Silver Springs State Park formerly known as Silver River State Park is an extremely nice place to spend a week or two. The campground is well-spaced out most of the sites have privacy screen with trees and bushes, water and electric. There are cabins as well. There is no swimming in the park but you can canoe, kayak and paddleboard up and down the Silver River. There is a Cracker Village that can be walked through and enjoyed on weekends you can visit the museum for only $2 per person. It is a fine little museum with exhibits of the area throughout time including Silver Springs. It is well worth the price. But it can only be visited on the weekends. During the week it is available to the local schools with science classrooms along the sidewalk. They also have volunteers dress in period pieces in the Cracker Village and give talks. Sadly, we were not there when they did this but it sounds fun.
The state park is located off State Road 35 and now has taken over Silver Springs Park. Silver Springs, Florida is really part of Ocala, Florida. There are lots of restaurants, grocery stores, camping and RV supplies all over the city. All the main roads within the park itself are paved. The shower/bathrooms are new, clean and roomy with lots of hot water. They even have washer/dryers for only $1 at each bathhouse. There are only two camping areas. They have lots of volunteers in residence as well as campground hosts. The trails are wide and well-marked. There are harder mountain bike trails leading through the forest. You can rent canoes and kayaks from the Forest Ranger Office and pick them up by the river.
There is a large playground area as well as a nice picnic area in the center of the park. The equipment is well maintained. The road leading into the park is fairly long and winding but that is fairly normal for most parks. I guess they want to keep you weaving around the bends to force drivers to go slowly and not run over any of the wildlife. We walked on several of the trails including the ones behind and around the campground areas. They are well marked and maintained as well. It is a little hard to get reservations on short notice in the camping area so plan ahead. During the week seems to be no major problems. Big rigs are certainly welcomed here as there are lots of pull-through sites.
****UPDATE NEWS 08/07/2017****
With all the changes being made to the park over the has 24 months some of this information is probably outdated. Once we get on the road again we will make sure to visit and get updated pictures and information
Silver Springs State Park a.k.a. Silver River State Park
1425 N.E. 58th Avenue
Ocala, Florida 34470
(352) 236-7148
https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Silver-Springs
Admission Fee:
$6.00 per vehicle. Limit 2-8 people per vehicle.
$4.00 Single Occupant Vehicle.
$2.00 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in the vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass.
$2.00 per person. Entrance to the Silver River Museum and Environmental Center, which is open weekends and major holidays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Children under six are free.
Pavilion Fee:
$40.00 plus tax: small pavilion rental.
$75.00 plus tax: large pavilion rental.
Regular park entry fees still apply.
Camping Fee:
$24.00 per night, plus tax. Includes water and electricity.
Florida residents who are 65 years of age or older or who hold a social security disability award certificate or a 100 percent disability award certificate from the Federal Government are permitted to receive a 50 percent discount on current base campsite fees. Proof of eligibility
Cabin Fee
$110.00 per night plus tax.
Primitive Youth Camping:
$1.00 per child per night.
$5.00 per adult/chaperone per night.
Canoe Rentals:
$7.00 per hour; one hour free to walk the river trail to and from launch.
Guided Trail Rides: Provided by a Visitor Service Provider
$40 plus tax for one hour.
$55 plus tax for two hours.
Museum $2 per person weekends only and Historical Village
Has 1 washer/dryer at each bathhouse $1
52 RV or Tent and 9 Cabins
38 Back-In 30Amp 4
50 Back-In 30Amp 25
50 Back-In 50Amp 2
50 Pull-Through 30Amp 15
50 Pull-Through 50Amp 6
WHERE TO GET WHAT YOU NEED
Gas
Quick & Easy Mart Corporation
5790 NE 7th St
Ocala, FL 34470
0.5 mi S
(352) 236-5662
Silver Springs Citgo
5420 E Silver Springs Blvd
Silver Springs, FL 34488
1.0 mi N
(352) 236-4326
Metro Food Mart
3818 NE 7th St
Ocala, FL 34470
1.9 mi W
(352) 694-5411
Murphy USA
4986 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
1.0 mi NW
(352) 236-2854
http://murphyusa.com
Propane
Central Florida AC & Auto Repair
5585 E Silver Springs Blvd
Silver Springs, FL 34488
1.2 mi N
(352) 236-5655
http://autorepairocalaflorida.com
Camping World
3550 S Pine Ave
Ocala, FL 34471
5.4 mi SW
(352) 342-9589
http://campingworld.com
Medical Services
Ocala Regional Medical Center
1431 SW 1st Avenue
Ocala, FL 34471
5.3 mi W
Marion Community Hospital
(352) 401-1000
http://ocalahealthsystem.com
Peppertree Walk-In Clinic in Peppertree Pointe Plaza
5850 SE 5th St
Ocala, FL 34472
1.3 mi S
(352) 624-3500
http://walkinclinicocala.com
Groceries
Publix Super Market at Forty East Shopping Center
3450 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
2.1 mi W
(352) 671-3443
http://publix.com
Mother Earth Market – Ocala/Marion Shopping Center
1917 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
3.7 mi W
(352) 351-5224
http://earthoriginsmarket.com
Restaurants
Silver Springs Restaurant
5300 E Silver Springs Blvd
Silver Springs, FL 34488
0.9 mi NW
(352) 236-5215
http://silverspringsrestaurant.com
Horse & Hound Restaurant
4620 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
1.1 mi W
(352) 690-6100
http://horseandhoundsrestaurant.com
McDonald’s
4880 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
0.9 mi NW
(352) 236-6669
http://mcdonalds.com
DAIRY QUEEN BRAZIER
Florida 40,
Silver Springs, FL 34488
1.0 mi NW
(352) 236-4747
http://dairyqueen.com
Subway
4920 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
1.0 mi NW
(352) 671-7600
http://subway.com
Steak ‘n Shake
5180 NE 24th St
Ocala, FL 34470
0.9 mi NW
(352) 438-0057
http://steaknshake.com
Bob Evans Restaurant
4985 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
1.0 mi NW
(352) 438-0230
http://bobevans.com
Arby’s
2150 NE 49th Court Rd
Ocala, FL 34470
1.0 mi NW
(352) 433-2111
http://arbys.com
Outback Steakhouse
4899 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
1.1 mi NW
(352) 236-0041
http://outback.com
Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q
4102 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
1.5 mi W
(352) 236-1012
http://sonnysbbq.com
Supplies
Walmart Supercenter
4980 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, FL 34470
0.9 mi NW
(352) 236-1188
http://walmart.com
Here is a Movie we created from the pictures of Silver River State Park
Our Pictorial Review of the Campground