Welcome to Devil's Den.
This prehistoric spring is over 10,000 years old.
And is an absolutely incredible experience,
Devil's Den is located in Williston, Florida,
and is about 2 hours north of Orlando.
And this location is kind of in the middle of nowhere.
And before you even get into your car and start
making your way there, you'll want to make reservations online.
Visiting this spring is by appointment only.
You can make reservations online through the Devil's Den website,
and each timeslot is an hour and a half long,
which is plenty of time to enjoy this spring.
We made our reservations for 8 a.m.
on a Sunday morning, which is the earliest spot that you can grab for the day.
And when you arrive, you'll make your way over to the office
where you can check in with the front desk and rent your scuba or snorkel gear.
There is no general swimming that's allowed in Devil’s Den
so you will have to rent snorkel gear if you don't have any of your own.
Once you’re ready, you'll make your way down into the cavern
and they do require you to bring your fins, snorkel
and a mask with you as you make your way down into the den.
It's a short descent into the den
where you're able to see a small platform in the middle of the water
and the natural light
that's coming down from the giant hole in the top of the cavern.
And one thing that I do want you to be aware of is that you're not allowed
to bring any of your bags down with you into the den.
The platform is a little small,
and as a courtesy to others, you're not allowed to leave anything on it.
So you're only allowed to bring what you can carry and swim with.
You can leave your bags out on any of the non designated tables,
but you'll want to make sure to leave any of your valuables in your cars
and you can leave your keys with the attendant up front.
And one of the nice things about getting to Devil's Den
so early is that there's not a lot of people here yet.
So if you want a chance of having the cavern mostly to yourselves
for a bit, you'll want to be one of the first ones down here
when you get into the water.
It's a pretty chilly start, but you'll get used to it as you
snorkel your way around.
And since it's a natural spring, you'll also get a chance
to see tons of fish and possibly a few turtles.
Even though we didn't see any turtles while we were there.
And as the day goes on and on, more and more divers
and snorkelers will start making their way into the cavern.
So it will get a bit more difficult to swim
without running into anyone else later in the day.
And the water stays a constant
72 degrees Fahrenheit all year long.
And on the cold winter mornings you can see steam
like smoke rising from the chimney opening.
And that's why early settlers gave this
the name of Devil’s Den.
So if you are thinking of heading
to Devil's Den, here are a few things to keep in mind.
First, each person in your party is required to make a reservation
through the website.
Visits to Devil's Den is by appointment only
and they will check your names when you check in.
But you're not required
to make a payment until you arrive on the day of your visit.
If you do want the chance to have the den mostly to yourself,
then you'll want to make sure
that you get there as early as possible. At the time of filming
the earliest reservation that we could grab was 8 a.m.
and that will be the time slot that you'll want to get
if you want to beat the crowds.
If you have your own snorkel gear, you are allowed to bring it with you.
However, if you don't, you will be required
to rent some from the front desk during checkin.
Next, you'll want to make sure that you’re respectful to the environment.
Devil's Den is a unique and delicate ecosystem,
so it's important to be mindful and not be too disturbing to the wildlife
and make sure that you don't leave anything behind.
If you do want
to take a break, there is a nice pond in the front of the property.
According to the sign, it's mostly for divers and we didn't see
anybody go in while we were there.
But it's a beautiful area to walk around.
If you're looking to just get away and find a quiet spot for a while.
Oh, and you should know that there's quite a few cats that live here
and you'll find them everywhere, so hopefully you're not allergic.
Lastly, the location is kind of in the middle of nowhere,
so there really isn't a ton of things to do in the area.
If you do want to pack a snack or a meal,
they do have a few picnic tables that are spread throughout the park.
If you're looking for even more springs to explore while you're visiting Florida,
then you're in luck because I've got an
entire playlist for you that just popped up on the screen.
In this playlist, I'm going to go over several amazing
springs all throughout Central Florida and beyond that you won't want to miss.
Until next time, everyone.
I hope you have an amazing day and go out and enjoy some Florida sunshine.