widens out into a series of pools, surrounded by grassy areas to sunbathe and picnic. Here you can swim and snorkel, or just continue on your way on your tube. The whole tubing trip takes about 25 minutes.

The park area by the lazy river has an excellently maintained system of boardwalks, so it is easy to get out, make your way to the start, and go down again.

Another actiovity loved by children is searching the river bed for fossilized sharks’ teeth, left behind when the area was at the bottom of a shallow sea.

Most of the rest of the park is given over to nicely shaded picnic tables, most with a barbecue nearby. There are restrooms and it is possible to buy very basic food here, but taking a picnic, or a barbecue, would be best.

The park is very popular with locals, so it might be best to avoid weekends.

Don’t make the mistake we made, and drive into the park without your tubes. Tubes are not available in the park, so unless you bring your own, stop at one of the tube rental shops near the park entrance before you go in. They are not expensive.

Another word of warning – alcohol is not allowed in the park, and this is enforced. We saw a couple having to pour their beer away before being escorted unceremoniously out of the park by the Sheriff.

To find the park, take the Rock Springs Road north from Apopka; right onto Kelly Park Road and follow the signs.

This OrangeCounty park is built 248-acre around one of the Apopka area’s crystal clear springs. As its name suggests, Rock Springs bubbles up from a cleft in a rock outcropping and, instead of spreading out into a pool, becomes a swiftly running stream that quickly slows to a meander. The activity of choice here, and the major reason for the park’s obvious popularity, is riding down the stream in an inner tube or on a float.

Tubes are not available in the park, so unless you bring your own, stop at one of the tube rental shops near the park entrance. The cost is modest, about $5 for a day’s rental. You may have to be a little inventive as to how you carry the tube if your vehicle is full of passengers, i.e. carrying them outside the car

Our kids, and not a few grown-ups, jump into the headwaters and bob and splash our way downstream for about a mile. The trip takes about 25 minutes at a leisurely float. There are exits from the river along the way, and an excellently maintained network of boardwalks (with flooring designed to protect the barefooted) lets you carry your tube back to the beginning for another go. You can also go down without a tube but, for most adults at least, the stream is too shallow for swimming during most of its course. At the middle of the tubing course, the stream blossoms into a series of lagoons and pools that form the centrepiece of the park. This is the place to come for a cooling, if somewhat crowded, swim. Or join the sunbathers thronging the shores and islands. This is a great park for kids and, if you don’t have any, you may feel a bit overwhelmed by other people.

The rest of the park is given over to nicely shaded picnic tables, with lots of barbecue nearby. Take a picnic basket with you, along with charcoal to barbeque you meats.

The park also offers camping sites ($10 a night for OrangeCounty residents, $15 for all others); electricity is another $3. Your admission receipt lets you leave the park and return the same day. No pets are allowed in the park, and there’s no fishing here.

Nearby: C.A.R.E., Central Florida Zoological Park, Kelly Park, King’s Landing Canoe Rental, Rock Springs Run State Reserve, Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Admission: Adults and children $1, children under 5 are free.
Hours: Daily 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in summer; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in winter
Location: Take Rock Springs Road north from Apopka; right onto Kelly Park Road and follow signs