Divers who come to Blue Grotto often travel with non-diving family or friends. As should come as no surprise, these folks will not want to sit around all day while you dive.
Fortunately, there are at least ten places within 45 minutes of the Grotto where they can go and do things while you dive. Or they can wait until after you dive, and you can all go together.
Seven of these opportunities involve staying on dry land. If your non-diving companions snorkel, there are three additional places they can go. These are all spots you may want to visit even if you are not traveling with non-divers.
This article provides a brief overview of each of these ten places with links to where you can learn more. Just remember: The happier you keep the non-divers in your group, the more accommodating they will be when you want to come back.
Two Tails Ranch (13 minutes away)
Two Tails Ranch is the region’s only elephant sanctuary. They provide a home and care for elephants in need. Some elephants stay temporarily; others become permanent residents.
To help fund their efforts, the ranch provides guided tours to families and small groups. You can find all the details on their website.
Kirby Family Farm (6 minutes away)
The Kirby family has turned the 110-acre farm into a nonprofit educational attraction for families — especially families with kids. The centerpiece of the farm is a actual steam locomotive from the 1800s. Lovingly restored, it provides visitors with the opportunity the ride the rails the way people did over a century ago.
Prior to World War II, steam locomotives were the primary way most Floridians got from Point A to Point B. It’s a concept most of today’s kids can’t grasp.
Kirby Family Farm offers a variety of specialized programs throughout the year. You can learn more on their website.
Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens (6 minutes away)
The 20 acres of Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens was originally a 110+-year-old limestone quarry. It had long since been abandoned. Twenty-seven years of hard work transformed what had once been an unsightly blemish into the breathtaking botanical gardens you see today.
Dr. Raymond Webber and a small team of workers created different islands throughout the quarry. They added concrete walkways, separate pools, waterfalls, pavilions, gazebos and bridges made of Brazilian walnut. The result is what you see today.
The Gardens’ website gives the history of the property along with a detailed description of the many things to see and do.
Red White and Blues Farm (9 minutes away)
Red White and Blues Farm is a working farm you can visit in season. You can pick your own strawberries, blueberries and peaches. There are annual Strawberry and Fall Festivals with live music. arts, crafts and activities. Berry-themed food and drink is available year-round.
The farm’s website will keeps you up to date with events and activities as well as a guide to the many activities available.
Micanopy (27 minutes away)
Even if you have never been to Micanopy, you may have seen it on the big screen. The 1991 film Doc Hollywood with Michael J. Fox and Woody Harrelson was filmed here, along with 1983’s Cross Creek with Mary Steenburgen. Neither film does the town justice.
Micanopy is the oldest inland town in Florida. Founded in 1817, its history mirrors that of Florida itself. Most of the buildings are at least 100 years old. Several go back to the nineteenth century.
Today the town is home to a variety of antique and other shops. If you get hungry, there is the Old Florida Cafe. Visitors can easily spend a morning or afternoon shopping or just taking in the scenery.
If heading north on US-441 afterward, there is a pull-off where the highway crosses Payne’s Prairie (usually more of a swamp). From here, a walkway leads to an observation platform overlooking the “prairie.” Look down and, odds are, you will see at least one massive alligator.
Florida Museum of Natural History (31 minutes away)
Most of the fossils you see while diving Blue Grotto and other springs date from the Eocene Epoch, 56 to 34 million years ago. If you’ve wondered what Florida was like back then, you can experience it at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The museum’s exhibits include very lifelike (and life-sized) recreations of giant mammals. Creatures such as mammoths, giant ground sloths and saber-toothed cats will make you glad you weren’t alive back then.
There are also exhibits dedicated to Florida’s original inhabitants, the Clovis, Timucuan and Seminole people. A particularly popular exhibit is the Butterfly Rainforest.
The museum is located at the southwest corner of the University of Florida campus. It is easy to get to with ample metered parking.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park (38 minutes away)
In middle school, your assigned reading list may have contained The Yearling by Marjorie Kannan Rawlings. Or perhaps you saw the movie of the same name starring Gregory Peck.
Either way, you may have wondered what life was like in rural north Florida in the days before the interstates, the internet and The Mouse. Guess what? You can experience this world firsthand at Marjorie Kannan Rawlings State Park.
A National Historic Landmark, the park is located on the site of Rawling’s 72-acre farm. Rawling’s house has been preserved much as it was during the 25 years she lived there. There are numerous exhibits and tours that will help you step back to a simpler time.
Devil’s Den (6 minutes away)
Although a favorite among visiting scuba divers, Devil’s Den is best known as a snorkeling destination. It’s unique among Florida springs in that you must first go underground before entering the water.
The site is rich in both fish and fossils. During mid-day, light streaming in through the overhead opening creates dramatic effects.
To avoid any semblance of crowding, the Den limits snorkelers to no more than 25 at one time. Snorkelers must make reservations before coming, even if accompanying scuba divers.
Because it is also a scuba diving site, Devil’s Den is somewhere everyone in your group can go together. Its proximity to Blue Grotto means you can easily do both sites in one day.
Rainbow River (31 minutes away)
Rainbow River is yet another site with which you are most likely familiar. What is significant for this list is how shallow the river is.
While depths occasionally reach 20 feet, they are usually just six to eight feet. This means snorkelers can see nearly as much from the surface as they can underwater.
Starting from KP Hole County Park, the Rainbow River water taxi can take you and your group a mile upstream before entering the water. From here, the drift back to your starting point takes around an hour. While divers hug the bottom, snorkelers can remain overhead.
Because of boat traffic, dive flags are essential. Bring one with you and keep everyone as close to it as possible.
Crystal River (43 minutes away)
What trip to north Florida would be complete without the opportunity to snorkel with nature’s gentle giants? Swimming with manatees is purely a snorkeling activity. As such, it’s something everyone in your group can do together.
Manatees now inhabit Crystal River year-round. However, the best time to see them is between late October and early March.
Choose a tour operator who will get you out on the water as early as possible. This will help ensure you have the sites largely to yourselves. Once the crowds start arriving, the manatees generally leave.