Welcome to Ocala, Florida

Ocala is a city in central Florida. East of downtown, Fort King National Historic Park was an important Second Seminole War site. The collection at the Appleton Museum of Art includes pre-Columbian artifacts and contemporary art. The waters of Silver Springs State Park are dotted with kayaks and glass-bottom boats. The park is also the gateway to the woods and lakes of the vast Ocala National Forest to the east.

Ocala's name comes from the extinct Timucuan tribe who called their village Ocali, commonly thought to mean "Big Hammock". Today, many of Ocala's streets have historical Native American names, while others have Spanish names from old land grants.