<!-- Infobox begins -->

Silver Springs is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County of northern Florida. It is the site of the Silver Springs, a group of artesian springs and a historic tourist attraction that is now part of Silver Springs State Park. The community is part of the Ocala metropolitan area. It was first listed as a CDP for the 2020 census, when it had a population of 2,844.

Since the mid-19th century, the natural environment of Silver Springs has attracted visitors from throughout the United States. The glass-bottom boat was invented and tours of the springs began in the late 1870s. In the 1920s, W. Carl Ray and W.M. "Shorty" Davidson, after leasing the land from Ed Carmichael (upon whose death the springs were left to the University of Florida), developed the land around the headwaters of the Silver River into an attraction that eventually became known as Silver Springs Nature Theme Park. The attraction featured native animal exhibits, amusement rides, and 30 or 90-minute glass-bottom boat tours of the springs. The 1934 'Princess Donna' is the oldest and only remaining operational boat from this bygone era. The "Princess Donna' currently operates on the Rainbow River in Dunnellon, Florida. In 2013, the State of Florida took over operations of Silver Springs and combined it with the adjacent Silver River State Park to form the new Silver Springs State Park. The T. W. Randall House on the National Register of Historic Places is located to the northeast.

Several defunct tourist attractions were once located near Silver Springs. The Western-themed Six Gun Territory theme park, which included several attractions such as the Southern Railway and Six Gun narrow-gauge (3 ft or 914 mm) railroad, operated from 1963 to 1984. The Wild Waters park, also in Silver Springs, operated from 1978 to 2016.

Silver Springs was "whites only" until 1967. From 1949 to 1969, African Americans were served by nearby Paradise Park, Florida, which closed when Silver Springs integrated racially.

Cattle ranch development

Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach has been building the Adena Springs Ranch for cattle, an abattoir, residential property development, and a Thoroughbred horse farm in the area, stirring concern over plans for water use and how groundwater draw will affect the springs.

Geography

Silver Springs is in central Marion County and is bordered to the southwest by the city of Ocala, the county seat. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Silver Springs CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.50%, are water.

87.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 13.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,342 households in Silver Springs, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 28.0% were married-couple households, 23.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. ...end comment -->

  • Bruce Mozert, photographer
  • Ted Potter Jr., PGA Tour professional golfer

<!-- already cited

See also

  • Paradise Park, Florida -->

<gallery widths="180px" class="center">

File:Silver Springs State Park - Silver River Museum Entrance Sign.jpg|Silver Springs State Park

File:RandallHouseSilverSprings.JPG|T. W. Randall House

File:princess%20donna.jpg|The Princess Donna

File:1934 glass bottom boat.jpg|The oldest operational glass-bottom boat in Florida

</gallery>

References

  • Silver Springs State Park
  • Through the Looking Glass of Silver Springs