The downward-viewing vessels drew a stream of visitors to the springs, once reached mainly by steamboat. To this day people gawk, amazed, at schools of fish and patches of eelgrass tossed by currents roiling up from limestone depths. Sidelines were added over the decades. In the past few years an expansion has updated the place. Still the main attraction, they've evolved from that first wooden canoe to a fleet of motorized pontoon boats carrying dozens of people at a time on half-hour excursions.
Bubbles rise from sandy holes.
Schools of shad, lone alligator gar, and other fish drift into view, as well as submerged cypress logs, remnants of a sunken rowboat, and mussel shells dancing in the strong current. These canvas-topped flat bottomed boats explore the downstream surprises along the Silver River during Lost River Voyage excursions. Another type of riverboat ventures through undeveloped wetlands for a look at Florida the way 16th-century explorers might have seen it. White egrets, blue heron, and wing-spreading anhingas roost on branches. The tour turns around at a rehabilitation facility where injured owls, eagles, and vultures reside.