A few weeks ago I spent a few days in Tampa. While there, we decided to take a short trip up to Spring Hill to spend the day kayaking the Weeki Wachee River (which actually means “winding river”). One of the girls I was with had two kayaks so all we had to do was find a place to launch them. 

Kayaking Down The Week Wachee River

After a little bit of research, we found a place called Paddling Adventures, which is located in the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. For a small fee of $10, you can launch your own kayak or paddle board and catch a shuttle back to the launch site with the company. If you just want to launch the kayak, it only costs $6 — Some people choose to just paddle halfway and then turn back around and avoid the need for shuttle at the end.

We took off down the 5. 5 miles of crystal clear river, which should take you three hours without stopping, around 11 AM. The beginning of the river runs through the state park, so you can’t get out of your boat to swim. After about a half a mile, the river exits the park and you’re permitted to get out and take a dip.

Throughout the 5.5 miles are rope swings and places to jump from trees. I’m not usually someone who looks to do these things, but I figured I’d face my fears and I swung from a rope swing and then jumped from 20 feet up in the air into the gorgeous blue water.

Perhaps the best part of the day was when we were coming close to the end and spotted a family of manatees. It was incredible to swim right up next to them. 

I really do suggest spending the day doing this. We stopped several times, and kayaking the whole river probably took us about 4 and a half hours. We enjoyed our day, got a good workout kayaking and got to see gorgeous wildlife while spending the day in nature.