Unique Stay in a Florida State Park: The Lodge at Wakulla Springs

The Lodge at Wakulla Springs is a must stay for any Florida State Park enthusiast! It was built in 1937 and has many impressive features. A few of these include the hand painted ceiling, original Art Deco elevator, and the world’s largest marble counter. I recently stayed at the lodge in May 2024 to celebrate my birthday and it did not disappoint.

Exterior and entrance of The Lodge at Wakulla Springs.

The Lodge at Wakulla Springs at a Glance

The Lodge at Wakulla Springs is located within Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. Wakulla Springs is one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs. It is also the location where multiple movies have been filmed, including Tarzan and Creature of the Black Lagoon.

Address: 550 Wakulla Park Dr. Wakulla Springs, Florida 32327
Phone Number: 850-421-2000
Park entrance fee: $6 per vehicle

Posters of movies filmed at Wakulla Springs.

Rooms and Amenities

If you’re looking for a fancy hotel with tons of amenities, this may not be the place for you, but they do have many basic amenities and everything you need for a comfortable stay! They have multiple room types including one king, one queen, two doubles, and one double + one twin. If you want a special view, you can also select a room with a spring view. There are no TVs in the room, but additional amenities are listed below.

WiFi
Private Bathroom
On site dining (additional fee)

If you are looking to pick up a souvenir, make sure you visit the Spring Shop! I also highly recommend booking a boat tour while you are there. It was our favorite activity in the park!

On-site Dining Options

There are two main options for food, the Lodge Dining Room and the Soda Parlor and Spring Shop. For breakfast or dinner, I would recommend the dining room. For lunch or snacks, the Soda Parlor is the perfect spot.

The Edward Ball Dining Room

Open from 7:30 AM to 9 PM daily, The Edward Ball Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I personally ate breakfast and dinner there and both of my meals were great!

Breakfast

When booking your room, you have the option to select a rate that includes breakfast which allows you to order from a small menu at no additional cost. If you choose this option, make sure to bring some cash for a tip! Reservations are not required for breakfast. My husband and I each ordered a different entree so we could split them and enjoy a sweet and savory meal. We ordered the classic Lodge Breakfast (2 eggs with bacon or sausage, grits, and a biscuit) and the Sourdough French Toast (yum!). Breakfast is served daily from 7:30 AM to 11 AM.

Lunch

I did not personally eat lunch here (we packed Pubsubs in the cooler and enjoyed them at a picnic table in the park), but reservations are recommended. The lunch and dinner menu are the same and is served starting at 11 AM. Another option for a quick and more casual lunch is the Soda Parlor (keep reading to learn more).

Dinner

Reservations are also recommended for dinner and can easily be made online or by calling 850-421-2000. The dining room was crowded, so I would follow the recommendation and reserve your table ahead of time. My husband and I really enjoyed our dinner, he ordered a steak with baked potato, and I had brisket with mac & cheese. We also ordered fried green tomatoes for an appetizer. Dinner is served until 9 PM and they do have some rotating specials on different days of the week.

Two dinner plates, one with steak and a baked potato and one with brisket and mac and cheese.

Soda Parlor

Home to the world’s largest marble counter, this is a must visit location in the lodge! The hours change seasonally, but from Memorial Day to Labor Day it is open from 9 AM to 7 PM Sunday through Thursday and 9 AM to 8 PM Friday and Saturday.

The Soda Parlor is most well-known for sweet treats like root beer floats or ginger yips, but also serves quick food options including sandwiches, hot dogs, and other snacks. Even if you aren’t hungry, I recommend stopping by to check out the counter and browse the gift shop!

My Overall Experience

My husband and I stayed in a queen bed guestroom without a spring view, and it was still perfect! We opted to book the rate that included breakfast in the morning. I made a reservation for dinner a month in advance when I reserved our room. I called to ask if we should also make a reservation for breakfast, and they advised it was not necessary. It was nice that we didn’t need a reservation for breakfast, and we could head to the dining room at our leisure. There were others enjoying breakfast, but it was no problem to get a table for us!

Overall, we found the room to be comfortable with plenty of space for the two of us and the staff was very friendly and answered any questions we had. My husband and I also enjoyed both the meals we ate in the lodge dining room.

We wouldn’t change anything about our stay and were glad we opted to only stay for one night. This gave us adequate time to explore the park and enjoy the amenities at the Lodge. The only thing I wish we would’ve done is gotten a drink at the soda fountain! Based on the timing of our trip that is one thing we didn’t end up doing. If you want to ensure you don’t miss anything, consider staying for 2-3 nights.

Ready to book your stay at The Lodge at Wakulla Springs?

Staying in a historic lodge in a Florida State Park was such a unique and fun experience! The Lodge was reasonably priced, and we loved having an entire state park to explore while we stayed. Additionally, some of the small details really make the lodge worth seeing, including the hand painted ceiling in the lobby.

Hand painted ceiling at The Lodge at Wakulla Springs.

If you enjoyed this post don’t forget to share it with someone you want to stay at The Lodge at Wakulla Springs with to start planning your trip! You might also want to make it a road trip and check out some of the Florida Panhandle Lighthouses like we did!