Ginnie Springs is a popular place for watersports and camping.
A day at the springs
By MATTHEW A. GONZALEZ
Paradise 40 minutes outside of Gainesville
By LIDIA DINKOVA
UF students can find true paradise just 40 minutes outside of Gainesville.
Ginnie Springs Outdoors Campground & Dive Resort, located on 7300 N.E. Ginnie Springs Road, is made up of seven freshwater springs that run through an area of 200 acres of woodland, according to the resort's official Web site.
The water in the springs is discharged daily and remains at a temperature of 72 degrees throughout the year. The resort offers aquatic activities like scuba diving, canoeing and kayaking, according to the Web site.
Ginnie Springs is open every day of the year. One-day visitors may register from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or till 6 p.m. in the winter, while campers can enter the campgrounds at any time.
According to the springs Web site, the grounds have been left exactly as they were when the native Timucuan Indians lived there before European explorers arrived in the 1500s, giving visitors the chance to explore and splash in virgin land virtually untouched by man.
For more information, visit www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com