I let my niece who was visiting from Pennsylvania choose an adventure for her birthday and she picked Devil’s Den. I had read about the crowds there, and since it was summer we decided to go at 9:00 AM on a Tuesday hoping it wouldn’t be as crowded during the week.

Head in to buy your ticket as soon as you get there. If you don’t get into the 9:00 AM time slot then you will have to wait till people are done or at the most until their 2-hour limit is up.

The cost is $25 which includes the $10 fee to rent the snorkel, fins, and mask. So it is cheaper if you already own them. Looks like the price increases if you visit on a weekend versus a weekday.

Your 2 hours starts straight away but don’t worry I don’t think most people would spend more than 15 – 30 mins in the water because of the temperature and the area is small. After paying, you will get your fins and a snorkel and a little lesson on the rules before you are set free to explore.

The water is a chilly 72 degrees and unfortunately, you don’t have the sun to warm you up while swimming like other springs you may have been to in Florida.  I hate being cold and I am not a water person so I was really hesitant.  I mean really I only swim in pools if I have to and the temperature is above 80 degrees.  But we both wanted to do it and I was going to be brave with her!

The cave itself is beautiful! All the different colors of the rocks and the sunlight coming in through the top is just breathtaking. It’s hard to believe this is so close to Orlando. My feet were in the chilly water. To my families surprise, I walked down the steps up to my knees and jumped right in! I had on a rash guard and shorts, hoping it would help me stay warm and I think it did a little. I mean it was cold but it wasn’t as bad as I imagined in my head. So if you expect the worst maybe that will help you?

The downside is that it is a very small area and it was very crowded while we were there.  I couldn’t just relax and snorkel because of a number of people around me. I felt like I was bumping into people and worried about hitting them with my fins. So I just doggy paddled and enjoyed the view of the cave which was prettier then under the water anyway.

Don’t have a waterproof camera? Honestly, you are probably going to want one for this. Most people were coming to the top of the steps once they were done swimming and bringing their phone to take pictures. This is a little difficult since the walkway is very small and only one person can go up or down the stairs at a time. So the area above the steps gets a little hard to maneuver.  But everyone seemed very understanding about it since they all wanted pictures too.

Is Devil’s Den worth the cost? I honestly don’t think I would come here again because of the cost versus the time spent there. It was $100 for four people, we maybe spent 30 mins there.  Maybe I’m just cheap? I mean, I’m not sad I spent the money, we had a fun new adventure. If we had the place to ourselves I could see it being worth it. We could relax on the dock, swim comfortably and walk down the steps without having to wait in line. Maybe in the winter on a weekday you would have a better chance of that happening? If you have been, do you think it’s worth the cost?

Melissa P.

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