The beloved Sea Cow is the official marine mammal of the State of Florida. Although a threatened species, they’re thankfully on the rebound, and sightings in Florida are becoming more common than ever. Especially when you know where to look! The best time to go looking for manatees is during the cooler winter months when they all migrate back home to Florida and gather in springs and the warm water outflow of power plants in huge numbers.
Here’s our list of the best places in Florida to see manatees in the wild.
Manatee Lagoon – FPL Eco-Discovery Center – West Palm Beach, FL
We’re going the kick off the list with some of the maybe “less than scenic” locations to find manatees, but are definitely reliable, especially in the winter. In Florida, if you see a power plant on the water, chances are you’re going to find manatees there in the colder months. Manatees just love to hang out in the warm water outflows of power plants when the water everywhere else is a little too chilly for them.
At Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach can see manatees huddling in the warm-water outflows of Florida Power & Light Company’s Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center. Ok, that was a mouthful. It’s free to visit and has several viewing areas, an educational center, a picnic area, a cafe, and a gift shop.
https://www.visitmanateelagoon.com
Lee County Manatee Park – Fort Myers, FL
Another hot spot on our tour of manatee friendly power plants The Lee County Manatee Park is ijust across from a Florida Power and Light station in Fort Myers and on the warm water discharge canal. It’s another wintertime haven where large numbers of Florida manatees can be seen enjoying the warm water. There’s a lot of other things to do here too. It has several manatee viewing areas, a butterfly garden, picnic shelters, kayak rentals, a fishing pier, and a gift shop. It’s free, but you do have to pay a couple bucks to park.
https://www.leegov.com/parks/parks/manateepark
TECO Manatee Viewing Center – Apollo Beach, FL
Ok, well like I said before, the scenery at some of these power plants might not be ideal, and while the TECO Big Bend Power Plant in Apollo Beach might just be the ugliest place on the list, the manatees and overall experience here makes it one of my favorites.
During the winter through early spring manatees will gather here by the dozens to hang out in the warmer water that is being discharged from the power plant. Seriously, there are so many manatees in one place you can even see them on Google Earth.
But what I really like about this place is how great a job they did turning this place into a legitimate attraction, with nature trails, a boardwalk, an observation deck, and a cool little interactive museum. You’ll not only see manatees here, but lots of different bird species, huge schools of fish like tarpon, snook, sharks, and even Spotted Eagle Rays jumping out of the water too. No fishing allowed though, so seeing all these fish here is just a huge tease. But there’s so much nature here you almost forget that you’re just a few feet away from a giant cloud maker. And while it might look nasty, that’s just steam coming out of those pipes, so you can leave the gas mask at home.
Best of all, this place is absolutely free, and makes a great little stop if you’re driving south along I-75 just past Tampa.
https://www.tampaelectric.com/company/mvc/
Silver Springs State Park – Ocala, FL
Silver Springs is the oldest tourist attraction in Florida. It’s now a State Park, but the famous glass bottom boat tours are still here. Silver Springs is also home to one of the most unique invasive species in Florida, feral rhesus monkeys. Local legend says that the monkeys were brought here in the 1930’s for a Tarzan movie, but others say that they were instead introduced to the park on purpose to spice up the old Jungle Cruise ride back when this place was a world famous destination. The monkeys eventually established a colony here, and they’re still living here to this day. Just something to think about if you decide to explore some of the hiking trails, since these monkeys are known to be a little ill tempered.
Anyway, back to the manatees…
Manatees love any area where the water stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and the clear springs here keep the water at a constant 72 degrees making this a great place for a manatees encounter in a beautiful natural old Florida setting, especially aboard one of their glass bottom boats.
Lovers Key State Park – Fort Myers, FL
Lovers Key is a lot less crowded and less well known than a lot of these places on my list. It’s largely untouched and natural, and a great place to rent a kayak for the day and paddle around among the mangroves where manatees can frequently be seen along with plenty of dolphins so you have a good chance of spotting two of Florida’s favorite marine mammals in one trip. After that, make sure you hit Lovers Key beach, one of the few unspoiled and undeveloped beaches on the Gulf Coast.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/lovers-key-state-park
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park – Spring Hill, FL
Weeki Wachee is world famous for the old school mermaid shows that started here back in 1947, and became THE place to see in Florida. This place was like the Disney World of it’s day that was so well know that even Elvis once visited. Seriously, it’s like a major point of pride here that Elvis once came to visit back in 1961, and they’ll definitely make sure you know that when you’re here.
Manatees will occasionally wander into the public swimming and water park area and mermaid show springs here where you can see them from the underwater viewing area, but for your best chance at spotting one is to take a ride on the Weeki Wachee river boat tour or rent a canoe and explore the river on your own. Curious manatees are even known to approach canoes and kayaks here for an up close and personal manatee encounter. Weeki Wachee is still a nice little day trip to experience some old Florida kitsch, especially if you take advantage of the little waterpark there that has slides that dump you off right into the spring. The water is chilly though, so this is something you might want to do on a hot day.
https://weekiwachee.com
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge – Titusville, FL
After the Kennedy Space Center was developed for NASA, much of the leftover land around was converted into a national wildlife preserve where many endangered species and birds have settled. If you’ve ever been on a tour of Kennedy Space Center you know what i’m talking about. Most of the place is lakes, swamps, and trees with the occasional launch pad or Vehicle Assembly Building thrown in to break things up.
As a safe haven for wildlife, a large number of manatees make this their home as well. This is actually one of the few areas in Florida where you can see manatees most of the year, since in most places they tend to come and go. There are manatee viewing platforms, a visitor center, great bird watching, and hiking, oh, and they do occasionally launch rockets into outer space from here too, so you might want to plan ahead to either avoid the crowds or make that part of the reason for visiting.
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Merritt_Island/
Manatee Springs State Park – Chiefland, FL
About an hour west of Gainesville you’ll find the aptly named Manatee Springs State Park, another popular warm water refuge for manatees in the winter. During the winters months, manatees travel up the Suwannee River to many of the connected springs in the north west part of the state. Manatee Springs produces 100 million gallons of clear water everyday, making it a popular spot for snorkeling, scuba diving, canoeing and kayaking all year. Come to visit the manatees and stay for the hiking trails, bike trails, kayak rentals, and some great BBQ.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/manatee-springs-state-park
Blue Spring State Park – Orange City, FL
Blue Spring State Park is less than an hour from Orlando, and is the best place in the state to see manatees without having to get in a boat or get in the water. Several boardwalks and overlooks give you a great chance to view them during the winter months where they gather here in huge numbers. When it’s not manatee season you’re welcome to swim, snorkel, scuba dive and kayak here too. There’s even a place to rent tubes, so you can gently float down a real life lazy river, which is way better than any of the ones you’ll find in an Orlando waterpark.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/blue-spring-state-park
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge – Crystal River, FL
The Crystal River is a legendary manatee viewing location and was even listed in the bestseller “1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List” as a place you just need to see.
Ok, we kind of cheated on this one, because the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is actually a huge area, with a bunch of locations that could all easily be number one on this list on their own. But since they’re all fairly close to each other, we decided to lump them all together here. Key locations here are Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and Kings Bay where manatees can be found year round, but the crown jewel is Three Sisters Springs, which is the largest winter refuge for manatees on the Gulf Coast, and one of the most famous manatee hot spots in the world. You know all of those famous photos of manatees you’ve seen swimming in crystal clear water? A lot of those were probably shot here.
What really puts Crystal River at the top of our list though is the chance to get out there and actually swim with the manatees with one of the many tour operators that are all over the area. After gearing up with a mask, fins, and snorkel, you’ll be able to get as close to one of these friendly giants as you’d like. You’ll even be allowed to pet them if the manatee initiates the contact, as they often do. The water is a crisp 72 degrees year round, so you might want to think about a wet suit too.
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/crystal_river
Did we miss one of your own favorite best places in Florida to see manatees? Let’s hear about it! Leave a reply in the comments below.