Poe Springs Park

I certainly need to update my review of Poe Springs because a lot has changed since I first reviewed it in 2011. For one, at that time, the park was under the stewardship of the City of High Springs whereas now it is run by Alachua County. This makes a big difference: while High Springs had a $ 5 admission to the park, it is free under Alachua County which makes sense because the property taxes in Alachua County are some of the highest in the state, so it’s nice to see citizens getting something other than just stellar schools back for their money. They also have the park only open from Thursday to Sunday now, from 9am to 6pm I think. Under the constraints that it’s free, it is a very nice park and I don’t mean that in a cynical way, but really: Ginnie and Blue Springs are both around $ 10 or more, so a free park with a spring for swimming and river access is awesome. The county has done well with this one.
Another plus is that we’ve had more water the past year or so and the spring is up and no longer a paltry looking version of itself as it was a few years ago. I’m not sure if they did anything to work on the spring and improve its flow but it just looks far better: robust, filled with water, and just nice. When I was there Saturday there were a lot of people enjoying it, too. The water is greenish – not crystal clear blue like some Florida springs – but it was cold and clear enough and indicated good flow so you’re swimming in fresh springwater not water from the river washing in and there’s no great danger of encountering reptiles here. (Not that there is at most springs, but people sometimes ask at the darker-​looking springs if snakes or alligators may be a problem, but in general they avoid the colder water of springs and favor the warmer water of the river.) There is a rope swing out by the river on a tree which is popular with kids (and me and my friends) and the restrooms, pic-​nic areas, and all else are pretty much up to par because that infrastructure was the park’s strong suit all along.
For freediving this park isn’t the best: the water is greenish and if there are many people swimming in it they stir up the sand and it’s hard to see. But for kids who want to just splash about, it’s great.