Where to see Manatees?

[rideswithchrist]

My son's birthday is 3 days after we leave the fort, so we wanted to extend our camping somewhere neat while in the Florida area.
For whatever reason, he said he wanted to see some Manatees- awesome!

But where is the best place to do so? We will be in a popup.

 

[JETS70]

My son's birthday is 3 days after we leave the fort, so we wanted to extend our camping somewhere neat while in the Florida area.
For whatever reason, he said he wanted to see some Manatees- awesome!

But where is the best place to do so? We will be in a popup.

@rideswithchrist Teresa and I visited Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center a couple of years ago during the first of November. This is supposed to be around the time that the manatees move into the inlet next to the power station. We did not get to see any Manatees as we were told that the water was still to warm. Even with not getting to see the manatees, it was worth the visit as they have some amazing walking trails and a viewing tower that looks out onto the marshes and waterways. There is also an education center located on property. I included a link to the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing site. There is a short video that gives some good information on the site. You may be able to call and see if the manatees have started moving into the area.

https://www.tampaelectric.com/company/mvc/

Steve

 

[bama_ed]

There are other places that promote viewing manatees but as Steve/Jets70 said, October or early November is still not quite the season yet. Manatees gather in certain Florida waters that are at a constant warmer temperature than the ambient ocean temp. Thus the colder the air (and then the water) gets, the more likely you are to see manatees.

Florida has a number of fresh water springs that spew thousands of gallons daily which are at a constant temp year round. If you are coming down I75/Turnpike to WDW, there is an area due west of Wildwood south of Ocala called Homosassa Springs and Crystal Springs that has some "See the Manatees", "Swim with the Manatees" (never EVER touch one) places, and there are private campgrounds and rv parks nearby. You could try those on the drive down to WDW or on the way home (use google to find them and possibly call to determine if the manatees are there yet). If you try a day trip from the Fort, it's gonna be a longer drive each way.

Just up I4 through Orlando on the way to Daytona in the town of Orange City is a Florida state park called "Blue Spring SP" which is adjacent to the St. Johns River which is a popular manatee viewing area in the viewing season. The River empties into the Atlantic at Jacksonville but the origin of the river is in Central Florida and there is a large freshwater spring on a short tributary of the river next to the State Park (a short walking path connects the campground to the river boats where there are cruises/tours and a walking boardwalk to the spring). I am staying there between Christmas and New Years. It caters to a lot of day trippers in the season but for you to do so means a run up through the construction zone in Orlando.

Honestly there are possibilities and opportunities available from WDW but it might simply be still too early/warm but do the research and contact the place of your choosing to see what the situation is then.

Good luck!

Bama Ed

 

[2goofycampers]

https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/things-to-do/outdoors-nature/manatee-webcam-blue-spring-park.html

 

[rideswithchrist]

We will be leaving the fort March 10th so I hope it is still cold enough We are heading back to TX, so we will check out location around 75.
The Blue Springs Park looks amazing, but maybe for another trip.

It looks like there are some state parks along our way home that we can camp in and hopefully see them.

Ed- I don't think I could swim with but not touch!!! That is like giving me cookies and saying only smell them. I should probably stay on a dock and look from afar then!

 

[sirenia88]

@rideswithchrist Today is your lucky day We did a manatee swim back in April 2017 as a surprise trip. Crystal River is going to be a good place to seem them. There are several tour companies in the area for sight seeing trips. We did a private excursion on Easter morning. This means we had the boat, a captain and a guide for ourselves. It was pretty freakin' awesome! We did have one manatee come up to us and nose us which is OK. Active seeking is not allowed. If they touch you, OK if you touch them no so much. You are warned before and during the trip. The place we used had a video you watched prior to the trip. However, the excursion keeps you in the crystal river area. We managed to swim the 3 Sisters springs which is super clear water and got a visitor while exploring the area. Quite frankly, it was well worth the trip.

Afterward, our excursion included an air boat ride in the local area. We visited the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Homasassa Springs to watch our adopted manatee swim around the springs there. My DD even got introduced as an adopted parent during a program a speaker was giving about the manatees. To top it all off, we had a wonderful Easter dinner at a local place that had really excellent food and cold beer. In Crystal River there were a couple of campgrounds in the area. IIRC, Crystal River Camping Resort was in the area which I found on the map of the area. I believe there was another one near the state park we visited but not within its borders.

Last November we went down to FL and spent a couple of days in Disney then over to my relatives. TECO viewing center was short detour in between the WDW and them. It was very nice and informative however, the manatees were not in yet since the conditions were still warm for their arrival. They did have a couple come in though.

However check out www.savethemanatee.org That is Jimmy Buffett's program in help raising awareness and supporting local Manatee programs. They should have information on Manatee viewings and sighting areas. If you have any other questions, just ask.

Good luck with your adventure!

 

[rideswithchrist]

Awesome! Thank you so much for all that info.
I am going to plan that into our trip for sure, the kids are going to love it and I am going to freak. My hubby did not like the idea of swimming WITH manatees, so he may stay on shore with the 2 year old ha.