Chassahowitzka River Campground, Homosassa, FL

Note: This content was originally updated in 2009, so some details may have changed. I've searched high and low for the original pictures, but could only find the ones below. Please keep in mind, these images are low resolution due to the camera I was using at the time. The "tubes" are not listed on their site, so what I posted below is pretty cool to find out about! These are memories and locations that I want to share, and were taken from my old blog to this new one.

This weekend, we camped with two other families at Chassahowitzka River Campground, staying at site #18. (For families camping together, sites #17 and #18 are ideal. Our friends stayed at adjoining campsites and they too were ideal for a group. I can't remember the #'s, but they were across the road from us.) We had a fantastic time. Would I return? Absolutely, especially with a group of friends—that's what made it so enjoyable.

As you can tell, it rained before our arrival. It was ok. We just walked around the puddles. Because it's Florida, it dried up pretty quickly.

This was our friends campsite.

Chassahowitzka River Campground is a county park in Citrus County (Homosassa). It offers fishing, canoe and kayak, paddleboard and Jon boat rentals, and a convenience store. Looking at their website, they now have a fenced in playground.

The main attraction for us was the underground caves (tubes) that you can swim through in the cool spring water. Most visitors reach the cave area by canoe or small boat - the water got very shallow in the cove, and people were just walking around. We took a canoe with about seven tubes. Two or three of us paddled in the canoe while the rest tubed alongside, using arm power to get there and relying on the current for the return trip. Note: Tubing might not be officially allowed on the way to the cove—one member of our group was asked to get into a canoe immediately.

I would go in the "hole", and tried to go in the tube, but I'm claustrophobic. That was a no go for me!

My son is swimming to the entrance to one of the "tubes".

My son is starting to swim in to one of the "tubes" in a the small swimming hole, and it goes about 26' to the next hole.

My son just came out of the tube and is all smiles, because it was so cool to do!

We enjoyed canoeing, biking around the campsite and just outside of it, and dining at Jake's Bar & Grill (which may have changed hands as I can't locate them on Google), a reasonably priced spot right around the bend from the campground. Jake's has a charming small-town feel, decent food, and affordable prices. We even brought the kids for dinner, though adults might appreciate the nighttime entertainment more.

We had a great time! A group of friends, a campfire, frisbee, whiffle ball, canoes, and tubes made for a memorable weekend.

Additional Info:

• Many campsites offer sewer hookups.