Hey, everyone!
Chrissa here
and I look forward to winter every year because not only is the weather perfect,
but it's also one of the best times to catch the manatees in the springs.
And one of my favorite places
to find them near Orlando is at Blue Spring State Park.
So let's get into it.
Every winter,
hundreds of manatees swim to the warmth of the spring, and it's
been one of my favorite traditions to go and see them every year.
So if you are planning
on visiting Central Florida between the months of November and April,
Blues Springs State Park is a great place to visit to try to go and see them.
Blue Springs State Park is located in Orange City, Florida,
which is only a half hour north of Orlando.
The park is open every day from 8:00 a.m.
to sundown, and the cost of entrance is
$6 per vehicle or $4 if you're going alone.
During the summer Blue Springs State Park is a popular destination
for locals and tourists, with activities that include everything from swimming,
canoeing, fishing, camping, hiking and wildlife watching.
In the winter, Blue Springs becomes a designated manatee refuge
and a winter home for a growing population of more than 300 manatees.
The temperature in the springs remains a constant 72 degrees,
which provides a safe, warm water
refuge for the manatees during the cold season.
And if you are finding this information helpful like always, I would love it
if you could hit that like button and subscribe if you would like
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We visited Blue Springs State Park on Christmas Eve in the crisp, cool
air of the morning, just as the park was opening for the day.
Since we were there so early,
we were lucky enough to be some of the first people in the park.
Blue Springs
State Park frequently reaches capacity during the weekends
and even on the weekdays both winter and summer months.
So if you want to avoid the wait time, please make sure to get to the park early.
We have visited later in the day where the park has already reached capacity
and it took over an hour to get into the park. So
if you want to avoid that wait make sure that you get there as soon as possible.
On the day of our visit there was 195 manatees
that were taking refuge in the spring that day.
I knew that there would be quite a few because the days before a cold front
came through that brought the temperature down the week of Christmas.
And since the water cools and warms slower than air,
I knew we had a good chance of being able to see a few manatees
if we went on Christmas Eve and I was not disappointed.
If you want to have an idea of how many manatees there are before
you make your trek up to Blue Springs, they do post their count on the Facebook
page daily, which is what I use to help me determine
if the manatees were heading back to the springs or heading out.
You will see the number of manatees in the spring fluctuate as the weather changes.
They'll be less of them on the warmer days and more when the air is chillier.
While you're there, make sure to walk the entire stretch of the half mile boardwalk
that follows the flowing blue springs run through the shady hardwood hammock.
There are a few outlets throughout the boardwalk
that will allow you to get a little bit closer to the water,
and you'll want to allocate at least a couple of hours
of walking the boardwalk, especially if you want to take some time
to watch the manatees in certain parts of the springs.
I highly recommend walking all the way down
to the end of the boardwalk, where the spring head is.
If there are manatees there, they love to socialize
in the warmth of the spring and is so cute to watch them play.
If you are looking for souvenirs while you're here,
they do have a really cute souvenir shop located in the park as well as a café
if you want to grab a cup of coffee or a snack before you leave.
While you're in the park you may see a house on the grounds,
and if you're curious about it, this is actually the Thursby house.
Louis Thursby was one of the first European settlers
in the area and came here with his family in 1857.
This house has been preserved as it looked
in the turn of the century, and you are able to tour the house.
It is open to explore,
so make sure to go in there and check out a piece of history.
If you're looking for
another amazing area to get out and explore nature,
then you'll have to check out my video on Black Bear
Wilderness Area that just popped up on the screen.
It's a beautiful trail that takes you along St John's River,
and it's a wonderful way to spend the morning.
Until next time everyone!
I hope you have an amazing day and go out and enjoy some Florida sunshine!