3 Places to See Manatees in Florida, USA
Manatees are fascinating creatures!
The best time of year to see manatees in Florida is in the winter and early spring (mid-November through March are the best months to see the most manatees). These animals can be seen year round, but you’ll find them in larger numbers in the cooler months. They move toward the warmer water once the water temperature drops below 68 degrees.
Where Manatees Congregate:
- Freshwater Springs
- State Parks
- Water near Power Plants (the Power Plants keep the water warm)
For this list, I’ll be featuring Freshwater Springs and State Parks.
Here are 3 Great Places to See (or swim, canoe, snorkel or kayak with) Manatees in Florida:
Three Sister’s Springs
Three Sister’s Springs, Crystal River, and King’s Bay are near each other. Here is a map from Wildlife for Travel showing where they are in relation to one another as well as the kayaking route.
Above photo via
At Three Sister’s Springs you can see manatees from the water’s edge (1/4 mile boardwalk with viewing platforms) or by kayaking, canoeing, or snorkeling in the water. These springs are located in a natural inlet on the east side of King’s Bay.
Above photo via
Photo above via
Three Sister’s Springs has a boardwalk and viewing platforms that gives visitors a perfect spot to watch manatees. Visitors can access the boardwalk by the trolley that departs from the Three Sisters Springs Center every half hour. The Trolley also provides access to Hunter Springs Park.
Manatees are known as Sea Cows, even though they are actually related to the elephant!
Three Sisters Springs // 915 N Suncoast Blvd, Crystal River, FL 34429 ·//
WEBSITE for Three Sister’s Springs
Crystal River & King’s Bay Springs
Above photo via
Crystal River & King’s Bay are located along Florida’s Gulf coast, just north of Tampa and west of Orlando.
These two areas are perfect spots to actually SWIM with manatees!
Crystal River and King’s Bay have more than 70 springs and is the world’s largest natural winter refuge for manatees. Crystal River is located northeast of King’s Bay.
Things to do in Crystal River/King’s Bay:
- Swim with the Manatees
- Manatee Snorkeling Tour
- Pontoon Manatee Tour
- Fishing
- Boating
- Kayaking & Canoeing
- Paddleboarding
See all things to do HERE
Above photo via
Get Directions to Crystal River HERE
Crystal River WEBSITE – this is a cool website with LIVE river cams!
Blue Springs State Park
Blue Springs State Park is a designated Manatee Refuge for West Indian Manatees in the winter months. It is a great place to see manatees, but swimming is prohibited in the winter.
Swimming, tubing, and snorkeling are allowed in warmer months.
Entrance into the park is $6.00 per car group.
We were able to visit Blue Springs State Park in February 2018. Our family loved seeing all of the manatees. We actually called ahead on the day of our visit and were told that 144 Manatees had been seen in the springs that day! On some days the manatee count gets up to 300!
Above: The park has a beautiful boardwalk with platform areas where you could stop and watch the manatees and other animals. We also saw many types of birds, fish, and even an armadillo.
Photo above: The Thursby family home that was built in 1872. Louis P. Thursby built one of the first steamboat landings and planted one of the first orange groves near St. Johns River.
Above: You can take a self guided tour of the Thursby House at the park.
Families Will Love that Blue Springs State Park offers:
- Picnic Tables & Pavilions
- Shady areas for picnics
- A playground
- Restrooms
- Snack Bar
- Biking & Hiking Trails
- Boat Tours
- Kayaking Rentals
- Camping Spots and Cabin Rentals (links below)
Above: This playful manatee kept sticking his head out of the water while we were there.
Photo Above: A momma manatee swimming with her two babies.
We really enjoyed our visit to Blue Springs State Park. It was a wonderful experience for our whole family. When the kiddos are a little older, I would love to take them to Three Sister’s Springs and/or Crystal Springs to actually swim with the manatees.
Blue Springs State Park // 2100 W. French Avenue – Orange City, Florida 32763 // 386.775.3663W. French Avenue
Orange City, FL 32763
WEBSITE for Blue Springs State Park
Blue Springs State Park – Camping & Cabin Rentals
Have you seen or swam with manatees in Florida? How did it go? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
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Will keep these place in mind on our next visit. Love them!
Beautiful places to visit in Florida! I haven’t been there in so long and it would definitely be nice to visit!
It had been a while for us, too! I love Florida…
Manatees are so amazing. They are beautiful.
Yes! I agree, Elizabeth. The manatees were fascinating!
Those pictures are beautiful . Lovely post. Love to visit Blue spring state park and of course want to see the manatees.
Thank you so much! I hope you get to see the manatees. You’ll love them!
Lovely pictures! They are so cute. I wanted to see them someday. This would be a fun place to visit.
Thank you, Regine! It was a lot of fun!
I love manatees! They are such gentle giants. My daughter loved them so much that she chose a stuffed animal one as her souvenir from FL. <3
That’s so cute! My son picked the same thing! It’s amazing how gentle the manatees are.
Oh man! That sounds amazing. I hope to swim with them one day!
Aw, Crystal River was the best!! I used to live in Florida and we used to go there all the time. Manatees are so cool, I swam with them once at a science lab there on a field trip in middle school and it was the best experience.
Oh man! That sounds amazing. I hope to swim with them one day!
We have never fully enjoyed Florida and it would be nice to go to these places not just for the awesome manatees but for the activities as well. I love how beautiful they all are!
I love Florida and I feel the same way. We never visit enough. There is so much more to do in Florida besides theme parks.
I never thought I’d say this but: Those sea cows are so cute! I need to take a trip to Florida really quick! I want to meet one. Thanks for sharing.
I know, right? I didn’t expect to think they were cute, either.
Oh how awesome is this post! I would love to visit the manatees. It looks like such an amazing experience!
Thank you, Elizabeth! I hope you get to go one day!
Manatees are indeed fascinating creatures, it would have been really amazing experience to watch them. Thank you for compiling these places and pictures, it would be helpful for anyone planning to see and swim with Manatees.
Thank you, Preet! I try to write every post from the perspective of a mom trying to help other moms (or anyone really) to plan trips with their family. I’m so glad you thought it was helpful.
I would love to see the manatees up close! I have only seen them in places like Sea World, and loved watching them.
They are fascinating, Melanie! You would love swimming with them at Crystal River then!
Hi Kristy, Thanks for sharing your special post about where to see manatees. Three Sister’s Springs sounds like a great place to visit, and so do the other locations.
Thank you, Pat! I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
I personally love big and cute animals! Elephants are my favourite. Now I would like to visit to one or all of these destinations and see if I have a new favorite animal cuz i already love that fact that they belong to elephant family!!
Thanks for the information
Thank you, Shruti! I like the big animals, too. I wish I could have a pet polar bear.
That is so cool, I’ll have to keep that in mind the next time I go to Florida. I would really love to see those creatures in nature.
That would be a great trip, Luci!
OMG! three places! sounds super coool! The animals are super beautiful!
They were cool, Lyosha! I could have watched these manatees all day!
I’ve never seen manatees, but I’ve seen a lot of photos and GIFs and I have to say… I’m gonna need to check out these places now! 😉
I hope you do, Megan!
Oh how fun…it looks like you had a blast. This is definitely a place worth visiting.
We did, Holly! The kids still talk about this!
This would be an absolute DREAM for me! Manatees are so cute and honestly, such beautiful creatures.
I hope you get to go, Emily! You’ll have so much fun!
It must have been an amazing experience to see manatees up close! They’re such interesting creatures!
It was so fascinating and relaxing to watch them. I loved watching my kids reactions. They were so excited to see them.
Seeing these manatees up close must have been a surreal experience! I’m sure my son would enjoy manatee watching, too. 🙂
It was an amazing experience! Especially for the kids.
I’ve never been to Florida, but I do have a bucket list, so I’m definitely adding this place!
You will love Florida, Lauren!
Beautiful! I live in Florida and we go to Weeki Wachee springs which is close to crystal river. I’ll have to check out Three Sisters Springs though because I haven’t heard of that one!!
You’ll love Crystal River and Three Sister’s Springs, Kasey !
I’d like to visit the Thursby House as the 17 and 1800’s interest me. My children and their families would enjoy seeing the Manatees though. They are called cows but are related to the elephant hmm I’ll have to look it up.
Yes, the Thursby House was very interesting! And the manatees are called Sea cows but are actually related to the elephant! You can’t make this stuff up!
Thanks for sharing! I need to make a list of all the places to go in Florida and I will include going manatee visiting.
Yes, Monica! You’ll love Florida and seeing the manatees is so fascinating!
This is an interesting place to visit most especially with kids! Never seen a Manatee in person although people say there are lots here in PR
That’s amazing, Jane! I didn’t realize there were manatees there.
Would love to visit Florida and see the manatees. I liked the viewing possibilities at Three Sisters Springs best. I did not know manatees were related to elephants. Very enlightening!
Yes!! Three Sisters Springs is amazing!
Pictures of Manatees are awesome !!! Hope I don’t miss Blue springs when I am in Florida Next Winter…
You gotta go! The winter months are the best time to see them!
I would LOVE to see manatees!! They look so sweet and gentle as they cruise along!
They are huge, but they were very gentle, Kelley!
I’ve been to Blue Springs, but i would really love to actually swim with them!
Me too, Jessica! I just have to talk my kids into it. They’re 8 & 10 now, so I’m hoping they’re braver when they get older!
Oh my! I am a wildlife fanatic and would love to see manatees. The places you have presented in here are great because the manatees can be seen with not that much effort. Plus, those springs are gorgeous. Do you know if the springs are warmer than other areas (I am assuming they are)?
Yes! From what I understand, the springs stay around 72 degrees even when it’s cold. The manatees travel to the springs when the ocean waters drop below 68 degrees (to avoid hypothermia). This is why the best time to see them is in the winter months.
This is amazing and my 3-year-old would love it! I remember seeing a manatee once when I was a child visiting Florida, but the park where you can see so many would be wonderful.
It was pretty amazing. I’m *cough* *cough* years old and I was so excited to see them.
Love, love seeing the manatees at Blue Springs. I always appericate it more than the other areas since they have the space where the manatees don’t have to be hounded by people and kayaks. I really must get the hubby down to Florida to see them! Love your photos!
Thanks, Heidi! Yes, no one could get in at Blue Springs. At Crystal Springs, you are taught Manatee Manners before entering the water
I’ve never even seen a manatee. This would be a great outing for the whole family.
Yes! Blue Springs was great for our first trip because my kids were a little bit afraid to swim with them this time. When they are older, I want to take them to Crystal Springs. Thanks, Jessica!
Oh this brought back so many memories of growing up in Cape Coral, Florida! We lived on the canal and I used to swim with manatees (okay, well not like with, with…but in the general area :)). I’ve never seen them in such clear water though like at the Blue Springs park! Looks amazing!
That sounds like a great childhood, Kristen! I bet you saw a lot of space shuttles take off too!
Amazing! This post brings back so many memories. I’ve been to Florida more than 15 years ago and also saw some manatees. It was so great!
I bet you had a great time, Maike! It’s fascinating to up-close to the manatees.
Okay, this is going on my bucket list! 🙂 I love that you provided a map to help your readers orient themselves to the area, and your photos are incredible. Thanks for sharing such great tips.
Thank you, Krystle! I hope you get to do this one day. It’s an amazing experience!
I have to say that manatees look like handsome creatures. I’ve never seen one before. What do the wildlife experts think about people swimming with them? Is it something that’s starting to get discouraged or do they believe the manatees enjoy it and no harm is done?
There are certain safety precautions and “Manatee Manners” you must learn before swimming with them. There is even a video you can watch here: https://crystalrivermanatees.com/
Blue Springs State Park looks lovely. Will definitely have to add it to my list of possible Florida destinations!
The park is very nice! We stopped for just a few hours on our way back from LEGOLAND. It was nice to watch the manatees, walk around/stretch our legs, and let the kids play on the playground. It’s a nice place to stop even if it is just for a short amount of time while on a road trip.
What beautiful photos of the Manatees you have on this post! I saw them in Florida once when I was there on a family vacation but it was so long ago now!
Those family vacations make the best memories! I’m sure seeing the Manatees is something you’ll never forget!
I would certainly enjoy a visit to Blue Springs State Park given the opportunity. Love the virtual tour. Pinned.
Thank you, Veronica! I hope you get to visit Blue Springs. We had a great time there!