[Silver Springs State Park]

The excitement for this trip had been building in our house for weeks. This part of Florida is so gorgeous and underrated (in my opinion), and I couldn’t wait to get there. I just knew, from the weather, the trees, and the clear water waiting for us—it was going to be an amazing time. Silver Springs, FL is fairly close to where we live, and since we were only staying two nights, I didn’t plan to pack much. But somehow, the two days before we left turned out to be wildly stressful.

First, when we went to pick up the camper from storage, the electrical port that connects the truck to the camper stopped working, after we got it all hitched up. This controls the brake system. Then, the morning before we were supposed to leave, we finally found someone who could repair the electrical issue, only to discover the hitch was completely cracked. We had to replace it last-minute. If that wasn’t enough, there were wildfire warnings along our route, and while we were on the trip, the back window of the truck refused to roll up, so we taped it shut. [Check out the pictures of all our mishaps!]

We seriously considered canceling more than once, but we were determined not to let it stop us. With one night left to pack and prep the camper—and maybe a few tears (ha!)—we somehow got it together and hit the road the next morning.

PREPPING We gave ourselves two days to pack up the camper, clean it, and take care of everything we needed to get ready. But let’s be honest, everything takes longer when you have a baby. It’s not a bad thing, just something you have to plan for. In the end, we only had one evening and the early morning to get it all done, but somehow, we pulled it off. I packed one bag of clothes for Lilah and a shared bag for Kevin and me. I always like to bring an extra outfit for each planned one—just in case! You never know what’ll happen when you're outdoors, and with a baby. Luckily, our camper is already stocked with essentials like towels, kitchen supplies, blankets, and pillows, so we didn’t have to pack much beyond clothes and the extras we knew we’d want outside.

Some of our must-haves we did bring. (Check out the Useful Items page for links!):

Bug spray, sunscreen, outdoor towels, small grill, citronella candles, long dog leash & waste bags, camping chairs, outside playpen, firewood (We like to bring our own within state lines—it’s usually cheaper than what campgrounds charge.)

Traveler Tip: It’s illegal to transport firewood across state lines due to the risk of spreading invasive pests. Always try to use up what you have before traveling to another state. We’ve even had a campground check our firewood once! Most places sell it onsite, so when in doubt, buy local.

Fun Fact: Traveler trailers are the most popular type of RV as of 2021.

ON THE ROAD From our experience, towing a camper usually adds about two extra hours to whatever the GPS says—so I always build that into our travel time. If we get there earlier than expected, even better! This drive was super smooth. Luke sat up front with Kevin, while I rode in the back with Lilah. He’s pretty spoiled, he had the most room of all of us! We were on the highway for most of the trip and only stopped once for gas. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but stopping for gas with a camper always makes me anxious, I have this recurring fear we’ll get stuck trying to pull out. (So far, that’s never actually happened, thankfully!) Lilah did amazing on the ride. She napped, we read books, sang songs, and she ate in her car seat when she got hungry. We also stopped at a rest area to eat lunch, let the dog stretch his legs, everyone used the bathroom, diaper change and just take a little breather. One thing I really appreciate about Florida rest areas is that they usually post how many parking spots are left for trucks and RVs right on the highway signs before you pull in. It takes so much of the guesswork out!

We went grocery shopping before we left, so the fridge was stocked with easy-to-grab meals. I made an orzo pasta salad and we had ingredients for turkey sandwiches. I also always meal prep if we’re staying at a campground without sewer hookups, so we don’t use a lot of water cleaning dishes.

Traveler Tip: You can’t stay overnight at Florida rest areas, but you’re allowed to stay for up to three hours. It’s the perfect amount of time to have lunch, refresh, and hit the road again.

CAMPGROUND Silver Springs campground was incredibly well maintained and clean, everything I look for in a campsite, it had. Finding the campground at first was a bit tricky since it’s not located at the main park entrance. It’s actually on the road just before the main entrance and, for some reason, GPS wasn’t directing us correctly. Once you know where to go, it’s easy to find and navigate. We were greeted by a very friendly ranger, she gave us maps of the campground and the main part of the park, explained how the trails were laid out, how to get to our campsite, and even gave our dog, Luke, a little treat! We arrived about an hour after check in was allowed and the whole process was fast and easy. There were two loops for RV’s and tents both. There are 59 sites total. The max length for RV’s is 50 feet. All sites had water and electric (30 + 50 amp) hookups, and only 12 sites had full hookups. A dump station was available to use when arriving or leaving. I was very impressed at how private each one seemed. There was ample space in between sites, and you were surrounded by beautiful trees. The restrooms were clean; the dumpsters easily accessible. They also have cabins to rent if you don’t have an RV or tent, our friends stayed in one recently and said if had two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a wraparound screened in porch and a firepit. They also have a playground area for children. I was just very impressed overall by our stay there; I don’t have one complaint about this campground.

At night we had a campfire, Lilah’s first! We seemed to be the only ones in the campground still awake at 8 p.m. We ate dinner together on the picnic table, and I put Lilah to bed and came back out to enjoy the fire (while obsessively staring at the baby camera, ha!) Fireflies lit up in between the trees all around us and it felt magical. We took family walks around the campground as much as we could. It was chilly in the mornings, we needed a coat, and it was mid-April!

Traveler tip: Make sure you have the ID of the person whose name is on the reservation handy because most state parks will ask to see it!

Fun Fact: Silver Springs was Florida’s first tourist attraction dating back to 1870.

ACTIVITIES This park offers a variety of trails separated by use: hiking, equestrian, and water. I loved how easy it was to read the map of trails, and on their website, it describes each one so well, you know exactly what you’re getting into. Sometimes I feel like we can find a trail but then no useful information about it and we have to go search for it on AllTrails. This was definitely not the case. All the hiking trails intertwined together, and you can choose your path at the crossroads. There were benches, a picnic table, and a station with a map where the trails met—super convenient. The color-coded markers along the paths made it easy to navigate.

Where trails meet up and you can pick your path

We hiked the River Trail (1.3 miles) and the Sandhill Trail (1.7 miles), which are the two shortest out the seven trails. We figured those would be best for Lilah since this was our first “real” hike away from home. I was so impressed with her, she did amazing! She got a little fussy towards the end on both trails, but I knew her wake window was coming to an end and bottle and nap time were calling her name! (I mean, I would get fussy as well if I was tired!). The trailheads were all in the campground area, so we only had a two-minute drive back to our site, super easy! l would recommend doing any of these trails before noon just because of the heat. Florida can get HOT!

The Sandhill Trail did not have much shade the entire time and the River Trail had a stretch of it with no shade. I must say I thought these two trails were so beautiful and they both exceeded my expectations. It made me sad we didn’t have time to do the other trails. When we first stepped onto the River Trail it felt like we entered a jungle and the warning sign about the monkeys definitely added to that. There were also two overlook points of the springs that were a really nice surprise on the River Trail. It was one of those hikes that made me fall in love with Florida all over again.

The next day we headed over to the day use area, and honestly, it felt like we were pulling up to a theme park—ha-ha! From the moment we parked everything had that big attraction energy: the layout of the parking lot, the large banner like sign that said “Florida’s Silver Springs” welcoming you in, to the giant trees towering the entrance, to the ticket booth and even the kiosks selling merchandise. It felt exciting and gave off fun theme park vibes.

We got into the park for free because we were staying there but otherwise it was a reasonable $2 fee. They are famous for their glass bottom boat tours, which we sadly did not go on. I wasn’t too sure if it was a good fit for Lilah just yet, being on a boat with strangers, but it looked beautiful, and we would definitely go next time.

We walked the Allen Ross boardwalk trail, very stroller friendly by the way! Parts of it were closed for renovation, but we still got to see the clear spring water and guests that were kayaking and paddleboarding on it. I was actually shocked at how blue the water was. Spring was the perfect time to go as everything was bright green and blooming. It was breathtaking. A person paddleboarding by told of the manatees he had just passed. Kayak and canoe rentals were reasonably priced as well. We can’t wait for Lilah to be old enough to get out on the water with us!

The day use area also has a restaurant on site, an ice cream shop and a gift store. There’s also a museum that was closed that looked really fun for kids. We had a picnic at one of their tables strewn across the area with lunch we brought form the camper. We people watched as we ate our food, then drove a short distance back to our lovely campsite for the last night.

Traveler Trip: You can still get sunburnt when its cloudy outside, sunscreen is a MUST especially in Florida.

Fun Facts: In the 1930’s monkeys were brought into the park to attract more tourism, and they thrived in the environment and are still there today. Also, the early Tarzan movies were shot at Silver Springs!

LESSONS LEARNED One thing I wish I had figured out beforehand is a better system for making bottles on the road. It’s tricky—there’s no way to warm them up while driving, it gets messy fast, and I didn’t have a designated spot for the dirty ones. If anyone has tips for that, I’m all ears!

This was a much-needed trip for our family, and I am so glad we went. Florida state parks are notoriously hard to book because they fill up out months in advance. Residents do get to reserve sites a month earlier than out-of-state visitors, which helps—but even then, it’s not easy to get a spot at the more popular campgrounds. This campground randomly had a couple nights open, and I jumped on it. I’m so glad I did. I wanted Lilah’s first camping experience to be something special, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better one. Next time, I’ll be more prepared for bottle duty on the go—but hey, we’re learning as we go! I’ll be sharing more of our stories this summer, I love being able to spend quiet moments with my family, and if you have anything to share too—feel free to let me know!