Madison County is bordered on three sides by three majestic rivers: the Aucilla River, Withlacoochee, and the world famous Suwannee River.

Cherry Lake is a 600-acre water-lover’s playground. From water skiing and knee-boarding, to swimming and sailing — not to mention serious opportunities to land a largemouth bass or other pan fish varieties — Cherry Lake also features amenities like restrooms, picnic tables, a boat ramp with limited trailer parking, and a great swimming area.

More family-friendly aquatic adventures can be found at Ragans Water Zone, part of Ragans Family Campground, which features a 60-foot water slide, zero-entry swimming pool, and quarter-mile lazy river.

Did you know? Madison is home to one of Florida’s first magnitude springs, a classification meaning the spring discharges at least 2,800 liters of water per second. Madison Blue Spring’s cool, clear water discharges into a beautiful pool and then down a 150-foot spring run to the Withlacoochee River. The much loved spring is 82 feet wide and 25 feet deep and is ideal for swimming.

The wildlife that abounds in Madison Blue Spring includes catfish, sunfish, and freshwater turtles. Farther beneath the surface, the extensive cave system at the park has three unique species of crustaceans. The pallid cave crayfish, Hobb’s cave amphipod, and the swimming little cave isopod are residents of the lightless, water-filled caves and are dependent upon the stable, healthy environment of the aquifer in order to thrive.

Just south of the Blue Springs along the Withlacochee river sits a peaceful spring known as Pot Spring. This spring is perfect for diving or canoeing.