Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, near Tallahassee, offers a beach on a spring full of beauty and atmosphere! Fog rises up from the cool spring water shrouding the base of the tall, majestic cypress trees. Happy families gather on the sand, while little ones dig away. Older kids leap off the tower to their delight and swim to the two decks that float out in the water. It's a fun place to be in summer! 

You can take a riverboat ride up the river to see birds and animals, or stay for lunch in the lodge, which could be much nicer than it is. The lodge has a marble floor!- but it is not shiny or taken care of. The furniture is horribly outdated and the overall smell is dank. But the food is actually good. The view of the spring is not that good from the restaurant because the windows are dirty and the spring is across the wide lawn from the lodge.
Apparently they put weed killer in the spring each year so that people can swim without the bother of the algae and weeds (this sounds like a truly awful idea since weed killer is very toxic to people). There is also runoff from septic tanks, fertilizer from lawns, and Tallahassee's sewage water spray field- that is why the water is not crystal clear. There is work being done to reverse this, which is good because this is a special place. 
For a pretty walk in the forest to many different sinkholes check out Leon Sinks Geological Area.
Other wonderful springs to check out in Florida are Ichetucknee Springs State Park near Gainesville, Silver Springs near Ocala, Madison Blue Spring near Highway 75 on the way to Georgia, and the Venetian Pool in Miami.

Directions

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is located at 465 Wakulla Park Dr, Wakulla Springs FL 32327, call (850) 561-7276.
Open daily 8am-sundown.
Admission is $6 per car.
Riverboat tours cost $8 per adult, $5 per child aged 3-12.

Click on map for interactive view