Today Ryan and I decided to take advantage of our new hometown and head out to one of the local springs.
Springs are the best! The water is crystal clear so there’s no worrying about alligators (for the most part) and people are always in a great mood, enjoying time with family and friends while soaking up some sun and barbequing delicious food.
Ocala is located close to a handful of gorgeous springs and we can’t wait to visit all of them now that we’re living here.
Today we drove out to Juniper Springs for some fun in the sun.
A bunch of people apparently had the same idea we did. Juniper Springs was hoppin’!
We spent the majority of our time at the springs watching people jump off a ledge into the water.
We saw cannonball after cannonball. Ryan and I both thought some of the kids needed cannonball lessons. You have to lean back a little bit when you cannonball for the optimal splash. Plunging straight into the water doesn’t make nearly as big of a splash as one with a lean. Rookie mistake.
Some of the kids had some great tricks while others did the tricks Ryan and I dubbed the “non-trick tricks.” You know, the ones you used to do when you were little and wanted to do something fun before you had the guts to try anything too scary?
- The pencil: Jump straight off the board as stiff as can be
- The walk off: Nonchalantly walk off the diving board like you didn’t know it was there
- The 360: Jump off the board and spinning around in the air
Remember those? 
Any other “non-trick tricks” I’m forgetting about?
Eventually we had enough of the sun and headed off to the grocery store to pick up goodies for the week and some sushi for dinner before driving back to the hotel.
Brown rice sushi is the cat’s meow. Love it!
Off to try to get into The Glass Castle. I’m really tryin’ here…
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How did I live in Florida for 2 years and know nothing about these springs!? That looks gorgeous!
Mmm brown rice sushi = awesome!
Dangggg girl that place is popppin! I love sushi more than life itself. Especially spicy shrimp rolls. mmm.
In light of your date night…here’s something to think about, the most romantic date I went on was in college…you can go on Moonlight canoe trips out of Gainesville.
You can google moonlight paddles –adventure outpost is where I think we went.
You could also get a B&B in Micanopy.
Oooh what a neat idea. Thank you!
I couldn’t get into the Glass Castle either. I tried twice!
LOL–the title juniper springs made me think of the show “big love”…when i read it i literally thought “holy sh*t, that place is real? in florida?” silliness lol…it looks like a lot of fun, confusing name aside!
I thought the same thing! Then realized Juniper Creek was the compound on the show. haha!
ahaha i know i had to look it up(so im foolish lol)…whatever i’d rather go to this place anyway!
haha the pencil was the first one i thought of! i used to do a mean pencil
I started that book three times before I finally got into it and finished it, it was an amazing story and I am so glad I read it! Hope you like it!
A recommendation for the future if you haven’t read it, Water for Elephants.
I’m a stay in the water and tread… whereas my hubby likes to splash all the kids and school them how it is done! The Rope is the popular thing here, my kids always try and get a good ski on the water lately 🙂 Last time I tried it I ended up with less skin on my pinky, and nice rope burn on my thighs… apparently you aren’t supposed to hold on for dear life?!?
Haha these all sound so familiar although I was never brave enough to try the 360!
What a great thing to have in your area! Lucky you 🙂
I was a scaredy-cat as a kid .. I would have been the one tentatively inching myself into the water with my nose plugged, while everyone else around me was doing canonballs! 😛
Clearly I need to move to Florida! That is absolutely beautiful!
Wow – looks like a fun Sunday! There is a place in Austin that looks SO much like that – it’s called Barton Springs! xoxo
The Glass Castle – that book is pretty depressing 🙁 sorry – I wished you had picked something else. But it does get a little better…maybe. Lol.
The Glass Castle is a great book, just a bit slow in the beginning but worth it if you stick with it! Those springs look awesome
Wow the Springs look like a beautiful place!
Keep trying, The Glass Castle is worth it! 🙂
Hi! I found your blog a little bit ago, and really like it!
I used to do cartwheels off the diving board. That was my non trick! Then I learned how to do a flip into a dive and that became my signature move. Oh the good ole days….
Poor Glass House…. probably having trouble standing up to page turners like The Hunger Games, memoirs can be like that. Keep fighting the good fight.
All books aside, though, I have never heard of these “springs” other than hot springs, and the water looks LOVELY! That’s crazy that it’s so clear, yet right by the grass (as a beach-goer primarily, my mind is sufficiently blown.)
Brown rice sushi TOTALLY is the cat’s meow! I LOVE it! 🙂
I love that you called out the “non trick tricks” …. I was totally one of those kids. Occasionally at the pool I would pretend to dive by kneeling and putting my arms out and flopping into the water.
My cousin and I used to pretend to push the other off the diving board. Drove my grandmother crazy. We loved it!