Myself, wife, 3 kids.

I was thinking something like kayak or canoe rentals, putz around the river, park them somewhere, swim, picnic lunch.  You guys have any recommendations on a rental place for boats or a specific area I should be paddling through?  Having difficulty googling anything useful.

well the three sisters is still closed but you can still paddle there and hunters spring.. Go past hunters and all the fences in the water just past the last condos on the right is another cool spring..Its scallop season so you could hook up with a guide and go get some its usually around 3-400 dollars. You can rent kayaks at birds right next to Charlies restaurant or rent them or boats at plantation ,port paradise, ecno lodge or the shop behind denneys on 19n. If i was working on the water there today i would meet ya and show you where to go.. If you go to petes pier around 3/4 when the guides clean fish you can feed the giant ass tarpon and snook..

You should be able to go scalloping, who hiss lot of fun for th kids provided they are all competent swimmers.

rainbow river raft trip in spring water. 72 degrees, told cold for gators unless they have a wet suit.

Homosassa state park has a cool zoo with critters in natural settings

the zoo has a place to see under the spring through a glass walkway, much snooks and maybe manatees

nearby is a civil war monument. yes we partook in it.

dirt road past the zoo has folks living there that don't even know Obama is the president.

All the above... and the folks at the end of that road are gonna be REALLY upset when they DO find out.

http://chassahowitzkaflorida.com/ They rent row boats and a very nice little river with no big boats.





For a nice ride to see the sunset take a ride down to the end at Ozello .http://www.ozello.net/

Old Homosassa has a few restaurants and Monkey Island, good for a little walk around to see if you see the monkeys.




Plus charter boats and boat tours and a few little shops.http://www.homosassaflorida.com/location/history-facts





 




Not to far down US 19 is ...http://www.weekiwachee.com/ And at the end of the road is a beach and a nice dock to fish or look at the water.


 


Indian burial grounds with a museum.https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Crystal-River-Archaeological

Little park on Crystal River.

Eat at Thai Phoon.  It's in the shopping center behind Wendy's.  I get the Volcano Chicken.  My wife likes the pad thai.  The Red Ocean Shrimp is killer too

Try Neon Leon's for food. Good food but there can be a wait.

Dan

Looks like about an hour and a half to make to Tarpon Springs - the Sponge Dock is pretty cool!

And if can swing the scalloping  - doeit!  it is like an underwater Easter egg hunt.

Red

Any boat rentals right now are likely to be ridiculous price-wise because of it being scallop season.

I say go to the Rainbow River in Dunnellon - you can tube/float down the river, but I'd suggest doing the two hour trip and not the full four - it gets maddening at about 2 1/2 hours and you feel like the waterborne version of Tom Hanks in Castaway wishing the madness would fucking end soon