The Ichetucknee River is one of Florida's great natural wonders, a spring-fed ribbon of impossibly clear blue-green water winding six miles through hardwood forest and marsh in the heart of Ichetucknee Springs State Park, four miles northwest of Fort White. Fed by nine separate springs and holding a steady 72 degrees every day of the year, the river is a designated National Natural Landmark and the centrepiece of a 2,241-acre park that ranks among the most beloved in the state.

Tubing is the main event and a genuine Florida institution. From the end of May until early September, floating the Ichetucknee on an inner tube is the park's premier activity, with a tram shuttle and tube rentals making the logistics easy: you launch upstream and drift down through overhanging oaks and cypress, past turtles, fish and the occasional otter, in water so clear it barely looks like it's there. It's slow, cool, and about as pleasant as a summer afternoon gets.

Swimming and snorkelling centre on two spots, and the difference between them matters. The main Ichetucknee Spring is ideal for families, a gentle, gorgeous basin that's easy to enjoy with kids. Blue Hole Spring, the park's deepest, is a different proposition entirely. The park notes that Blue Hole is for experienced swimmers only, owing to its strong currents and considerable depth, and it deserves that respect; it's spectacular, and it isn't a casual dip.

Away from the water, three trails round out the park. The Blue Hole Trail is a half-mile walk through forest to the spring; Trestle Point Trail runs a mile, partly along the river; and the Pine Ridge Trail is a two-mile loop through sandhill and longleaf pine, some of Florida's most characteristic and increasingly rare habitat. Paddling the river by kayak or canoe is popular outside the tubing season.

The park is open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset, and the entry fee is modest at about six dollars per vehicle for up to eight people, or two dollars per person if you walk or bike in. Summer weekends fill fast and the park limits daily river users to protect the springs, so arriving early genuinely matters.

Come with water shoes, sun protection, a dry bag, and a willingness to be cold at first, since 72 degrees feels bracing on a 95-degree day. Do not bring disposable items onto the river, as the park works hard to keep it pristine. Between a six-mile float on gin-clear spring water, two swimming basins and a genuinely wild forest around it, the Ichetucknee is a Florida classic that entirely lives up to the reputation.