Ocala Travel Guide

  confederate memorial
by doug48
 
  • confederate memorial
      confederate memorial
    by doug48
  •   Things to Do
    by Ewingjr98
  •   Ocala
    by Ewingjr98
  •   Ocala
    by Ewingjr98
  • So this is where rednecks come from
      So this is where rednecks come from
    by Ewingjr98
 

Pro

davecallahan profile photo

  big enough place to keep us busy 


Con

buccaneerbill profile photo

  Night life is limited and there is little chance of good jobs 


In a nutshell

JERONDIO profile photo

  " The Springs and the grand daddy oaks" 

 

Explore Ocala

Things to Do  

confederate civil war memorial

confederate civil war memorial, Ocala

 doug48 Says:  the marion county confederate civil war memorial is located in veterans memorial park on the site of fort king. fort king was a fort built during the second seminole war. this memorial was originally on the grounds of the marion county courthouse. recently the modern... 

Palataka

Palataka, Ocala

 Ewingjr98 Says:  Palatka, the seat of Putnam County, has just 10,000 residents, lies on the western bank of the St. Johns River in Central Florida. The city was incorporated in 1853 and became a haven for northerners seeking relief from the col winters. Palatka burned to the ground in 1884... 

Ocala National Forest

Ocala National Forest, Ocala

 Ewingjr98 Says:  The second biggest national forest in Florida and the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River is the Ocala National Forest, established in 1908. The forest lies between the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers, and it has 600 natural lakes and ponds. With 383,000... 

Marshall Plantation

Marshall Plantation, Ocala

 Ewingjr98 Says:  Ocala National Forest includes the 3000 acre Marshall Swamp, site of an old sugar plantation owned by J. Foster Marshall. The plantation itself has been abandoned for years and is now a forest, but the house has been rebuilt about 5 miles from the main road. It is privately... 

Canoeing at the various springs.

Canoeing at the various springs., Ocala

 cdean Says:  You'll see the landscape and animals from a different vantage point. 

florida trail

florida trail, Ocala

 doug48 Says:  the florida trail is a 1400 mile walking trail from pensacola to the big cypress swamp in southwest florida. the trail was founded by jim kern in the 1960's and is fashioned after the appalachian trail. the most popular section of the trail is through the ocala national... 

appleton museum of art

appleton museum of art, Ocala

 doug48 Says:  the appleton museum houses the collection of arthur appleton. built in 1987 the museum has an excellent display of african, american, asian, european, and islamic art. the museum also hosts traveling collections from galleries from around the world. 

silver glen springs

silver glen springs, Ocala

 doug48 Says:  pictured is an ancient timucaun indian mound. for thousands of years native americans had settlements near florida's springs. 

silver glen springs

silver glen springs, Ocala

 doug48 Says:  silver glen springs is located 5 miles north of SR40 on US19 in the ocala national forest. silver glen springs has a nice swimming area and a half mile run to lake george. on weekends the run is filled with boats from lake george. if you are interested in wildlife watching... 

Hotels  

Golden Palms Inn & Suites

 4 Reviews and 77 Opinions  we were driving through during spring break and needed a place to stay. We checked in and very... 

Red Roof Inn & Suites Ocala

 1 Review and 39 Opinions  I stayed at this hotel for one night with my wife. We enjoyed our stay so much! The staff at this... 

See all 34 Hotels in Ocala

Restaurants  

Grille 754: Best restaurant in Ocala

Grille 754: Best restaurant in Ocala, Ocala

 susereid Says:  The food is just great here. They have a nice selection of fresh vegetables to choose from to go with your meal. I like all of daily grille specials - the specials change daily and are very affordable at $12.00. The Harris Ranch Steaks are awesome too. They have great wines... 

International House of Pancakes IHOP: I hop to IHOP

International House of Pancakes IHOP: I hop to IHOP, Ocala

 davecallahan Says:  Making a big deal out of breakfast.And I mean that several ways: 1) they make your breakfast their main goal, so that you are satisfied and will come back 2) they have a good business developed from just serving breakfast all day long (always crowded).We had the weekly... 

Transportation  

Florida Jitney saved our trip

Florida Jitney saved our trip, Ocala

 unionsquaretraveller Says:  We were visiting my grandparents and virtually stuck in Ocala. It is a smallish city and very nice, but we wanted to see more of FLA than just this. The days were ticking by. We found out about the Florida Jitney. Everyday we tried somewhere new. One day up to Gainesville... 

Best way to get around Silver...

Best way to get around Silver..., Ocala

 Randall_Burt Says:  Best way to get around Silver Springs is by Stroller. (if your small) or walking. 

Warnings Or Dangers  

crime statistics

crime statistics, Ocala

 doug48 Says:  ocala is a very safe place to visit for the tourist. ocala has some high crime areas that you should avoid. search ocala on the attached website for area crime statistics. 

Even Florida gets very chilly

Even Florida gets very chilly, Ocala

 cdean Says:  42 degrees did not sound cold to me particularly, but as the evening grew to night, the fire died down, the moisture in the forest increased AND it was DAMP AND it was 42 degrees - plus we had an air mattress which stayed cold - I couldn't sleep til we remembered an exercise... 

What to Pack  

Horrible Horse flies and Misquetos

Horrible Horse flies and Misquetos, Ocala

 sweetchica323 Says:

This is a swampy area

This is a swampy area, Ocala

 Katmosphere Says:   You want to wear water shoes, not flip flops, in case you need to get out of your canoe or kayak and walk in the water. A hat would be really helpful, and don't forget the sunscreen and bugspray!! 

Off The Beaten Path  

Tour a horse farm

Tour a horse farm, Ocala

 buccaneerbill Says:  Many of the horse farms offer tours, many at no charge. The availibity of the tours vary by seasons it is best to check with the chamber of commerace located in the downtown square. Also on the square you will find four examples of the famous Ocala painted horses. Searching... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Pine Oaks

Pine Oaks, Ocala

 davecallahan Says:  Pine Oaks is a fabulous golf course for only $33 for 18 holes (including a cart). You get your choice of 3 sets of nine holes from which you can select any two sets to play. The course plays 5500 yards short and 6800 yards long. The course is set out in three distinct areas:... 

Favorites  

John Travolta

John Travolta, Ocala

 KarenandCory Says:  John Travolta lives in Ocala. Besides being one of Hollywood's biggest stars, he's also a pilot.His house has its own runway and taxiway right to the door. Neat. 

The Place

Plan a Ocala vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Ocala locals

Experience Ocala
  •   65 Tips and Reviews
  •  105 Photos
  Share your Travels  
Map of Ocala
 

The People

104 Members Live Here
 
Advice from the Locals
 profile photo

 Silver Springs - Has beautiful scenery.. which is also at any state park in ocala...in florida at that... has the same kind of animals that zoos do. The buildings and grounds are pretty run down... everything is... 

104 members live in Ocala

 

Question about Ocala?

Our members can help!

postQuestion_button

Top Ocala Writers

1

ocala florida

doug48 profile photo

 established in 1846 ocala is the county seat of marion county florida. the spanish explorer hernando de soto visited the ocala area in 1539. ocala's economy was dominated by the citrus industry until... 

2

Ocala makes a good Neeeeigh bor

davecallahan profile photo

 Ocala is a mix of big city, sprawling motor-home villages, lakes and ponds and horse country. It is luckily in a band that is north of lightning alley and south of the storm-laden panhandle. It is... 

3

Ocala

Katmosphere profile photo

 Ocala National Forest is incredibly beautiful. I can't believe that all the years I have lived in Florida, this is the first time I've gone in and canoed it. 

4

Ocala National Forest and Environs

Ewingjr98 profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Ocala. I'd love to share with you the 3 tips I've written, the 13 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

5

Where I live

buccaneerbill profile photo

 This is a story of Fallin' Down Farm and the people, critters and other things that live here. First let me clarify at least one thing, we are not really a farm , but because we are surrounded by... 

View all rated pages

View newest pages

Build your own Ocala page