Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park and Lodge

If you are at Wakulla Springs State Park be sure to make time for lunch or dinner in the Lodge. When you enter the Lodge look up to admire the ceiling painted with Florida wildlife and history scenes.
Varied selection of local seafood served in a dining room time has forgotten. Window side tables have sweeping views down to the Wakulla Springs. These waters have stared in such classics as early Tarzan films, Creature From The Black Lagoon and Airport 77.
The wait staff are friendly and accommodating. The food surprisingly good.
My friend had a Portobello Mushroom burger served on a soft fresh bun.
My choice was the grilled shrimp and oysters with two sides … grilled asparagus and seasoned fries. Both the oysters and shrimp where fresh and local.
Lots to see and do in the park … plan ahead with your time for stroll to the waters edge and perhaps a 45 nature boat ride.

I am having a hard time rating this place. I think there should be separate listings for the springs and the restaurant.
The park is beautiful. The boat tour is a must and well worth the price. The restaurant is another story. I’d rate the restaurant a 2 star and the park a 4. As a result, the overall rating is 3.
Wakulla springs is a great place for a day trip if you live in tally. I came a few years ago with friends and had a great time. On a recent sunny day in late December, I decided to take a trip down the memory lane.
The boat tour was mostly like what I remembered. The difference is that the first time I took the tour in the summer and this time i did it in the winter. I’d say summer is a better time for the boat tour. Nevertheless I saw different birds, turtles, and quite a few alligators. The couple sitting with me are from England. It shows the award-​wining springs is visited by people from all over the world.
After the boat tour, I decided to have lunch at the restaurant. I thought I’d get the whole experience. Big mistake! I’d advise not to eat here because it’s a total waste of money. It strives to be «fine» dinning but it clearly is not! First of all the servers ignored us who were waiting to be seated because they had 70 reservations. Fine, I sat myself down. Then they brought everyone else menus except me because I came alone. At that point I wish I left because that was obviously a bad sign. Instead I said, «Excuse me! I have been sitting here for 20 mins and I still don’t have a menu. I have a problem with that!» A server heard me and finally came to my table. She was apologetic at least.
I ordered the Cajun pasta with seafood and alligator meat for $ 23. Another big mistake. For that price especially for lunch, I expected a decent meal. But it was not! My main course didn’t come with any sides. My server brought me a salad free of charge as a sorry for the slow service. The salad was pretty basic but I appreciated the gesture. Then there came my pasta entrée. It was brought in a big bowl. It looked nowhere near appetizing and the presentation was nowhere near the amount of money I paid for. The taste wasn’t too bad. But it was very salty. I finished like two thirds because I was hungry. Regardless you must be crazy to pay $ 23 for that bowl of Cajun pasta. I did get to try alligator meat for the first time tho. So that was interesting. Oh how can I forget you will probably get to enjoy your food and wine with crying babies, too! Next time I’m deff skipping this disastrous restaurant! Actually a hotdog or pretzel at the soda fountain would have been a much wiser choice!
Final verdict: Come enjoy the beautiful Wakulla Springs and the world class boat tour. Just don’t eat at their restaurant!

Wakulla Spring is one of natural resources for the recreation activity. My son was there fees years ago for his field trip. I looked at his picture and I want to be there one day. I finally make a trip to stop by there when we drove to Panhandle Florida.
I have been to many Florida spring and this is the one have the biggest swim area among the springs I went to. I like out Florida springs that provide great activity. This is the far most spring drove from my home. The spring is belonging to Florida State Park. The entrance is $ 6 per car and you can take up to 8 people.
The facilities have changing room, boat dock with tour, outside shower. In the swim area they have the sun deck island in the middle of spring and the launching deck for people to jump from 2 storeys high into the spring.
I like this spring since they have life guard on duty. In the park they have picnic area and lodge.

We waited a few months to try the restaurant again, because it went under new management. But I have to say we were disappointed in our dining experience. First, we were charged for entry to the park at 6:30 PM. We were obviously dressed for dinner and had no plans to use the park, just the restaurant. We were told we could get a free non-​alcoholic drink in return, but a glass of wine is priced significantly higher than the cost of an ice tea! After dinner we tried to view the water area and it was closed, so what exactly did I pay an entrance fee for? The chairs were very uncomfortable and too low for the tables. Our waitress was very pleasant but seemed to want to rush us to order and eat. Our food was fine, good salad but nothing that I couldn’t cook at home. It certainly wasn’t a «fine» dining experience, and the prices didn’t reflect the quality of the food. Also, the room was very warm, everyone at our table noticed it.
We love the Park and highly recommend bringing guests to see what the Springs are all about. Have stayed in the rooms in the past and though not fancy, are a glimpse into the past and very nice.
I don’t like to give a negative review, but am trying to be constructive, these are issues that could be addressed and make a difference for the paying customer.

This place was definitely the highlight of our Forgotten Coast vacation. The boat tour was great and we saw plenty of beautiful birds and live alligators. The real treat was swimming in the spring. The water is a little chilly at first, but once you get in, its so refreshing! It’s very clear, clean water. It even smells clean and fresh. The best part is that it’s 100% natural. My skin seemed so soft afterwards, probably due to the natural minerals in the water.

Fun park to go to with the kids. Enjoyed the boat ride and getting to see the manatee. Do try to get there early to schedule the boat ride because they do fill up fast. At 11:00, the earliest boat I could schedule my family of 4 for was 2:00. The water was beautiful and crystal clear. Quite a sight to see. The kids didn’t swim much due to the water being so cold but there were plenty of people taking advantage of it on such a hot day.

We had heard about the boat ride and wanted to give it a try. The rest of the park was ordinary — there was a moderately fancy lodge there with dining — but the boat trip was superb. It was a covered pontoon boat with *electric* propulsion, so it was *quiet*. The guide — a retired English professor — was quite good and took is on an hour-​long trip a mile or so down the riiver and then back up past the landing and back. There was a real variety of wildlife — many, many birds, turtles, alligators. The rive was placid and beautiful. And it was *cheap* — we’ve paid many times as much money for much worse tours. Very recommended.

My sister and I were excited to try this restaurant for a Valentine’s lunch. Wakulla Springs is a magical place and what happened to it under the last management was appalling.
Have to say I am not a fan of the black décor — looked post funeral service. Desperately needs some color, art work, maybe some fresh flowers too instead of the doom. I did not find the room inviting at all.
The fried green tomatoes were nice but we had to ask for some sauce. We were given thousand island dressing. Is that the zesty sauce mentioned on the menu?
My sister said the oysters Rockefeller were good. She also had the beef au jus sandwich and was pleased the au jus was not overly salty. The coleslaw was bland but the fries were good.
I ordered the hamburger steak w/​mashed potatoes and gravy. The meat did not taste like angus nor did it have much flavor. It made me wonder about the hamburgers. I had to ask twice for the mashed potatoes and gravy. The meat was served in a very high-​sided bowl which made it impossible to eat. I had to move the meat to the roll plate. The potatoes were tasty. Unfortunately everything was served at room temperature. If the rolls are not to die for delicious and warm, why bother?
The wait staff worked very hard.
Did we have a good lunch — some of it yes and some no. We will be back to try breakfast if I can get past the Addams family décor.

I wonder if I can give zero stars. Let me preface by saying our party of 7 showed up already fairly hungry from an earlier event. However (and now we begin) we were told that the wait would be 12 minutes and we were assured several times that we would be seated but one hour later we were FINALLY given a seat in a half-​empty dining room. We then waited another ten minutes for a staff member, any staff member came out from the kitchen and we flagged her down and she said she wasn’t our waitress but she’d go get her. 5 minutes later a waitress came by our table and took our drink order and was a little snarky when we asked if we could have some bread. She then corrected me when I asked for a Coke by simply staring at me and saying Pepsi until I looked at her and said yeah that’s fine. She then brought our table of seven our drinks and four pieces of bread. She seemed a bit surprised when we asked if we could have some more. During the meal our waitress Ashlee was pretty rude throughout. There were many periods where there weren’t any staff members of the restaurant actually in the dining room. Other customers noticed and commented too. The poor bus boy seemed to be all by himself but he moved slower than old people fornicate. There was a table next to us where one of the patrons actually got up, went to the gift shop and bought his own drink. I understand that this place is under new management or something but I didn’t realize the new management was also new at running a restaurant. The overall attitude of the staff never showed any sense of urgency and though they occasionally came out of the kitchen they rarely carried anything. I used to love this place but it’ll take a lot of convincing for me to ever come back. Ever.

My family and I went here on Thanksgiving, and it was wonderful! We took the river boat tour and saw a great deal of the park’s wildlife, including manatees. Our guide was very knowledgable and we asked very specific questions about the area, it’s history, and the wildlife. The boat was easily accessible for my grandmother in a wheelchair, who was ecstatic she was able to ride along. She was also able to be wheeled out on the dock next to the swimming hole after the boat tour.
We had the Thanksgiving buffet at the lodge which was perfect as my family was unable to cook this year. The food was excellent and our waitress was excellent despite the food being self service.
I would love to go back any time.

Wakulla Springs State Park should be the pride and joy of Tallahassee. My husband and I stayed at The Lodge after an FSU football game and reveled in every minute. The rooms are by no means fancy so if that’s your thing go somewhere else and leave this authentic gem for me. Be warned: there are no televisions in the rooms, but there is a gigantic one in the lobby. My vote is to get rid of the lobby TV too! There is an adorable ice cream parlor (which apparently serves cocktails too, but I didn’t have a chance to try them). The restaurant was good for breakfast, but there were minor things I would do differently. The French toast was good not great and they seriously need to buy coffee from a local roaster (Amavida!) but watching the manatees early in the morning from Johnny Weissmuller’s famous diving dock is hard to beat. Really hard to beat.
The boat tour was wonderful. If you can, tour with Jonah. He makes the tour just that much more beautiful, if ya know what I mean… and he accidentally got a little too close to a mama gator so we could see three of her little 6-​inch-​long babes. Tour of a lifetime, if I do say so myself. ;)
Side note: I was informed The Lodge is under new management. Seems like they are whipping the place into shape, but I also heard they fired an old woman who was a long-​time employee. Sad, yet I don’t know all the details… Bring her back Wakulla?

Wife and I came here Labor Day and had a terrific time walking around the springs, doing the boat tour and hanging out in the lodge.
From CT so we were hoping to take in the flavor of the south and see some gators and other wildlife on a boat tour. Admission to the park was only $ 6 total for the both of us and $ 8 each for a one hour boat tour of the basin and springs. Got extremely close to gators, turtles, birds and manatees with a tour guide who allowed enough time on the boat for plenty of pictures.
Loved our experience and can’t wait to come back here with our daughter some day.

We took another trip to the part yesterday. We wanted to have lunch in the ballroom, take a boat ride, swim a little and get ice cream before we left.
The restaurant there is fabulous! The food is a little on the pricey side for lunch and the décor is dated bit to me that part of the charm. Almost a step back in time. I got an amazing mixed green salad which true to me I changed up a bit. No crotons, no carrots. Add blue cheese crumbles and red onion. I also added a side of their grilled rosemary chicken. It was fantastic! My 19yo son RAVED about the fried chicken dinner. 2 other kids got the chicken Alfredo. I’m not sure that was a huge hit one ate their noodles the other ate the chicken. Another kid got the fancy Mac and cheese with a side of fries. I thought it was beautiful with a fried green tomato on top. She ended up eating a side of fries. The last kid (the vegan one) ate fries and onion rings. Again. While the onion rings looked nice, she didn’t really eat them. This place may be more for adults that teens.
The swimming area is beautiful and fun but very crowded. We set up our spot and went to eat bit came back to find people on top of us. Make sure to get up the nerve to jump off the high dive.
The boat ride is fantastic! Especially this time. We got to see two mom baby sets of manatees. In all my years I have never seen manatees before. It was very exciting. Our tour guide was great. He had a wonderful Louisiana accent. You see all sort of wildlife and hear lots of fun history.
Lastly the ice cream/​gift shop. It’s great. Lots of fun souvenirs but the ice cream really shines. It’s a bit pricey but then you see the servings… WOW! Enormous. I would suggest one scoop.
All in all one of the better things to do around Tallahassee.
Th

If you are looking for old Florida this is it. Nothing fancy about the lodge. No TVs in the room. Only one in the lobby. Rooms are nice and clean. Large rooms. Its no Hilton by any means. It was built in 1936 but we liked our stay. Food id decent but kind of pricey. They serve breakfast lunch and dinner. Nothing fancy. Food is served in the ballroom which is very cool. We sat by the windowd in the morning and could manatees playing in the spring. Very cool.
We paid the $ 8 and took the river cruise for about 45 minutes. Jonah our guide was awesome. Very informative. Saw manatees, gators, turtles and lots of wildlife. We hiked the trail inside the park also. Very cool bits 6 miles one way so designate your hike time accordingly. Several bridges, well marked trail and its an EZ even for beginners. If you stay several days like we did & eat at the restaurant it can be pricey. We did have lots of fun and dont regret the experience. Just remember this place is on the national historic registry so nothing is new or fancy here. This is old Florida. You are in the woods and miles from anything. This was exactly what we were looking for!

Have I mentioned before that while I don’t really care for Florida overall, I really love the springs there? If not, I guess I just did. Springs are something you don’t just find everywhere. They aren’t the ocean, they aren’t lakes, they aren’t even swimming pools. They are springs, and though you can find hot springs at various spas here and there, the springs in Florida are much different. The clarity — and refreshing chill of the water — is awesome.
Wakulla Springs is also different for another reason: It is apparently the locale where Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed many years ago. I don’t think that you need to worry about running into the creature, but I can’t guarantee that.
The primary spring actually has a large diving platform over the swimming hole, which is nice — many don’t, because they are so shallow. Here, however, it’s not shallow by any means. It is in fact quite deep. So deep that they’ve found animal bones at the bottom of the spring. Bones from mastodon and other ancient creatures even. So this one has been here for a while.
Just make sure you’re there on a warm day, as like most springs, the water is definitely not heated!

Great food, nice staff, clean facility and the view was out if this world. The drink were just what I needed after a long bike ride. My only concerned was how dead it was… Maybe due to the rain.

Had such a fun time at this lodge and the state park. Some friends of mine had told me about how awful this place was going to be and how it was not going to meet my standards. Well they were wrong as this place gives you all of «old Florida» packaged into one location. Yes, it is not a five star hotel, but then again you are in the middle of the forest.
I liked the overall location as it is in the middle of the forest and you can just take a hike right outside of your room. There is a big roaring fireplace in the main lobby and tables with games that you can just sit around and play. The ceiling is so intricate and beautiful and «old joe» is a sight to be seen. The rooms are basic but you will be exploring the lodge, hiking or trying the delicious food and it will not matter.
The restaurant was quite a surprise. The presentation is superb and the food is typical American type food. You will not be disappointed with the food. The price of the food is another matter.
Definitely try the boat tour as it is so relaxing and you get to see so many beautiful birds and wildlife.
I will go to this location once again as it gave me exactly what I was looking for.

This is the best place to go if you are ever in the Tallahassee area. The river tour is amazing and you will see alligators, anhingas, and manatees galore. All of the rangers and lodge staff are local Wakulla folks, so the authentic accents alone are worth the price of admission. This place has not changed in years and really gives you the feeling of ‘time travel’. Great gift shop and soda fountain. Swimming area is a lot of fun and the temperature stays the same year-​round. A little cold, but worth it.
The glass-​bottom boats have not run for years. It is funny, because they post a sign out there everyday… no glass bottom boat tours today. You will enjoy the Tarzan and Creature of the Black Lagoon stories and don’t miss Ol’ Joe in the Lodge.
Again, one of my favorite places, can’t miss North Florida attraction. Very inexpensive and great for the whole family.

I LOVE springs, so Wakulla Springs is perfect for me. I agree with previous reviewers, the weekends can get pretty crowded, but I’ve always been able to find a spot for my towel on the little beach. The water is clear and cold, which is refreshing in our oppressive summers. I love to swim out to the two floating docks they’ve created and just sun bathe all day. There’s also a high dive dock that is really fun to jump off of. Besides swimming, there are boat tours which are around 10 $, and if the water is clear enough they give glass bottom boat tours. If you’re feeling real high class, there is a historic hotel that you can stay in, or even just wander through while you wait for your boat tour. They also sell ice cream on the weekends. So beautiful, perfect for groups. The only downside is that you can’t bring beer!
Look out for gators and manatees :)
Parking is 6 $ a vehicle, so keep that in mind as well!

Several years back we came here and did the boat tour which was nice, there were critters and creatures to see along the river including an alligator which seemed to open his jaws on cue as we floated on the water.
This trip we only came to sit on the little beach and splash around in very, very cold water which was totally refreshing on a hot summer’s day. The people watching is wonderful. The water is super clear and the kids seemed to love the high dive platform.