Silver Springs Amusement Park: History and What Became of It
The privately run Silver Springs attraction, from 1870s glass-bottom boats to the Nature Theme Park rides and Wild Waters, ended on Oct. 1, 2013. The land is now Silver Springs State Park.
By Darrin DeTorres, Only In Ocala · Published October 29, 2026 · Checked against Florida State Parks, the Florida Department of State and Department of Environmental Protection records
What Happened to the Silver Springs Amusement Park?
Silver Springs was never a conventional amusement park. It was a privately run attraction built around a first-magnitude spring and the glass-bottom boats that have toured it since the late 1870s. Over the decades its owners added a reptile institute, a jungle cruise, a Jeep Safari, animal exhibits, a carousel, a petting zoo and amusement rides. By the end, the property was known as the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park, a name the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) uses in its 2014 management plan for Silver Springs State Park.
The Department of State says the arrival of Walt Disney World drew guests away from attractions across the South and that new interstates bypassed older highway attractions. The concessionaire's history page says attendance declined steadily after Disney, SeaWorld and later Universal Studios entered the Florida market, and adds that the springs developed problems with fertilizer runoff and septic outflow that led to an overgrowth of brown algae.
On Oct. 1, 2013, the Florida Park Service acquired management of the headsprings area, according to Florida State Parks. The rides and captive animals were then removed, the Wild Waters water park closed in 2016, and the glass-bottom boats were kept. The site has been operated since as part of the state park.
The Site Today
5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd
Silver Springs, FL 34488
Open 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year. Admission is $8 per vehicle (two to eight people) or $2 for pedestrians and bicyclists, according to the park's hours and fees page, checked Oct. 29, 2026.
Visitors planning a trip can use the Silver Springs tickets guide and the things to do in Silver Springs page.
What Became of Each Part of the Attraction
The table below follows the main pieces of the old attraction. Statements about what was kept or removed come from the state's 2014 unit management plan amendment and from Florida State Parks.
| Attraction piece | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Glass-bottom boats | Still operating | Run by the park concessionaire inside Silver Springs State Park. The Department of State says they remain open to the public. |
| Amusement rides and Kids Ahoy Playland | Removed | The state's 2014 management plan lists "amusement rides" and "Kids Ahoy Playland" as facilities not essential to a state park, and its list of completed work includes "rides and captive animals removed." |
| Animal exhibits, petting zoo and Jeep Safari | Removed or slated for removal | The same plan lists animal exhibits and enclosures, the petting zoo and the Jeep Safari area for removal. It calls for former animal enclosures on Ross Allen Island to be taken out and the island recreated as an interpretive area. |
| Wild Waters water park | Closed 2016, demolished | Florida State Parks says the 8-acre park closed in 2016 and that its debris was recycled. About 190,000 square feet of impervious area was removed from the site. |
| Ross Allen Reptile Institute | One building left | The 2014 plan says only one Institute building remains on the grounds: the former wildlife office, now part of the shop complex. |
| Town Center, formal gardens and concert stage | Kept | The plan lists the historic Town Center beside the boat dock, the concert stage and the formal gardens among facilities to keep and repair for park use. |
The management plan describes these removals as part of a restoration effort for the spring and river; the plan was approved in 2014, and the dates of individual demolitions are not given there.
Silver Springs Attraction Timeline
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1820s | The springs become a tourist attraction for adventurous visitors who pole up the narrow river. | Florida State Parks history page |
| Late 1870s | Phillip Morrell fixes a piece of glass in the bottom of a rowboat, starting the glass-bottom boat tours. | Florida State Parks history page |
| 1924 | Ed Carmichael leases Silver Springs to William Carl Ray and W. C. "Shorty" Davidson on a 50-year lease to develop an attraction. | Florida Department of State |
| 1929 | Ross Allen opens Ross Allen's Reptile Institute at Silver Springs. | Florida Department of State |
| 1949 | Paradise Park, a segregated African-American resort about a mile down the river, opens. It stays open until 1969. | Florida Memory |
| 1962 | Ray and Davidson sell Silver Springs to ABC-Paramount Broadcasting. | Florida Department of State |
| 1971 | Silver Springs is designated a National Natural Landmark. | Florida Department of State |
| 1984 | ABC sells the attraction to Florida Leisure Attractions. | Florida Department of State |
| 1987 | Silver River State Park and the Silver River Museum open to the public. | Florida State Parks history page |
| 1993 | Florida Leisure Attractions sells the property to the State of Florida but continues to lease it until 2013. | Florida Department of State |
| Oct. 1, 2013 | The Florida Park Service takes over management of the headsprings area, and the whole park is renamed Silver Springs State Park. | Florida State Parks history page |
| 2016 | The 8-acre Wild Waters water park closes; its debris is later recycled. | Florida State Parks |
The Private Attraction Years, Era by Era
Glass-Bottom Boats and Ray and Davidson (1870s to 1962)
The Department of State says Ray and Davidson, who signed a 50-year lease in 1924, made Silver Springs a household name and one of the country's most visited attractions. They added Ross Allen's Reptile Institute in 1929, a jungle cruise in the 1930s, the Prince of Peace art installation and Tommy Bartlett's Deer Ranch in the 1950s and the Carriage Cavalcade in 1953. Films shot at the springs include Tarzan Finds a Son (1939), The Yearling (1949) and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1953), plus the television series Sea Hunt, according to the Department of State.
ABC and Florida Leisure Attractions (1962 to 1993)
ABC-Paramount bought the attraction in 1962. The Department of State says ABC "tried to continue operating Silver Springs as it was" but could not match the earlier management style, and that Disney's arrival and new interstates hurt older roadside attractions. Many of the original Ray and Davidson attractions were later lost. ABC sold to Florida Leisure Attractions in 1984, which sold the property to the State of Florida in 1993 while continuing to lease it.
Leased Operators and the Nature Theme Park (1993 to 2013)
DEP's 2010 management plan for Silver River State Park says the attraction sat on state-owned land leased to a company to operate it, names Smartparks - Silver Springs, Inc. as the lessee under a December 2005 lease, and lists the attraction's general manager under Palace Entertainment. The state's 2014 plan describes the leased property's former use as a "privately managed theme park attraction." Its facilities included amusement rides, Kids Ahoy Playland, a petting zoo and animal exhibits (2010 plan; 2014 plan).
Wild Waters Water Park (closed 2016)
The 2014 management plan places the Wild Waters area at the State Road 40 and Baseline Road intersection. After the 2013 handover, the park concessionaire was to operate it for the 2014 summer season while the state planned to remove it. Florida State Parks says the 8-acre park closed in 2016 and that its debris, including 129,080 pounds of rebar and 8,800,000 pounds of concrete, was recycled (Florida State Parks).
The 2013 Handover to the State
Florida State Parks says that on Oct. 1, 2013, the Florida Park Service acquired management of the headsprings area, and the name of the entire park changed from Silver River State Park to Silver Springs State Park. The state describes the addition as 231 acres; DEP's 2014 management plan describes it as a 266-acre addition, so the acreage varies by source. Both agree on the date and the new name.
The management plan says the state assessed the former attraction's facilities and drew up an Interim Operations and Facilities Plan in the summer of 2013. It found that the facilities "were numerous and all are in need of repair, renovation or removal," and that part of the work would be paid for with funds from the lease transfer agreement. The plan also notes that the land-use designations on the former attraction, Commercial and Rural Land, remained from its use as a private theme park, and that Marion County was preparing to change them to Public Lands.
A DEP audit covering fiscal year 2017-18 describes Silver Springs as "a historic Florida tourist attraction that was acquired by the State in October 2013." It reports that a contracted concessionaire provided the glass-bottom boat tours, food service and equipment rentals, ran a gift shop, and collected admission at the Historic Ticket Booth on the park's behalf (DEP Office of Inspector General audit).
Paradise Park, the Segregated Sister Attraction
Florida Memory, the State Archives of Florida's digital collection, says Ray and Davidson also developed Paradise Park, a segregated African-American resort about a mile down the Silver River. It opened May 20, 1949, and stayed open until 1969, with a pavilion, a swimming area and glass-bottom boat tours of its own (Florida Memory). DEP's management plan calls Paradise Park a popular attraction for African-Americans during Florida's period of enforced racial segregation and describes the nearby Silver Springs attraction as whites-only. For the wider local story, see the Ocala history guide.
What Visitors Can Do at Silver Springs Today
Silver Springs State Park is open 8 a.m. to sundown every day of the year. Florida State Parks lists glass-bottom boat tours at $17 for adults (30 minutes) and $35 for adults (90 minutes), with senior and child fares lower and children under 2 free, plus canoe and kayak rentals, hiking, camping and cabins, as posted on its hours and fees page on Oct. 29, 2026. The park's home page says the Sea Hunt Deck has been closed since Oct. 23, 2025. According to the concessionaire's FAQ, swimming is not permitted at Silver Springs.
The Silver River Museum and Environmental Center, a Marion County Public Schools program inside the park, opened in 1987. Florida State Parks lists it as open weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Silver Springs Amusement Park
Is the Silver Springs amusement park still open?
No. The privately run Silver Springs attraction, called the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park in state planning documents, ended when the Florida Park Service took over management on Oct. 1, 2013. The land is now part of Silver Springs State Park at 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Silver Springs, FL 34488, which is open 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year, with glass-bottom boat tours still running.
When did the Silver Springs amusement park close?
The private attraction era ended on Oct. 1, 2013, when the Florida Park Service acquired management of the headsprings area and renamed the whole park Silver Springs State Park, according to Florida State Parks. The state's 2014 plan said the park concessionaire would operate the adjacent Wild Waters water park for the 2014 summer season, and Florida State Parks says Wild Waters closed in 2016.
Who owned Silver Springs before it became a state park?
According to the Florida Department of State, Silver Springs was developed by William Carl Ray and W. C. "Shorty" Davidson starting in 1924, sold to ABC-Paramount Broadcasting in 1962 and sold to Florida Leisure Attractions in 1984, which sold it to the State of Florida in 1993 while continuing to lease it until 2013. A 2010 state management plan lists the general manager of the attraction under Palace Entertainment.
What happened to Wild Waters at Silver Springs?
Wild Waters, an 8-acre water park, closed in 2016 after feedback from park users, volunteers, local officials, business owners and neighbors that the park's main purpose is protecting and restoring Silver Springs, according to Florida State Parks. Its debris, including 8,800,000 pounds of concrete, was recycled.
Are there rides at Silver Springs today?
No amusement rides are listed. Florida State Parks lists glass-bottom boat tours, paddling, hiking, camping and cabins as the park's experiences, and the state's 2014 management plan lists the former amusement rides among facilities to be removed. The glass-bottom boats are a narrated sightseeing tour, not a ride attraction.
Can visitors still ride the glass-bottom boats at Silver Springs?
Yes. Florida State Parks lists 30-minute tours at $17 for adults and 90-minute tours at $35 for adults on its hours and fees page, checked Oct. 29, 2026. Park admission is $8 per vehicle for two to eight people, or $2 for pedestrians and bicyclists. Current times and booking are covered on the glass-bottom boats guide.
How We Checked This Page
Dates and facts come from pages opened on Oct. 29, 2026: the Florida State Parks history page, park page, hours and fees page and Wild Waters article; the Florida Department of State's Silver Springs history; Florida Memory's Paradise Park record; DEP's 2014 management plan amendment, 2010 management plan and park audit; and the concessionaire's park history and FAQ pages. Sources disagree on a few details, which are noted where they appear. Palace Entertainment's start date as operator, the Wild Waters opening year and attraction ticket prices are left out because no official page opened for this article gave them. The Department of State also profiles a separate Western attraction, Six Gun Territory, off State Road 40 near Silver Springs.
AI tools helped gather the sources and draft this page; each fact was checked against those sources before publishing. Questions or corrections? Contact our team or read our editorial guidelines.
El antiguo parque de atracciones de Silver Springs: qué pasó
El parque de atracciones de Silver Springs ya no funciona. La atracción privada, famosa por sus botes con fondo de vidrio desde fines de la década de 1870, pasó al Estado de Florida el 1 de octubre de 2013, cuando el Servicio de Parques de Florida asumió su administración. Los juegos mecánicos y los animales en cautiverio fueron retirados y el parque acuático Wild Waters cerró en 2016. Hoy el lugar es el Parque Estatal Silver Springs, en 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Silver Springs, FL 34488, Condado de Marion, que abre de 8 a.m. hasta la puesta del sol todos los días del año. La entrada cuesta $8 por vehículo o $2 para peatones y ciclistas, y los botes con fondo de vidrio siguen operando; según el concesionario, no se permite nadar.