Florida is known for having many beautiful springs! While nearly all the springs remain around 72 degrees (give or take a degree or two) all year long, there is one that is warm that is open to the public. Warm Mineral Springs Park is located in North Port, which is near Sarasota. 

At Warm Mineral Springs Park the water remains 85 degrees all year long. There are over 100,000 people who visit the spring per year, with many visiting from other countries. People visit this spring to soak up the natural mineral properties, which many believe offer healing benefits for your body. There are 51 minerals in the water, including calcium, magnesium, iron, sulphur, and nitrogen. 

Warm Mineral Springs offers a large parking lot (it was big enough that we had stopped with our RV while driving past the area), a gift shop, shower rooms and restrooms, etc. As you are driving to the place you question if you are on the right path, because you are driving through a housing community. Indeed, this place is located in the middle of a housing community. Once you pay the admission fee to get in, which is $15 per adult non-resident when we went in December 2020, you can go straight down the hall that leads to the spring, or you can stop off at the restrooms and changing rooms. There are also some picnic tables available.

The spring is surrounded by a beautiful grassy area that has lovely trees. It's a great setting! There are plenty of lawn chairs around and you can move them to where you would like to sit. The spring is set up where there's an outer ring and an inner one. Anyone under 17 has to stay in the outer ring, which is shallow enough that you can stand up and walk all the way around the outer ring. In fact, that's what people do. They tend to make slow and leisurely laps walking around the outer ring of the spring. There is a single rope separating the outer and inner ring area of the spring.

The inner circle is where it gets deep. There were not many people in the inner circle. We took our snorkel gear, as we do to every spring we've been to, but found out within minutes that it's not necessary. This spring is not for snorkeling. There's nothing you can see! The water is dark and when I tried to snorkel there was literally nothing I could see. My husband went out to the deep area to try and snorkel and he said the same. There's nothing you can see, it's took dark. Nobody else had snorkel gear, so apparently they all already knew. This spring is for relaxing and soaking up the warmth and minerals. Period.

What I would take next time is a pool noodle. Most people who were leisurely walking around the outer ring were using a noodle and I had wished I had one (I saw on the way out that they do sell them in the gift shop as well). This is the type of spring that you take a noodle to and just relax and float around. And there were loads of people speaking different languages. The spring really does draw visitors from around the world!

We went on a chilly day in December, so the water felt great! When we got out of the water it felt SO cold, but then within seconds that would go away getting back in the water. I expected a sulphur smell to be there, but there really wasn't. There was maybe a slight sulphur smell that would lightly come by once in a while, but for the most part I didn't smell it at all. The spring does also have lifeguards on duty.

I wanted to go to this spring just to check it off my list. I had read mixed reviews from others who had went to Warm Mineral Springs, with many people not caring for it. I went thinking I wouldn't care for it much, but it would be another spring I visited. Well, I ended up really liking it! The water felt amazing, the surrounding landscape is beautiful, and I felt great when I got out of the water. I loved the idea of it being thought of as a fountain of youth and being able to soak up all the benefits of those minerals. 

It's pricy to visit this spring, but it's worth checking out at least once! To get more info and updated pricing info, click here.

Pictures and a video from our stop at Warm Mineral Springs Park in North Port: