Where to see manatees in Florida: 18 best places (2024)

Your best chance of seeing manatees in Florida is on cold winter day when they gather in relatively warm waters of springs and power plant outfalls.

There are about somewhere in the range of 7,500 manatees in Florida waters, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. They’re located in waters throughout the state.

It’s a lot easier to spot the threatened species now than a few decades ago. When Fish and Wildlife Service began counting manatees via aerial surveys began in 1991, they estimated there were only 1,267 manatees in Florida!

Because manatees spend most of their time underwater, the best place to see manatees in Florida is where there is clear water, and that means Florida’s springs.

I live on the Middle River in Fort Lauderdale and I see manatees from my backyard with some regularity in winter. But the water is not clear, so what I see is a snout, a back, a flipper, or maybe just the tell-tale circle pattern (“footprint”) in the water that manatees make as they swim near the surface.

In clear water, you see much more, plus in Florida springs, the manatees are hanging out, giving you more time to observe. In my river, they are going somewhere and they swim past at a brisk speed.

You can see manatees in Florida waters any time of year, but manateesare more commonly spotted from November to March, when they gather in places with warmer water.

Rambler tip: Don’t forget your polarized sunglasses. You will see the manatees much more clearly without the reflections on the water.

The suggestions here are for winter viewing of manatees.

Manatees at Blue Spring State Park

Florida’s springs offer some terrific manatee viewing opportunities and the best of all is Blue Spring State Park. When are manatees in Blue Spring? It depends on the weather.

The cooler the waters of the St. Johns River, the more manatees will be in the spring. The park reached a new record in its daily manatee count in Jan. 1, 2024, with 736 manatees. You can see up-to-date information on how many manatees are in the spring here or call the park at 386-775-3663.)

The usual schedule is to close the spring to swimmers and and kayakers from Nov. 15 to March 15, when manatees are generally present. If weather keeps manatees in residence later, the park may delay re-opening the spring to swimmers and boaters.

The most reliably chilly weather, and thus the best manatee viewing at Blue Springs, is in January.

You also can watch live manatees in real time via thewebcam at Blue Springfrom Save the Manatee organization.

Blue Spring has a half-mile boardwalk along the spring run, offering many vantage points of the manatees, and there are often naturalists or volunteers present to answer questions during manatee season.

You cannot swim or kayak in the spring in the winter, to avoid disrupting manatee life.

If you go to Blue Spring State Park in the winter, be aware that at times the park closes its gates when it reaches capacity. One year when that happened to us, we came back 45 minutes before closing time and managed to gain admission and see an incredible gathering of manatees. If possible, go on a weekday.

A Rambler tip: There is a bicyclist entrance on the Spring to Spring Trail adjacent to the park, with an honor box for admission. On crowded days when the parking lot is full, bicyclists can roll in.

Blue Spring State Park
2100 W French Ave, Orange City, FL 32763
800) 326-3521

Manatees at Crystal River and Three Sisters Springs

Crystal River wraps around Kings Bay, where more than 70 springs attract hundreds of manatees during cool weather. This is the only place where you can swim with manatees; there are several dozen outfitters to take you out on boats and rent you gear.

But you can also see manatees by kayak — your own or rented — and from land at a boardwalk aroundthe most beautiful spot in Crystal River, Three Sisters Springs. Here’s our practical guide to visiting Crystal River and seeing manatees.

Three Sisters Springs is a complex of three springs thatare part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and there is no parking at the site. To visit the spring from land, take a trolley from the Visitor Center, 915 U.S. 19 in Crystal River. Tickets are $15 for adults; $12.50 for seniors 62 and older and $5 for children 5 to 13.There’s more about the boardwalk experience in our Crystal River guide.

You can kayak to Three Sisters Springseasily from various put-ins around Kings Bay. The most popular put-in is Hunters Spring Park, 104 NE 1st Ave, Crystal River.Details

Other springs where you can see manatees in Florida

WEEKI WACHEE: I’ve had a magical experience kayaking with manatees on the Weeki Wachee spring at Weeki Wachee State Park in winter. I spent a half hour with just me, my husband and five or six friendly manatees who nudged our boat and peered at us with the same curiosity with which we looked at them. (There is a remarkable video of manatees swimming under a SUP at the Weeki Wachee link.) At Weeki Wachee, you must go by kayak or canoe to see manatees, as they are most commonly located a distance downstream from the actual spring.

SILVER SPRINGS: In winter, manatees often hang out in the Silver River near the springhead in this fabulous state park in Ocala. The manatees travel a long way to get there — through the locks at the Rodman Dam on the Ocklawaha River, up the Ocklawaha and then up the Silver. The beauty of seeing the manatees at Silver Springs is the extreme water clarity. We’ve been lucky enough to kayak with manatees here during both a December and a March visit. Here’s a guide to visiting Silver Springs.

ICHETUCKNEE SPRINGS: This most beautiful spring run is often visited by manatees in winter. You have to kayak to see them, but this state park is so beautiful, you won’t regret it, even if you don’t see manatees. Here’s a guide to kayaking the Ichetucknee.

TARPON SPRINGS: Spring Bayou/Craig Park, West Tarpon Avenue, Tarpon Springs. This small city park has a freshwater spring that attracts manatees in winter.

CHIEFLAND:Manatee Springs State Park. This spring on the Suwanee River attracts manatees to the mouth of the spring during cool weather. I was lucky; on a November visit, before the weather even got chilly, we floated in our canoe with a half dozen manatees around thisspring. Fanning Springs State Park, just a few miles away along the Suwanee, also attracts manatees in colder weather.

WAKULLA SPRINGS: Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park in Florida’s Panhandle attracts manatees, particularly in winter, though they may be present at any time. If you’re in the area, also look for manatees in the Wakulla and the St. Marks rivers.

CHASSAHOWITZKA: The Chaz, as it is commonly called, is a spring-fed river where kayakers often spot manatees, especially in winter. Here’s more about paddling the Chaz River.

SPRING HILL: Linda Pedersen Park, 6400 Shoal Line Blvd, Spring Hill, FL 34607. This park is near several other manatee magnets — the ChassahowitzkaRiver, Crystal River and the Weeki Wachee. Inside this park, Jenkins Creek Spring provides the warm water to attract manatees. There is a wooden observation tower with excellent views out over the gulf and a bridge over the water. It’s a popular place to view manatees in winter from shore. It’s free and you can launch a kayak from here too.

Where to see manatees outside springs

FORT MYERS: If the Gulf water is below 68 degrees, Manatee Park in Fort Myers will have dozens of manatees lolling around in the warm water from a Florida Power and Light plant. While the water is not clear like Florida springs, this free park offers extensive viewing areasas well as playgrounds and picnic tables.The best way to see manatees is from a kayak in the water and you can launch here or rent kayaks here. Here’s a comprehensive story on Manatee Park and kayaking the Orange River. Note: Manatee Park is five minutes off I-75, so it can be a quick and easy stop.

RIVIERA BEACH: Florida Power & Light has built a $4.8 million manatee viewing area at its Riviera Beach plant. The plant routinely attracts hundreds of manatees in winter; during a cold snap, 800 manatees have been counted here. The viewing is good here; the water is quite clear as the plant is located near the mouth of the port inlet. The center, called Manatee Lagoon has two levels of exhibit and observation areas, picnic areas and a gift store and cafe.(Be sure to take a look from the upper deck, you can see into the water a little better.) Admission is free. 6000 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach. Information: 561-626-2833; www.visitmanateelagoon.com. Here’s a webcam that can help you determine whether you’re likely to see manatees.

FORT PIERCE: The warm-water discharge area for the Fort Pierce power plant is also still open to the public and, on cool days, attracts as many as 30 manatees. The free viewing area is now the Manatee Observation and Education Center in Fort Pierce, which isjust west of the Atlantic ocean overlooking the Indian River Lagoon, a saltwater estuary, and Moore’s Creek, a freshwater creek and historical resting spot for the Florida manatee. I’ve also seen manatees hanging around the Fort Pierce marina, which is adjacent to the manatee center.

TAMPA:Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Centeris a designated manatee sanctuary where tons of manatees return annually to the warm discharge waters of the power plant. Extensive viewing platforms, tidal walkways, and an environmental education center with a fun cownose-ray touch tank are located at this 50-acre facility. Open daily from Nov. 1 – April 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trails close at 4 p.m. The area is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Easter. Parking is free. Yelp comments on the TECO viewing area.

TECO reported there were than 1,100 manatees at once in the warm-water area in the sanctuary in Jan. 29, 2024, smashing the previous record of 850, set last winter. Manatees are likely to gather when the bay’s water temperature is below 68.

Rambler tip: Go first to the second viewing platform, where the manatees may be closer and it is less crowded.

New in winter 2024: There is now a kayak and canoe outfitter at Newman Creek that allows you to paddle a short distance to reach the Manatee Viewing Center by kayak. Details at Canoe Outpost

TITUSVILLE: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Haulover Canal connects Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River, and on the east side of the bridge is amanatee observation area. Viewing platforms, interpretive signage, a boat ramp, and polarized viewer are located at the observation area. (Note: I’ve been here several times but never spotted manatees. I did see dolphins!) Manatees are seen here in the summer months more often than in winter.

FORT MYERS BEACH: Nearby, manatees are also viewed regularly in winter at Lovers Key State Park in Fort Myers Beach.Lovers Key State Park is worth exploring for two major draws: A 2.5 mile beach lined with natural vegetation that is perfect for beachcombing and bird watching, and mangrove-lined waterways that are major draws for both manatees and kayakers.

ROUND ISLAND, VERO BEACH: On the lagoon side of this park, which straddles A1A, you’ll discover thisreliable place to see manatees. When we planned our visit,everything I read said that Iwouldsee manatees here. Knowing that wildlife is unpredictable, I was dubious.But the manatees were there — three of themdrifted in a lagoon area only a few feet from the boardwalk where they could be easily seen by happy visitors. Theywere so still, they looked like hairy rocks until they breathed. Round Island Beach Park, 2200 South A1A, Vero Beach.

FLAMINGO, INSIDE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. The marina at Flamingo is a great spot to see wildlife, not just manatees. (We often see crocodiles and there’s a very easy-to-view osprey nest too.) On multiple visits from fall to spring, we’ve seen manatees in the marina every day.

Staff there told us the manatees are year-around residents and that there’s a family of close a dozen. The water here is murky, but in our experience, these manatees aren’t going anywhere, so you have many chances to see them at the surface.

JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE: You can also get lucky and see manatees in many waterways in winter.

My partner in the Florida Rambler site, Bob Rountree, fondlyremembers the time his kayak was lifted out of the water by a manatee in the St. Lucie canal that links to Lake Okeechobee. (He was camping at the Army Corp of Engineers campground at the St. Lucie lock.)

I’ve seen manatees in the Intracoastal Waterway in Delray Beach, the New River in Fort Lauderdale, Biscayne Bay, off docks in the Keys and on Sanibel Island.

None of these places, however, provides a reliable viewing opportunity like Blue Springs and other locations where manatees are drawn to warm water.

Seeing manatees in captivity

Athom*osassa State Park, you can see manatees every day via the park’sunderwater observatory of its resident manatee population.

Visitors start a visit on apontoon boat ride down Pepper Creek to the wildlife park, where you also see Florida panthers,bears, bobcats, deer, alligators and a wide variety of birds.

In winter, the gates into the first-magnitude spring areopened and wild manatee flock to the warmer waters. On cold days, you may see dozens of wild manatees. The park has many attractions and charges an adult admission of $13. Kids over 5 are$5.

Other zoos and aquariums with manatees, all of which charge an admission fee, include Disney’s Epcot Center, Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Miami Seaquarium, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and Sea World of Florida.

Links and details on where to see manatees in Florida:

The Florida Wildlife Service has an excellent map with many manatee viewing areas.

• Blue Spring State Park,2100 W. French Ave., Orange City.
• Weeki Wachee spring, 6131 Commercial Way, Spring Hill..Kayak and canoe rentals are through Paddling Adventures.
• Kings Bay andThree Sisters Springs.Crystal River.
• Lovers Key State Park,8700 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach
• Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center,6990 Dickman Road, Apollo Beach.
• Lee CountyManatee Park,10901 State Road 80Fort Myers
• Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville
• hom*osassa State Park, 4150 S. Suncoast Blvd., hom*osassa.Adult admission is $13; children 6 to 12 are $5.
• Manatee Observation and Education Center,480 N. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce.

More about manatees:

• Save the Manateeorganization
• Manatee FAQ
• How wildlife researchers identify manatees at Blue Spring:A chart of their scars(pdf)