Wakulla Lodge & Facilities

Standing today as it did when built in 1937, Wakulla Springs Lodge has been changed only for improvements in comfort and safety, offering visitors a timeless glimpse into Florida's past.

Opened in 1937, the 27-room Wakulla Springs Lodge sits at the center of the 6,000-acre Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. Visitors and guests have easy access to the spring 365 days a year.

Nearly 200,000 people pass through the entrance to Wakulla Springs State Park making it one of the most popular state parks in Florida.

Simple touches like this sign let visitors know that many features at Wakulla Springs Lodge remain the same as when it first opened.

As dusk settles at Wakulla Springs Lodge, the surrounding forests come alive with the sounds of crickets, frogs and the occasional owl. Visitors might also hear an alligator bellow or a black-crowned night-heron calling out from the spring.

Wakulla Springs Lodge's lobby, including the paintings on the ceiling commissioned by Ed Ball, retains the original character of when the hotel was opened.

While there are no televisions in the rooms at Wakulla Springs Lodge, a wide-screen TV is available to guests and visitors to watch films like the classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon" filmed at Wakulla Spring.

The Wakulla Springs Lodge Restaurant has served breakfast, lunch and dinner to guests and visitors since opening in 1937. The restaurant has also been a favorite for Thanksgiving, Mother's Day and Easter Sunday dinners for generations of Wakulla and Leon county residents. Sandwiches, ice cream and snacks are also served in the lodge's soda fountain and gift shop.

Diners at the Wakulla Springs Lodge Restaurant overlook the grounds and Wakulla Spring while dining.

Wakulla Springs Lodge features 27 rooms appointed with period furniture keeping in style with the way the rooms looked when the lodge opened. Rooms are comfortable with marble bathrooms and walk-in closets, and, in keeping with tradition, rooms do not have televisions.

The Wakulla Springs Lodge appears as it did when built by Ed Ball in 1937. The Lodge is a popular location for events like weddings and family reunions and also has facilities for business meetings and conferences.

Wakulla Springs State Park staff head to the waterfront before the day's visitors arrive. After school lets out for the summer in Wakulla and Leon counties, daily park attendance swells.

Visitors can purchase tickets for boat tours and learn about Wakulla Spring history in the waterfront ticket office and interpretive center.

At the waterfront ticket office, interpretive displays contain archaeological finds including fossilized mastodon remains, pottery shards, projectiles and arrowheads and other items providing a historical record of human and animal habitation at Wakulla Spring.