6 of the Best Places to see Manatees in Central Florida
Manatee season runs from November 15th through March 31st each year. While you can see manatee year-round in Florida your chances greatly increase during the winter each year. Below are my top 6 suggestions of places to go to see manatees in central Florida.
My Number One Tip for Seeing Manatee in Florida
The colder it is, the more likely you will see manatees! Manatees can’t survive in water temperatures lower than 68 degrees F. When the Gulf water drops in temperature, manatees seek out the warmer water in Florida springs or from nearby powerplants. When it is colder you are more likely to see a greater number of manatees at one time!
1. TECO Manatee Viewing Center
If you are in the Tampa Bay area and haven’t been to the TECO manatee viewing center, what are you waiting for? This is a family friendly activity, that is FREE!! The manatee viewing center is in Apollo Beach and is open from November 1st through April 15th each year. Highlights include the manatee viewing platform, 3+ miles of walking trails (including an observation tower), a string-ray touch tank, and Environmental Education Center! This is a must visit location when looking to see manatee in Central Florida.
2. Ellie Scherer Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Another great place to see manatees is at Ellie Scherer Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. This is a unique state park where animals that are injured and can no longer survive in the wild live. Take the wildlife walk and see Lu the famous hippo, Florida panthers, black bear, river otters, and more! There are also multiple places within the park to keep your eye out for manatees.
The first place is the manatee care center, where you can find injured manatees that are taken care of by the park rangers. The second place is naturally in the springs which you can view from the trail. Finally, for a unique viewing opportunity check out the underwater observatory! This was one of my favorite parts of the park. The park is open 9 AM to 5:30 PM year-round and the entrance fee is $13 (age 13 years and older) and $5 (age 6-12 years).
3. Blue Springs State Park
One of the most popular state parks to see manatees in Central Florida is Blue Springs State Park in Orange City. This park can be very crowded and may reach capacity, so it is recommended to arrive early! During the summer you can enjoy water activities, but in the winter the springs are closed off to protect the manatee.
The best option to see manatees in the winter is to walk the 1-mile out and back boardwalk trail. There are multiple viewing platforms where you can stop to see the manatee. The park rangers post a “manatee count” each day once they know how many manatees there are in the springs. There have been over 500 manatees counted, which is incredible! In addition to the boardwalk, there are plenty of other activities to enjoy in the park! The park is open from 8 AM to sundown year-round and the cost is $6 per vehicle.
4. Swim with the Manatee in Crystal River
This list would not be complete without including Crystal River, the number one city to see manatees in Florida! For a unique experience you can go swimming with manatee by booking a guided tour. There are several different tour companies that will take you out on the water to go swimming. I got to experience this back in December 2016 and it is still one of my favorite Florida adventures!
We booked a tour with Adventure Diving and were in the water bright and early at 7 AM. Although it was early and cold, it was well worth it. The water wasn’t crowded that early and we got to see several manatee swimming by. If you plan to swim with the manatee, please respect all the rules! These are in place to protect the manatee! I have heard from other people’s experience booking a later tour time the water can get quite crowded, so I would recommend going early!
If you want to make it a day trip, be sure to also check out Crystal River Archaeological State Park to see ancient burial mounds and Crystal River Preserve State Park to go hiking.
5. Three Sister Springs
Three Sister Springs is a great place in Crystal River to see manatees and the springs can be enjoyed from land or water. This is a very popular spot for manatee tours to take people swimming. However, if you want to swim in the spring, you must access the area from the water. There is no land access to Three Sisters Springs. Don’t worry if swimming with the manatee isn’t really your style, you can still enjoy this spring!
Visit Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge to view manatees from the boardwalk surrounding Three Sisters Springs. The fee to enter the wildlife refuge is $20 and you can access the trails by foot or take a short bus ride into the refuge. We walked over from the visitor’s center, but if you do not want to walk the shuttle will drop you off right by the boardwalk. The boardwalk is about 0.25 miles but offers great views of the springs with plenty of opportunity to spot manatee. In addition to the boardwalk there are over 2 miles of trails if you want to spend more time there.
6. Tarpon Springs Bayou with River Wild Kayaking
My last recommendation for viewing manatee in Central Florida is to take a kayaking tour with River Wild Kayaking in Tarpon Springs! The manatee tours are held seasonally during manatee season and are not the same as the Eco Tour that they offer year-round. Last February, River Wild was kind enough to host me on one of their kayaking tours and it was so fun!
The tour launches at the same spot, and you paddle down the Anclote River along the Sponge Docks until you reach the Spring Bayou. This was over 3-miles round trip, and we worked hard on the paddle back to the launch. The effort was worth it, once we reached the Spring Bayou, we spent around 20 to 30 minutes floating in the water watching manatee swim to the surface. One of the benefits of booking this tour is you are likely to see other wildlife during your paddle. In addition to manatee, we saw dolphins, osprey, pelicans, turkey vultures, and more!
An important thing to note is the water in the Bayou is not clear like spring water so it is a little harder to spot the manatee here. Also, please keep in mind wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but you will have an awesome tour guide to make sure you don’t miss anything!
Are you ready to see manatees in Central Florida?
Manatee sightings are always exciting, especially if you aren’t from Florida! Manatees are wild and can be seen almost anywhere, but these are the best 6 places to see manatees in Central Florida in my opinion! All the locations on this list I have personally visited, but I know there’s more places. Where else would you add to this list? Comment below and don’t forget to subscribe to my e-mail list for future blog posts!
