I was surprised when I drove into the parking lot at Warm Mineral Springs. For a spa that billed itself as the natural spring with the highest mineral content in the U. Instead, the unassuming single story building seemed a bit neglected and was wholly unspectacular. But having driven the 45 minutes from Sarasota to get here, I decided to check it out.
To my surprise, it turned out to be one of the most fascinating places I have ever visited in Florida. From the main entrance I passed through a long, dim hallway leading past bathrooms and locker rooms before stepping out into the sunshine for my first view of the springs.
A tingling n the back of my neck told me there was something very special about this place. Fascinated by the perfectly circular, water-filled sinkhole, I decided to make a circuit of the lake to scope things out. As I photographed him, the bird fearlessly walked up to me.
Simultaneously, a large turtle swam up to the shore, poked its head out of the water, and looked at me as he proceeded to munch on the reeds growing along the shore, just inches from where I stood. Astounded, I began searching for more information about the site. During the ice age, Warm Mineral Springs was an underground cave with a lake at the bottom.
As the glaciers receded and the ice caps melted, water levels rose. Eventually the ground over the cave collapsed, exposing the lake. Over the years, divers exploring the now submerged caves have discovered the 11,year-old remains of prehistoric hunters, saber tooth tigers, a giant sloth, and camels, proving that the cave was once above water.
