- Date: November 22-24, 2007
- Length of stay: Two nights
Devil's Den to the rescue! My husband, the scuba diver, researched the Ocala area for places to dive prior to leaving for our Thanksgiving camping trip and found Devil's Den, a pre-historic spring popular for cavern diving. In order to salvage our camping trip, we called Thanksgiving day to see if they had any sites available. Much to our delight, they do not take reservations and they were no where near capacity. And even better, despite the disclaimer on their website stating no pets, they do allow dogs in the camping area (just not in the diving area).
Due to the Holiday, we did not arrived until dark and and the office closed at 5 pm. We picked a site and set up camp. The entire campground was empty, except for a nice couple staying in a beautiful Airstream. The area is pretty rustic but there are full hook-ups including sewer, water, and electricity. Primitive sites are available, too. The Campground and Spring are run by a lovely British family and this place is truly a gem. We were able to have campfires and it felt like we were camping in the middle of nowhere while enjoying a few amenities. To park the camper it was $22 per night and $35 per day to dive the spring. The campground is surrounded by huge farms; during the day you will see people on horseback and at night you can hear the cows mooing. For an added bonus there are a couple of cute black spaniels that belong to farm next door that will be there to greet you. In addition, another popular dive site, Blue Grotto, is just up the road. For you scuba divers out there, this would be a worthwhile camping trip to take. For those of you who do not dive, Devil's Den is an incredible place for a relaxing get away (call ahead for information on horseback riding!); my kids had a ball running around, doing everything from gathering firewood to playing soccer. We will definitely be returning. If you do plan on camping at Devil's Den, be respectful... this is a rare find.
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