Relaxing and Replenishing in Ocala

posted by blair on 3rd, 2010

When some think of relaxation, what might come to mind may be a spa, cruise or luxury stay at a five-star resort. How I recently relaxed from the daily grind was by having those luxuries of electricity, air-conditioning and being waited on taken away on vacation.

I went camping during the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the Juniper Springs campground of the Ocala National Forest. Voted as one of the Top 100 family-friendly campgrounds in America, Juniper Springs boasts spacious camp sites, convenient bathrooms (very nice as well!) and a large spring pool that is a cool break from the summer heat.

My two friends and I spent four days relax at our camp site; reading, napping and just enjoying the various sights and sounds of nature around us. I most enjoyed my morning walks around the different campsite locations near our camp site as I let the sounds of Elton John, Kelly Clarkson and Teddy Geiger set my walking pace.

We kept our meals simple and only did actual cooking for our dinners each night, from delicious veggie-filled foil dinners to roasting hot dogs by our camp fire. Of course no camping trip is complete with those marshmallow-oozing Smores that were a must-have to end each night of our trip.

Besides the walks around the camp area and swimming, we also got in some physical activity by taking the Springs’ four-hour canoe ride (yes, FOUR hours) that brought us through beautiful savannas and along lush riverbanks. We saw turtles basking in the sun and bass jumping out of the river, though thankfully none jumped into our boat.

One downside of the ride was that the course was not marked properly so there were several times you could go down a one path that might lead you to a dead end. We also had to “limbo” under branches and trees in order to continue on the course as well as fight sudden current bursts when we reach the two new springs that opened up during our trip. The ride was credited as being a “lazy” ride down the river but it was anything but!

Overall, the camping stay was a much-needed break from reality for a little while as well as an adventure that showed us nature is still very much alive in Central Florida. A dip in Juniper Springs was better than any spa treatment and the sun seeping through the forest trees was more picturesque than any view on a cruise ship (well, not every view as you can’t beat a sunset on the water).

For more information about camping at Juniper Springs or Ocala National Forest, visit their web site at www.forestcamping.com . Just make sure to carry insect and deer fly repellents as deer flies are in full force this summer. Our more than 40 combined bites can prove that!