Let's talk Manatees

[wabbott]

Blue Springs State Park is a must do every year for us. It’s beautiful and the manatees love it there.

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We're going to do a couple of days at Homasassa in connection with our April, 2024 WDW/UOR trip. One of the few "Old Florida" places left. We've stayed at Cedar Key a couple of times and really like it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We're going to do a couple of days at Homasassa in connection with our April, 2024 WDW/UOR trip. One of the few "Old Florida" places left. We've stayed at Cedar Key a couple of times and really like it.

Its a beautiful place for sure!


Say hi to Lu the hippo!

 

[Capt_BJ]

about Blue Springs ..... from the web site:

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO​

During periods of high visitation, visitors may experience long lines to enter Blue Spring State Park. The park frequently reaches capacity and may temporarily close. Closures occur intermittently and may last several hours. ...

WINTER WATER ACTIVITIES​

Effective Nov. 14: Due to manatee season, the spring run at Blue Spring State Park is closed to all water activities. This includes swimming, snorkeling, diving, tubing, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding.

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/blue-spring-state-park

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

OP here. Thanks! I had read that too. Figured we would need to get there around 8AM to hopefully get in when they open.

I'm now stalking their FB page, web cams, etc. and Three Sisters as well. I have narrowed it back down to Blue Springs and Three Sisters - just can't decide.

 

[thewesterberg]

We were at Blue Spring State Park on November 12, hoping to see some manatees. We knew it was a long shot since it was a little early in the season. Unfortunately the weather had warmed up so no luck the day we were there although a couple days earlier there were some in the spring. We did go on the boat tour and enjoyed it. The captain of the boat was great - we saw lots of birds and he shared different ways to I.d. what we were seeing, shared history, found a gator hanging out on the shore, etc. The two hours flew by and it was enjoyable to be out on the water.

 

[vakamalua]

Admittedly not in the wild, but a good place to see manatees up close & personal including underwater viewing is at Zoo Tampa; not to mention a great day seeing lots of amazing animals including, my favorite, the Shoebill Stork (look it up).

 

[firefly_ris]

We kayaked to Three Sisters in February of this year right before they closed it for a while. My family had to hop off the kayaks and swim into the springs themselves because they weren't allowing kayaks in there at that time -- I waited back with the kayaks and our belongings since I had my good camera and such so I didn't get to participate. But everyone said it was amazing and well worth the kayaking to get to the spring. Also in the river we saw a mom and baby and a few other manatees.

 

[leebee]

Any restaurant recommendations in the Blue Springs area? I think we are going to try a 1hr boat tour on Jan 10 and then walk along the boardwalk area to see manatees... hopefully!

 

[keishashadow]

Have snorkeled and scuba dove in Crystal springs and surrounding area with them several times. We've done charters and pontoon boat rentals.
Being in the water with them is

110%, it’s a truly magical experience!

For first-timers, highly recommend booking thru a reputable tour operator in the area.

 

[greeneyedchick]

Any restaurant recommendations in the Blue Springs area? I think we are going to try a 1hr boat tour on Jan 10 and then walk along the boardwalk area to see manatees... hopefully!

It's not fancy, but we always go to the Blue Springs Pizzeria afterwards. They have large slices. We're from the NY area and it's one of the best pizza places we've found in the Orlando area.

 

[leebee]

We skipped the boat tour and just did the boardwalk at Blue Spring State Park. It was INCREDIBLE! Manatees galore- they said they'd counted 372 that day!! So awesome to see these gentle creatures!