Two Springs, Two Paths: How the CCC Built Public Recreation Alongside Florida’s Private Attractions
As we celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary, the America250 initiative invites us to explore how public and private visions for Florida’s springs shaped the landscapes we enjoy today. At Rainbow Springs State Park, a proud member of the Adventures Unbound family, we are honoring the Civilian Conservation Corps workers who built world-class recreation facilities in the Ocala National Forest just miles from Rainbow Springs, establishing the model for public access that the park now embodies.
Private Attraction, Public Builders
In the 1930s, two very different approaches to Florida’s springs were playing out in Marion County. Entrepreneurs renamed “Blue Spring” as “Rainbow Springs” and developed it as a private tourist attraction, complete with a lodge, cottages, gift shop, and “submarine boats” with underwater viewing portholes. Rainbow Springs operated as a commercial destination from the 1930s through 1974.
Meanwhile, just miles away in the Ocala National Forest, the CCC was building something for everyone. CCC workers constructed the Juniper Springs Recreation Area from 1935 to 1936, clearing brush, laying stone, and building the still-standing millhouse that used spring water to turn an undershot waterwheel powering a generator for the entire recreation area. Considered the “crown jewel” of CCC recreation construction in Florida, Juniper Springs set the standard for what a public springs experience could look like.
CCC crews also improved Alexander Springs with picnic tables, hiking trails, and visitor facilities, and built Sweetwater Cabin above Sweetwater Spring in the mid-1930s. The Ocala National Forest still maintains 14 developed campgrounds and two CCC-era cabins. Across the state, the corps built eight state parks and planted over 13 million trees.
From Private to Public
When Rainbow Springs closed as a private attraction in 1974, the state acquired it in 1990, turning it into the public park visitors enjoy today. That transition from private to public mirrors the very mission the CCC championed in the 1930s: that Florida’s natural wonders belong to everyone. The CCC’s work at Juniper Springs and Alexander Springs proved the model.
To learn more about how we are celebrating the diverse stories behind America’s national heritage, visit America250 at Adventures Unbound.
