Silver Springs is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Marion County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. It is the site of Silver Springs, a group of artesian springs and a historic tourist attraction that is now part of

Silver Springs State Park Silver Springs State Park, formerly known as Silver River State Park, is a Florida state park located on the Silver River in Marion County. The park contains Silver Springs, Florida's first tourist attraction. The Silver Springs attraction da ...

. The community is part of the Ocala metropolitan area. It was first listed as a CDP for the 2020 census, at which time it had a population of 2,844. One of Florida's first tourist attractions, the springs drew visitors even before the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states t ...

Glass-bottom boat A glass-bottom boat is a boat with sections of glass, panoramic bottom glass or other suitable transparent material, below the waterline allowing passengers to observe the underwater environment from within the boat. The view through the glass b ...

s have been a popular way to see the complex. A small amusement park with various animals, a concert stage, a carousel, and exhibits also developed.

History

Steamboat approaching Silver Springs FL George Barker

Silver Springs was founded in 1852. Since the mid-19th century, the natural environment of Silver Springs has attracted visitors from throughout the United States. The glass-bottom boat was invented and tours of the springs began in the late 1870s. In the 1920s, W. Carl Ray and W.M. "Shorty" Davidson, after leasing the land from Ed Carmichael (upon whose death the springs were left to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

), developed the land around the headwaters of the Silver River into an attraction that eventually became known as

Silver Springs Nature Theme Park Silver Springs is a group of artesian springs that feed into the Silver River in Marion County, Florida. It is the largest artesian spring in the world and the site of the oldest commercial tourist attraction in Florida, and was designated a Nat ...

. The attraction featured native animal exhibits, amusement rides, and 30 or 90-minute glass-bottom boat tours of the springs. The 1934 'Princess Donna' is the oldest and only remaining operational boat from this bygone era. The
Princess Donna
currently operates on the Rainbow River in Dunnellon, Florida. In 2013, the State of Florida took over operations of Silver Springs and combined it with the adjacent Silver River State Park to form the new

. The T. W. Randall House on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

is located to the northeast. Several defunct tourist attractions were once located near Silver Springs. The Western-themed Six Gun Territory

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, which included several attractions such as the Southern Railway & Six Gun

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railroad, operated from 1963 to 1984. The

Wild Waters Wild Waters was a Water park in Silver Springs, Florida. It was the sister park of Silver Springs Nature Theme Park in Silver Springs. Because Wild Waters was adjacent to Silver Springs, it had many trees and shady areas. There were picnic a ...

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

also existed in Silver Springs and operated from 1978 to 2016. Silver Springs was "whites only" until 1967. From 1949 to 1969, African Americans were served by nearby

Paradise Park, Florida Paradise Park was a tourist attraction and recreational facility "for colored people only", as its sign said, about from Silver Springs, near Ocala, Florida, founded and run by the same management. It offered similar features, such as glas ...

, which closed when Silver Springs integrated racially.

Cattle ranch development

Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach has been building the

Adena Springs Ranch Adena Springs Ranch is the former name of a 30,000-acre cattle ranch in Florida's Marion County now known as Sleepy Creek Ranch Lands. Adena Ranches is a related cattle ranch property in Levy County. Both are owned by Canadian billionaire Frank St ...

for cattle, an

abattoir A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

, residential property development, and a thoroughbred horse farm in the area, stirring concern over plans for water use and how groundwater draw will affect the springs.

Geography

Silver Springs is in central Marion County and is bordered to the southwest by the city of

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Silver Springs CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.50%, are water. The springs, in the center of the community, flow out to form the Silver River, which runs east to the

Ocklawaha River The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 21, 2011 Ocklawaha River flows north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. Its name is derive ...

Transportation

The main road through Silver Springs is State Road 40 which runs east and west from Rainbow Lakes Estates to

Ormond Beach Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan ...

in Volusia County. State Road 326 terminates at SR 40, as does State Road 35, which becomes County Road 35 north of SR 40 before terminating at SR 326. County Roads 314 and 314A are also important north-south county roads that run west and into the

Ocala National Forest The Ocala National Forest ls the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers of northern Florida. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville. The Ocala National For ...

Notable people

* Ross Allen,

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

* Bruce Mozert, photographer * Ted Potter Jr., PGA Tour

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

Gallery

File:Silver Springs State Park - Silver River Museum Entrance Sign.jpg, Silver Springs State Park File:RandallHouseSilverSprings.JPG, T. W. Randall House File:princess%20donna.jpg, The ''Princess Donna'' File:1934 glass bottom boat.jpg, The oldest operational glass bottom boat in Florida

References

External links

Silver Springs State Park
{{authority control Census-designated places in Florida Census-designated places in Marion County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Marion County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida 1852 establishments in Florida