Silver Springs is an Old Florida tourist attraction
Silver Springs is one of the longest-running tourist destinations in North Florida. Since the late 1870s, Silver Springs has attracted guests nationwide for its glass-bottom steamboat tours and nature park with turtles, snakes and alligators. Today, Silver Springs has new housing developments while its many recreational offerings, local wildlife and riverside experiences continue to draw visitors from everywhere across the Sunshine State. “It’s hundreds of thousands a year,” says Micah Craig, a local broker with Close Date Real Estate. “It’s astronomical.”
Boating, camping and fishing in Silver Springs State Park
The 4,000-acre Silver Springs State Park is south of the main highway and has hiking trails, cabins and habitats for wildlife such as deer, pelicans and tortoises. Pioneer Village replicates what the settlement looked like during the 19th century, and visitors can go canoeing, kayaking or paddleboarding in Silver River, which flows over 4 miles east into the Ocklawaha River. “We have a lot of natural springs that are all intertwined together,” Craig says. “It’s just an amazing piece of geography.”
Coehadjoe Park is 3 miles northwest of the river and has basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts. Farther north is the Silver Springs Conservation Area, a massive 330-acre property with fishing, horseback riding and turkey hunting in the fall. The Indian Lake State Forest Campground is 4 miles north and has several campsites where people can pitch their tents or park their RVs.
Stucco houses and gated communities by the forest
There are many communities and subdivisions throughout Silver Springs. Small 1,000-square-foot homes with Florida architecture on half-acre lots are common along Northeast 35th Street and sell for $200,000 to $300,000. Silver Run Forest is a new gated community currently under construction, with 2,000-square-foot homes and quarter-acre lots costing between $300,000 and $385,000. More stucco houses can also be found farther north in the Silver Meadows gated community, which has 2,000- to 5,000-square-foot bilevel homes ranging from $350,000 to $725,000. There are also many duplexes and apartment complexes, with renters making up more than half of the population.
Springside Cafe, Paradise Treats and local grocery stores
Silver Springs State Park has two on-site dining options. Springside Cafe serves globally inspired sandwiches, as well as buffalo chicken, barbecue pork and cheeseburger sliders. Paradise Treats makes hand-crafted pizzas to order along with coffee beverages and soft-serve ice cream. There are many grocery stores by the highway, including Aldi, Publix and Walmart, but most residents will drive farther west for more shopping options. “It’s only a 30-minute drive from Silver Springs to Ocala,” Craig says. “If they can’t get it here, people will go to Ocala for anything they need.”
Open enrollment in Marion County Public Schools
Marion County Public Schools earns a B on Niche and has an open enrollment policy, allowing Silver Springs students to attend any of its 50-plus schools. Ocala Springs and East Marion Elementary are the closest elementary schools and respectively earn a B-minus and a C. Fort McCoy School has a Gifted & Talented program and earns a C. Lake Weir High School has a 22-to-1 student-teacher ratio and earns a C-plus.
SunTran buses and a straight drive to Daytona Beach
Florida State Road 40 runs between Silver Springs’ state park and conservation area and leads 5 miles west to Ocala or 78 miles east toward Daytona Beach. SunTran’s fixed-route buses offer rides from Silver Springs’ Walmart to the Downtown Transfer Station in Ocala, where seven routes can take passengers all over the city. The HCA Florida Silver Springs Emergency Room is open for 24 hours, and the Orlando Sanford International Airport is around 80 miles southeast.
