Our Trip to Rainbow Springs
Itinerary
Friday
Drive 2ish hours
Check into Airbnb
Eat dinner at Stumpknockers
Saturday
Tube down the Rainbow Springs river
Rehydrate at The Station Nutrition
Hang out in the pool/backyard
Explore the state park
Sunday
Check out of Airbnb
Drive 2ish hours home
Airbnb
Casa Rooks in Inverness
3 bedrooms, 2 bath
self check-in, pets allowed, pool, outdoor dining and entertaining area, washer/dryer,
Pros: dog friendly, recently renovated, the backyard, jacuzzi tub, clean and smells nice, located near plenty of restaurants and shops
Cons: limited seating in living room, no dishwasher, loud/creaky master bed frame
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Casa Rooks. We would most likely stay there again, but we’d check out our other options first.
Dinner
We chose dinner by making a list of restaurants in the area with the highest review ratings and then reviewing the menus of each that sounded good at the time. The boys really wanted to try a variety of seafood so we landed on Stumpknockers Restaurant for Friday night’s dinner.
Parking was a little challenging to find. It was a busy downtown area with no designated lots, just perimeter and parallel parking along the streets wrapped around the downtown area. We ended up circling the block before finding a spot. We’re glad we did, because we ended up walking the long way to the restaurant to get a better view of the murals.
The first thing we noticed about the restaurant was that is was PACKED! We didn’t wait long for a seat, though. It was after 6 and we were by far the youngest people in the place. The portion sizes were HUGE, which made the prices very fair. The food was good, but somewhat bland. This is definitely a 65+ favorite.
The fried mushrooms were my favorite. Jonah enjoyed the catfish fingers. Jacob says he liked the shrimp and the whitefish (although, we’re wondering if he has a slight shellfish allergy - he had the same symptoms both nights and ordered similarly at both restaurants). Brandon liked the soup of the day, which was a Cajun stew. It had a kick to it, which made it the most flavorful item any of us ordered.
Tubing
There are 2 popular options for tubing down the Rainbow River:
Rainbow River State Park - 10830 S.W. 180th Avenue Road, Dunnellon
KP Hole Park - 9435 SW 190th Avenue Road, Dunnellon, Florida 34432
We chose to go to the state park entrance and arrived at 7:15. There were 6 cars already lined up at the gate. The gates ended up opening at 7:26 with 13 cars in line. We paid for our entrance to the park as well as for tubing at the gate. We were given waivers to complete and turn in at the concession stand.
The staff was incredibly positive and helpful. The tram left at 8:00 on the dot and took us to the dock to pick up our raft and get in the water.
We saw a huge variety of birds, many sunning themselves and drying their wings. We saw fish and a snake hanging out on a bank. We heard someone saw an otter but didn’t see it ourselves. We also saw a few turtles. We floated for just over 1.5 hours before spotting another staff member in his orange shirt ready to help us get out of the water.
After a short walk back on the boardwalk, we found the float return and a loop that made us wonder if there was a second tram ride. I checked Apple Maps and determined it was a short walk back to the car. It was hot and I wanted to change into dry clothes. We never saw a tram head back that way and there were no signs posted. However, there was a covered bench and I wonder how many families take a seat waiting for someone to come get them.
After we changed, we took a look in the gift shop. Jonah found a stuffed snake he asked us to get him the whole time we were on the water - he spotted it when we were waiting for the 8:00 tram ride. Jacob opted for a snack and I got a shirt.
Having skipped coffee that morning, we searched for a nearby coffee shop and headed that way.
The Station Nutrition
Being a Starbucks girl, I was disappointed the closest options were Dunkin’ or The Station. That disappointment was short lived when I realized The Station has loaded teas. We also really enjoy supporting local businesses. The owners were incredible and even had a map for us to pin where we’re from. It was neat because most of the pins were on the west coast.
I ended up ordering the Ohana tea with blueberry boba (now I want to learn to make my own boba). Jacob ordered a Summer Melon tea and Brandon ordered the turtle shake. Jonah didn’t want a tea, so I ordered him a water. Then, we took a look at their pastry items. They’re all protein forward, but they were also super delicious. Brandon and I split the canolis, Jacob got the chocolate muffin with chocolate chips, and Jonah chose the donut holes.
It was the perfect post-river stop and snack.
Originally, we planned to hike the yellow trail at Rainbow Springs next, but when we got to the gate we were informed they had reached capacity and were closed. When we asked what time they expected to reopen, they said dinner time. Instead, we opted to go back to the AirBNB, play games, and nap.
Exploring Rainbow River State Park
After our naps, we ate the lunch we had packed for the park and then headed back to the headsprings entrance (19158 S.W. 81st Place Road Dunnellon FL 34432). We arrived around 4 PM and easily found parking pretty close to the entrance.
There are three hiking trails in the park:
Historic Attraction Walk (blue)
Phosphate Loop Trail (yellow)
Sandhill Trail (white and yellow)
As I’ve shared previously, I am a fan of the All Trails app, especially since it will navigate you to the trailheads (to me, that’s the most challenging part of hiking). Here are the hikes as outlined in the app:
Yellow trail (waterfalls, shaded, 1.9 mile loop)
Blue Trail (1.2 mile out and back, old animal cages, butterfly garden, waterfalls, mostly paved)
White & Yellow Trail (3.5 mile loop)
The gardens and waterfalls at Rainbow Springs State Park are cultural assets that remain from the days when the headsprings were a private attraction. They have been renovated and replanted while preserving their historical significance.
After parking, we showed the clerk our receipt from tubing that morning showing we already paid the entrance fee for the day and were permitted to enter without paying again.
We opted to hike the 1.9 mile yellow loop and ended up seeing most of the blue trail on our way to the yellow trail. It was helpful to read about the park before going. Otherwise, I don’t know if I wouldn’t have known what I was looking at, such as the phosphate pits. The pits were obviously deep, but were definitely grown over. There were observation decks, but without knowing the pits were excavated to build the waterfalls with the phosphate rocks, I would have looked right past it.
We did have to hike quickly since we could hear an afternoon storm in the distance. Thankfully, we had enough time to finish the hike, hit the giftshop here, too, and get seated at dinner before it started raining.
Swampy’s
Our favorite dinner of the weekend was at Swampy’s Bar and Grille. The vibe was great and the food was delicious, flavorful and prepared well. There was a bit of a wait, but we found an outdoor sectional and had a seat with drinks from the bar. The restaurant sits on the bank of the Rainbow River. There was a mix of people in their suits and others in sundresses and nicer clothing.
After we were seated, the rain began. We were seated in their covered outdoor section; Jacob got nervous about the thunder and lightning. Not too long after we ordered, we witnessed a transformer across the street blowing. Thankfully, the power remained on at the restaurant.
Jacob ordered the fried fish and shrimp combo from the kid’s menu. Jonah ordered the kid’s hamburger and fries. I got the surf and turf and Brandon got the fish tacos. We split our two entrees. Both were incredible.
Local Restaurants
Here are the other restaurants that made our list, but there was not enough time to try them…
Don Pepe Mexican
No website
Closed from 2 - 5 daily
20744 W Pennsylvania Ave, Dunnellon, FL 34431
Overall, it was a great, quick trip. We would definitely go again sometime in the future when we’re in need of a weekend getaway. I’d like to try and sit on the water at Swampy’s when the weather is nicer.