Silver Springs Glass Bottom Boat Tours
Glass bottom boat tours have run at Silver Springs since the late 1870s, when the glass-bottom boat was invented here. This guide covers the 30- and 90-minute tours, prices, the 10 a.m. start, booking, accessibility and what passes beneath the glass.
Silver Springs glass bottom boat tours leave daily from Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd., east of Ocala, FL. On October 11, 2026 the 30-minute tour cost $17 for adults and $15 for seniors 55+ and children 3–12, and the 90-minute tour cost $35 and $30. Florida State Parks says tours begin at 10 a.m.; park admission is separate.
Where can you ride a glass bottom boat in Florida?
Glass bottom boat tours in Florida run year-round at Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Silver Springs, east of Ocala, where the glass-bottom boat was invented in the late 1870s. Thirty-minute tours cost $17 for adults and leave every 15 to 20 minutes from 10 a.m.; a 90-minute tour runs three times a day.
The tours are the signature experience of Silver Springs State Park and the reason most visitors come. Swimming is not permitted in the park, so the boats, along with a rented kayak, are how visitors see the springs: passengers stay completely dry while looking straight down through the glass floor into water clear enough to show the spring floor. Today Cape Leisure, the park concessionaire, runs the tours for the Florida Park Service from the dock at the main entrance on State Road 40. For hours, fees, trails and camping, see the Silver Springs State Park guide; for every fee in one place, see Silver Springs tickets and prices.
Silver Springs State Park at a Glance
Boat Dock Address
Main entrance, 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd, Silver Springs, FL 34488 (State Road 40)
Phone
Boat tours and rentals (352) 261-5840; park ranger station (352) 236-7149
Park Hours
8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year; boat tours begin at 10 a.m.
Park Admission (separate from boat tickets)
Concessionaire: $2 per person at the ticket booth. Florida State Parks fee page: $8 per vehicle (2–8 people), $5 single occupant, $2 pedestrian or extra passenger. Check at the gate.
Silver Springs State Park Glass Bottom Boat Tours: Prices and Schedule
Two tours leave from the main boat dock inside Silver Springs State Park. Prices below were listed on silversprings.com and the Florida State Parks fee page on October 11, 2026; park admission is charged separately at the gate.
30-Minute Glass Bottom Boat Tour
A 30-minute narrated ride over the head spring area, passing above Mammoth Spring and the nearby feeder springs. Captains point out the springs, the wildlife and the history visible through the glass floor.
Adults: $17
Seniors (55+): $15
Children (3–12): $15
Youngest children: Free (concessionaire: 2 and under; state: under 2)
Schedule: Every 15–20 minutes, 365 days a year, beginning at 10 a.m. per Florida State Parks. Subject to change and to weather cancellations.
90-Minute Extended River Tour
A longer trip on the Silver River, three times the length of the standard tour, with more time on the water to look for wildlife. Only three departures a day, and the concessionaire says reservations should be made in advance.
Adults: $35
Seniors (55+): $30
Children (3–12): $30
Youngest children: Free (concessionaire: 2 and under; state: under 2)
Schedule: 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily
Booking a Silver Springs glass bottom boat tour
The concessionaire recommends reservations because tours often sell out, and sells a limited number of walk-in seats each day on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are booked online at silversprings.com or by phone at 352-261-5840. Passengers should arrive at least 30 minutes before departure and check in at the ticket booth, where park admission is paid.
Pets are not allowed on the boats (service dogs are permitted), and food is not allowed on board, though beverages in a container with a lid or cap are fine.
What You See on a Silver Springs Glass Bottom Boat Ride
Florida State Parks says more than 30 springs have been documented in the upper part of the Silver River, and the glass bottom boat rides float directly over the largest of them. Here is what passes under the glass.
Mammoth Spring
The head spring of the Silver River and the largest of the springs the boats float over.
Fish, Turtles and Alligators
Florida State Parks says the river is home to alligators, turtles and many species of fish; the concessionaire describes countless fish species beneath the boats.
Manatees (Sometimes)
Manatees are occasional visitors to the Silver River, mostly in winter. Treat a sighting as a bonus, not a given.
Artifacts
The park concessionaire says Native American and Spanish artifacts can be seen on the spring floor.
Hollywood Props
Underwater movie props from the days when Hollywood productions were filmed at the park, per the concessionaire.
Spring Vents and Grasses
Feeder springs where groundwater flows up into the river, surrounded by underwater grasses and the sandy spring bottom.
Tips for Your Glass Bottom Boat Ride
Book ahead and arrive early. The park opens at 8 a.m. and Florida State Parks says boat tours begin at 10 a.m. Tours often sell out, so reserve online and arrive at least 30 minutes before the departure time.
Use the right entrance. The boats leave from the main entrance on State Road 40 at 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd. The campground, cabins, trails and the Silver River Museum use a separate entrance off Baseline Road (County Road 35), so a GPS pointed at the campground will miss the dock.
Pair the boat with a paddle. Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards rent at the main entrance from the same concessionaire, and the Fort King paddling trail is a 1.1-mile round-trip loop around Ross Allen Island. Paddlers must yield to the glass bottom boats, which have the right of way. See the Silver Springs kayaking guide.
Manatees are a bonus, not a given. Manatees are occasional visitors to the Silver River, mostly in winter, so a winter ride gives the best (still small) chance of seeing one. The wild rhesus monkeys live along the river, not at the dock; keep a distance and never feed them.
Bring a camera. The water clarity makes for striking photos through the glass, and a polarizing filter cuts glare on the glass panels.
Glass Bottom Boat Tours in Florida: How Silver Springs Compares
Florida has only a handful of places to ride a glass bottom boat, and Silver Springs is the original. The Florida State Parks description of the park states plainly that glass bottom boats were invented here. The other state-park option is in salt water: Florida State Parks says many visitors to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo view its coral reefs on a glass-bottom boat tour, with park admission of $8 per vehicle plus 50 cents per person. In the Panhandle, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park runs guided riverboat tours, but Florida State Parks posted on October 10, 2026 that boat tours there are currently unavailable.
For Central Florida visitors, that makes the Silver Springs State Park glass bottom boat tours the practical choice: a freshwater spring run, a 10 a.m. start every day of the year, a 30-minute ride for $17, and a location 20 minutes from downtown Ocala and about 90 minutes from Orlando or Tampa (see how far Ocala is from Orlando). Other springs near Ocala, including Rainbow Springs, Juniper Springs and Alexander Springs, offer swimming and paddling but no glass bottom boats.
The History of Glass Bottom Boat Rides in Florida
According to the park's history page, Silver Springs became a tourist attraction in the 1820s, when adventurous visitors poled their way up the narrow river under overhanging cypress and Spanish moss. With the arrival of the paddlewheel, the Silver River became a distribution center for Central Florida, and plantations growing vegetables, tobacco and oranges sprang up along the banks as nearby Ocala grew.
In the late 1870s, Phillip Morrell fixed a piece of glass in the bottom of a rowboat so visitors could look down into the spring, and, in Florida State Parks' words, a new enterprise began. The Silver River's glass bottom boat tours have been world famous for more than 100 years. The headsprings area was run privately as an attraction for most of the 20th century; on October 1, 2013, the Florida Park Service took over its management, added 231 acres and the glass bottom boats to what had been Silver River State Park, and renamed the whole park Silver Springs State Park.
The Hollywood connection runs just as deep. In the 1930s and early 1940s, Tarzan films starring Johnny Weissmuller used the springs as a stand-in for jungle rivers, and the concessionaire says underwater props from the park's filming days can still be seen from the boats.
Hollywood at Silver Springs
Tarzan (1930s–1940s)
Tarzan films starring Johnny Weissmuller used Silver Springs as a jungle river location. The clear water and lush vegetation stood in for an African setting.
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The Universal horror film was partly shot at Silver Springs, and its underwater scenes showed off the clarity that made the springs famous.
Sea Hunt (TV)
Episodes of the underwater TV series Sea Hunt were filmed at Silver Springs; the park's Sea Hunt Deck at the main entrance is named for it. Florida State Parks says the deck has been closed since October 23, 2025.
The Silver Springs Glass Bottom Boat Fleet
Silver Springs operates a fleet of nine glass bottom boats, each fitted with glass viewing panels in the floor so passengers can look straight down into the spring. Tours are narrated by the boat captains, who point out the springs' history and wildlife. Florida State Parks notes that all other vessels on the river must yield to the glass bottom boats, which have the right of way.
The Chief Potackee is the fleet's wheelchair-accessible vessel. It operates weather permitting, may be closed in windy conditions, and is booked by choosing a time slot marked "Wheelchair Accessible" and seats marked "with wheelchair." The other boats are historic and cannot take wheelchairs aboard, though guests who can transfer to a seat are welcome and staff will assist.
Silver Springs Glass Bottom Boat Tour FAQ
How much does a Silver Springs glass bottom boat tour cost?
On October 11, 2026, both silversprings.com (Cape Leisure, the park concessionaire) and the Florida State Parks fee page listed the 30-minute glass bottom boat tour at $17 for adults and $15 for seniors 55 and over and children 3 to 12, and the 90-minute tour at $35 for adults and $30 for seniors and children 3 to 12. The youngest children ride free (the concessionaire says 2 and under; Florida State Parks says under 2). Park admission is charged separately at the gate.
Is park admission included in the glass bottom boat ticket?
No. Boat tickets and park admission are separate. The concessionaire's glass bottom boat page says guests check in at the ticket booth on arrival and pay a $2 per person state park admission. The Florida State Parks fee page for Silver Springs lists admission as $8 per vehicle (two to eight people), $5 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle, and $2 per pedestrian, bicyclist or extra passenger. Because the two official sources list the fee differently, visitors should expect either and check at the gate.
What time do Silver Springs glass bottom boat tours start?
Florida State Parks says glass bottom boat tours are offered daily and begin at 10 a.m., with both 30-minute and 90-minute tours available. The concessionaire says the 30-minute tours run every 15 to 20 minutes, 365 days a year, and the 90-minute extended tour departs daily at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Schedules are subject to change and to cancellation in bad weather. The park itself is open 8 a.m. to sundown every day of the year.
How long is the Silver Springs glass bottom boat tour?
There are two tours. The standard tour lasts about 30 minutes and leaves every 15 to 20 minutes. The extended tour lasts 90 minutes and leaves three times a day, at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Both depart from the dock at the main entrance, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Silver Springs, FL 34488.
What will you see on a glass bottom boat ride at Silver Springs?
The boats float over Mammoth Spring, the head spring of the Silver River, and other feeder springs; Florida State Parks says more than 30 springs have been documented in the upper part of the river. Through the glass you see fish, turtles, underwater grasses and the sandy spring floor, and the concessionaire says the tours also pass Native American and Spanish artifacts and underwater movie props from the park's Hollywood days. Florida State Parks notes the river is also home to alligators. Manatees are occasional, mostly winter visitors, so treat one as a bonus.
Do you need reservations for the Silver Springs glass bottom boats?
Reservations are recommended because tours often sell out, according to the concessionaire. A limited number of walk-in seats are sold each day on a first-come, first-served basis. Book online at silversprings.com or call 352-261-5840, and arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. Extended 90-minute tour reservations should be made in advance.
Are the glass bottom boats wheelchair accessible?
Yes, on one boat. The Chief Potackee is the wheelchair-accessible vessel in the fleet of nine; it operates weather permitting and may be closed in windy conditions. To book it, choose a time slot marked "Wheelchair Accessible" and select seats marked "with wheelchair." The concessionaire cannot accommodate wheelchairs on the other, historic boats, though guests who can transfer aboard are welcome and staff will assist.
Can you swim at Silver Springs, or bring pets and food on the boats?
Swimming is not permitted at Silver Springs State Park, so the glass bottom boats (or a rented kayak) are how visitors see the springs. Pets are not allowed on the boats, though service dogs are permitted. Food is not allowed on board; beverages are allowed in a container with a lid or cap.
Where else can you ride a glass bottom boat in Florida?
Florida State Parks says John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo offers glass-bottom boat tours over its coral reefs. Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park near Tallahassee runs guided riverboat tours, but Florida State Parks posted on October 10, 2026 that boat tours there are currently unavailable. Silver Springs, where the glass-bottom boat was invented, is the only one of the three in Central Florida and the only one within a 20-minute drive of Ocala.
Prices, hours and schedule on this page were checked on October 11, 2026 against the park concessionaire's glass bottom boat page, the Florida State Parks hours and fees page and the Silver Springs State Park page. Prices and schedules are subject to change; confirm before you go.
Explore More at Silver Springs & Ocala
Silver Springs State Park
Full park guide including kayaking, hiking, picnicking, and wildlife viewing beyond the boat tours.
Silver Springs Kayaking
Clear kayak tours, standard rentals, and the 5-mile Silver River paddle route.
Silver Springs Monkeys
Wild rhesus macaque colony history, safety tips, and best viewing methods.
Silver Springs Tickets & Prices
Admission fees, tour pricing and rental prices in one place.
Silver Springs Camping
59 campsites, cabin rentals, amenities, and reservation info.
Manatees at Silver Springs
When manatees occasionally reach the Silver River, mostly in winter.
See Silver Springs from Below the Surface
The glass bottom boat was invented at Silver Springs, and the tours still leave the same head spring every day of the year. Book a seat, arrive 30 minutes early and look down.
Explore More Ocala Springs
Marion County is the spring capital of Florida — keep planning with these guides to first-magnitude springs, river adventures, and waterfront experiences nearby.
Paseos en bote con fondo de cristal en Silver Springs
Los botes con fondo de cristal de Silver Springs State Park salen todos los días del muelle de la entrada principal, en 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Silver Springs, FL 34488, al este de Ocala sobre la carretera estatal 40. El paseo de 30 minutos cuesta $17 para adultos y $15 para mayores de 55 años y niños de 3 a 12; el paseo extendido de 90 minutos cuesta $35 y $30, y los niños más pequeños viajan gratis (precios del 11 de octubre de 2026). Los paseos de 30 minutos salen cada 15 a 20 minutos a partir de las 10 a.m., y el paseo de 90 minutos sale a las 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. y 1:30 p.m. El parque abre de 8 a.m. al anochecer los 365 días del año; la entrada al parque se paga por separado en la taquilla. Se recomienda reservar en silversprings.com o al 352-261-5840 y llegar 30 minutos antes de la salida.