Rainbow Springs State Park Visitor Center — Attraction in Ocala

Do not waste your time trying to rent a kayak or paddle board here. It was so bad that I felt the need to leave a bad review, which I’ve never done in my life until now. The operation is so ridiculously unorganized, my boyfriend and I wasted so much time just to give up in the end because we were so aggravated with the entire thing. You will spend too long in line, just to be told you need something that was not posted on any signs or the website, and have to go back to the line and wait all over again because of “no reservations”. You don’t pay until after you are out of the water, and there is no instruction on any of this, so I saw people who ended up having to wait in the line to pay (which added time to their clock and money to their payment). None of the staff know a thing and there is barely staff available for any questions or information necessary due to the lack of information on signs or the website. There is so much confusion. I recommend Weeki Wachee instead for rentals, process was SO seamless compared to this. No wait, no confusion, knowledgeable staff, and better pricing. Also, the park was somewhat crowded and overstimulating, though I understand this is not the fault of the park itself, just affected the experience. Terrible experience overall. However, the park itself and the water is absolutely beautiful. Price is amazing, I can’t say I wasted any money. There is a great little swimming area, not crowded at all. For these reasons I gave it another star, to be fair. I would not return unless the rentals system was improved (which is not rocket science by the way) or I had my own vessel. I would be willing to give this park a second chance if things...

Rainbow springs is not what it used to be when my dad would take me there 13 years ago, I take my kids there and it's a nice walking trail and beautiful water but that is all. the entrance bridge over the water is out of service, there use to be snakes on showcase at the entrance, not for a long time now, and the concession was closed on a weekday, there were multiple water falls closed down, the gift shop has been set back to minimum hours it seems because it was closed, there is alot more foliage gathering into the mouthe of the headspring than there used to be. These are some childhood memories lost due to lack of maintenance. However they did install a new restroom closer to the swimming area with handicapped railing running down the hill. I'm thinking of volunteering just to help the park thrive, someone please save rainbow springs state park, Bring this attraction back to life in Dunnellon/Ocala. The place has so...

The attendant at the front was rude. Don't forget anything in your vehicle. You have to stand in the long line to be let back through. Even if you've already paid. The canoe and kayak stand is horribly managed. We stood in line for an hour, and as soon as it was our turn it decided to lightning and we were told we'd have to wait 30 more minutes before they'd let us go out. They only help one group of 4-5 people at a time. What that means is they only let 4-5 people complete the form, try on life vests, and pay at a time. Everyone has to wait for each group to finish before they start the next group. It takes 15-30 minutes per group. They should have a QR code that you can scan and fill out while you wait, or at least let you complete the form before you get to the front of the line. The facilities themselves were nice and well taken care of, but the management...