Madison Blue Spring State Park — Attraction in Madison

This used to be a great place to visit back in the early 80's when I first started coming here. There was a nice beach that ran right up to the edge of a steep natural limestone cliff which has since been destroyed somehow. It appears that the natural look that the place used to have has been altered in the name of progress and to make this into a state park. We used to jump off of the cliff into the water. This used to be one of the biggest first magnitude springs in the country and the world, but I've heard that the Nestle company has opened a bottled water plant not too far away that takes about one fourth of the water that used to flow from this spring. It's a shame that the state would allow that to happen. This used to be a wilderness area known mostly only to the locals. It would never be crowded and in my opinion it had a much better atmosphere and it was FREE. The natural appearance of this place has been greatly altered, but you wouldn't know it if you hadn't seen it years ago.The state, others who have owned the property, yankee overpopulation and the passage of time have not been kind to this place and to the other springs and natural wonders of the world that are located in Florida. As a proud southerner, seeing what has happened to our culture and with much of the beauty of our states over time...

I am only giving the spring a 4 out of 5 stars because the spring was flooded out. The park itself was very clean and beautiful.

The swimming area for this spring under normal conditions would have been a nice little swim area. I will say it is smaller than many of the springs in the area. However, when water levels are lower, many people in the area prefer this spring for swimming.

The park has plenty of parking, and the walkways to the spring are well taken care of and provide a nice view of the spring and river. There are some trails off the spring walkway that will take you down to the river.

The bathrooms are clean and picnic area is perfect for a nice family picnic. This spring is popular for divers, and this spring provides plenty of equipment platforms.

The entrance to the park costs $5. Well, worth a fun day at this beautiful spring. You might want to call ahead to make sure the spring is not browned out from flooding of the Withlacoochee River. This park does allow dogs on a leash at all times. However, they are not allowed in the swimming area. Leash length can not be more than 6 feet.

I would definitely recommend this spring for a nice family get-together and a fun day of swimming when the spring is clear and the river is...

We stopped by Blue Springs and we were pleasantly surprised by the views it hosts. The blue and green water was very beautiful, and we would have been remised if we didn't stop to take some photographs of it. The park has lots of shade available for its guests, bathrooms, and benches. Although the park isn't very big for terrestrial exploring, the underwater cave diving system is quite vast, so we hear. We had the pleasure of seeing some divers come up from an excursion. It appears the park caters to divers and offers a large wooden staircase that descends to the water, making it easier for them to carry their gear down. They also have tables at the top of the stairs for their gear to be loaded/off-loaded into their vehicles. A diver's paradise I'm sure. Swimming is allowed even if you aren't diving - and again, the water is gorgeous! Well worth a stop, especially if you like to swim or nature photography. Things to consider: Bring your swimsuit and a towel. The water is extremely cold as it is spring fed. Photographers may want to get there early if they want to avoid having people in their photos –...