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Weeki Wachee Canoe Rental - CLOSED
Categories: Active Life Rafting/Kayaking Active Life Boating Rafting/Kayaking, Boating
8021 Darts StWeeki Wachee, FL 34607
(352) 597-0360
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Weeki Wachee Canoe Rental
3 reviews in English
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Review from Rose B.
Gardner, MA
1/7/2011
My boyfriend and I did this 2 years ago and again earlier this week. The spring waters were actually warmer than I expected because this area has had a wave of cold days.
We borrowed some kayaks and paddles from some friends and only paid $5 at the entrance. The entrance is manned by state park employees who were very helpful and friendly.
We typically take our time to go down the springs because its more about relaxing and enjoying the scenery. The water was clear and warm. You can simply drift down the springs most of the way or paddle your way full force through the twists and turns.
You'll see an array of different fish and you may even see manatee. The first time we went, we saw two. This time, we did not see any because it was a bit colder than usual in this area. We also saw an alligator at the shore which did catch me by surprise, but it was luckily no threat to us. I paddled away furiously while my crazy boyfriend inched up closer to it for a photo opportunity.
Towards the end, you'll paddle by some homes. Typically, the people who live right on the water are used to seeing boats, canoes, and kayaks go by so they'll probably just wave or say hi to you if you see them.
When we come down to Florida again next year, we'll most likely end up doing it again. It's always an adventure for us because we usually try to ram our kayaks into each other or make fun of each other as we trek our way down to the end. -
Review from Amy H.
Oak Hill, WV
6/29/2011
This was alot of fun. We came in contact with 3 manatees as we paddled down the 7 miles of crystal clear water. The wildlife and the colors of water you see along this trip are amazing. There are several places to stop and play along the way. There were rope swings, swimming holes, etc. The water was cold but once you got in and got used to it, it was fine. All the employees seemed a lil distracted and weren't alot of help, that's why I only gave 4 stars. I heard someone say that the company was changing hands on Monday and they were trying to do their inventory.
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Review from Vivian L.
San Mateo, CA
9/7/2009 27 photos
My friend reserved us a canoe about a week in advance. if you are going on a weekend, you have to make a reservation cause it will be crowded. If you are anal like me, you should just call about a week in advance and just make a reservation anyways. So, the place is located behind the Weeki Wachee water park area in Spring Hill. They have good photos on their website. The staff here is very informative, nice, and helpful. The shuttle service that takes you and your canoe/kayak back to the starting point it awesome, too.
So we got there at 8:30am and got ready. Make sure to bring sunscreen, water, snacks, no alcohol, bug spray, and a hat as some basics. They have 2 spacious changing rooms and also a nice clean bathroom at the store. Once you have paid, gotten all your stuff together, listened to a 5 min orientation of the dos and dont's while on the river, you are led to the outside area where some nice staff members in light blue shirts help you into your kayak or canoe and launch you into the beautiful Weeki Wachee river.
Make sure you ask and go out when there's a low tide cause then your 7 mile paddle downstream is easier and more enjoyable versus if the tide was higher and coming in, you just have to work harder. We would have rented a kayak but they were all taken so we got a canoe which was a little hard to control at times for the first half since the rivver is pretty narrow at times so we had to duck a few times to avoid low hanging branches and got some scratch marks as memory of our trip.
The ride is beautiful. It's so peaceful, the water is very clear, it's refreshing to go in the water. You can't go in the water for the first mile cause it's a wildlife preserve but after that mile, you can jump in at your heart's content. We didn't stop often since I thought there would be sandbars to pull the canoe up to which there weren't. So while one of us took a dip in the river, the other had to hold the canoe on the side areas so it wouldn't float away. I took lots of good pics. If you are sensitive to the sun, make sure to wear a long sleeve shirt and a hat cause there isn't that much shade at times.
We were on the lookout the whole time for a manatee since they really don't come into the lakes until Nov and thanks to my awesome friend who has eagle eyes, we saw one! He looked like a baby, pretty small. He didn't seem to mind us, he was busy mowing on the river bed grazing to his heart's delight. We saw him about 3/4s of the way to the finish line, near where the houses are along the river. No one on our shuttle back saw one so I guess we were really lucky that day. He was so cute but the poor guy had the 3 rudder marks from the motor boats that cruise the river. Which leads me to my next comments.
Not that I have a house along that river nor a motor boat, but I really hated it when we had to pull along the side to let some fast moving, not in idle speed mode, motor boat go past us leaving a trail of smelly ass motor fumes to ruin our nice nature canoe ride. There are signs everywhere saying to go at idle speed but these boats were going faster than that. And the poor manatees, which are the main reason people come to this river, can't move very fast, and so most of them have those 3 rudder line marks on their backs or get killed cause they can't get out of the way. And we barely saw the manatee so can you imagine a boat not seeing them either til it's too late? That's just my opinion on the situation.
We finished around 11am and then started noticing way more boat, kayak, and canoe traffic on the river, going up and down stream so if you want to enjoy nature and not just check out the other people on the river, go early! It's cooler temps, too.
This was a great way to spend a morning in FL, got some upper body exercise, and saw how beautiful the FL wildlife is, including the cute manatee. For $52 for a canoe rental, it was so worth it!
History
Established in 1999
The Original. 12 years experience.
