Vortex Spring is located just north of I-10 and the city of Ponce de Leon, Florida. You could also think of it as being fairly close to Ponce de Leon State Park. These two locations are interesting to compare because Vortex Springs is a private operation while Ponce de Leon State Park is of course a state park. At Vortex you can drink alcohol, and even buy alcohol. At the state park, you cannot. Vortex offers camping, whereas the state park does not. You’re basically choosing between which Florida spring type experience you want to have, the family friendly or the party vibe.
Vortex has a lot of neat features such as being a hot spot for divers to explore the spring itself. You don’t really go here for the spring itself unless you are a diver. Instead there are water slides, bridges, diving boards and all sorts of amenities available at Vortex Springs as well. The majority of the Vortex experience is about playing in the crystal clear creek formed by the spring, instead of playing in the spring itself. I was able to float down the creek in an inflatable past all the water slides and whatnot. Uncorked some wine and had at it as well. It is kind of a nice change when you’re used to more publicly regulated locations.
Website: vortexspring.com
