Best Swimming Places In and Near Palm Coast, FL

Thanks to its abundant sunshine and warm weather, Palm Coast, Florida, offers plenty of excellent opportunities to go swimming. Whether you’re interested in dipping your toes in the ocean or doing a few laps in a pool, you know you’ll have a good time going for a swim at one of these top places around Palm Coast.

De Leon Springs State Park

The beautiful De Leon Springs State Park is located about 40 miles south of Palm Coast. This state park combines recreational swimming and fascinating history into one place. The crystal clear springs are a constant 72 degrees no matter the time of year, which makes them the perfect place to cool off on those sweltering summer days. Swimming and snorkeling are permitted in the swimming area, and you can also sign up for instructional diving in the springs.

Jungle Hut Road Park

If you’re interested in swimming in the ocean, stop by Jungle Hut Road Park in Palm Coast. This 2-acre city beach offers direct access to the water. Take the short walk from the parking lot across the dunes to find a clean and spacious beach. You can splash along the shoreline or go a little deeper for a swim. When you’re relaxing on the beach, keep an eye out for dolphins, shorebirds, pelicans, and seagulls. Best of all, if you want to take your four-legged family member for a swim, Jungle Hut Road Park is a pet-friendly beach.

Palm Coast Aquatics Center

When you’re looking to swim more for exercise than recreation, head to Palm Coast Aquatics Center. The center has a 25-yard heated and lighted outdoor swimming pool that’s perfect for getting in those laps. You’ll also find a variety of other aquatic activities available at the center. Sign the children up for swimming lessons or enroll in aquatic exercise classes for yourself. The center offers water aerobics, Aqua Zumba, and Palm Coast masters swim, which is a class led by a certified U.S. Masters Coach and designed for triathletes and competitive swimmers.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Although Washington Oaks Gardens State Park in Palm Coast is known for its stunning formal gardens, the park also has a great beach area that you can enjoy. The beach has 0.75 miles of shoreline that’s nestled between the Matanzas River and the Atlantic Ocean. When you’re done spending time at the beach, the park has plenty of other amenities to enjoy, including hiking and biking trails, opportunities for fishing, and picnic areas.

Salt Springs Recreation Area

If you travel west of Palm Coast to Ocala National Forest, you’ll find Salt Springs Recreation Area. The recreation area has a natural spring that bubbles up from cracks deep within the earth and offers a variety of recreational water activities, including swimming within marked boundaries and fishing and boating downstream of the swimming area.

When you’re ready to cool off with a refreshing dip in the water, make plans to check out one of these outstanding swimming places around the Palm Coast area.

Image via Flickr by ravas51 used under CC BY-SA 2.0

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