Manatees & More: Visiting Florida’s Blue Spring State Park in Winter

Welcome to Florida’s wild side, just an hour north of Orlando!

LOCATION

Blue Spring State Park is located about an hour’s drive north of Orlando, a few miles east of Highway 17 at Orange City.

WE WERE THERE

February, 2021, for about 4 hours

SWIM

Blue Spring State Park is a gorgeous place to swim in summer. During winter, however, the springs are closed to swimmers so as to provide a safe haven for manatees. Expect swimming to be off limits from roughly November through March or April whether manatees are present or not. The number of manatees ebbs and flows throughout the winter as the temperature fluctuates, and it’s vital that they maintain easy access to the warm waters in the springs.

Just as the park attracts winter crowds eager to view the manatees, visitors flock to Blue Spring each summer for swimming and tubing. You won’t have the place to yourself, but the clear, 72-degree water is undeniably appealing on a hot day. Arrive early, and don’t forget the bug spray!

PADDLE

As with swimming, paddling in Blue Spring State Park is off limits during manatee season. Fortunately, you can paddle year round in the adjacent St. Johns River. Rental kayaks are available, and guided kayak tours are also offered. If you prefer to let someone else do the work, book a two-hour river cruise on a pontoon boat. Check the Blue Spring Adventures website for more information, and consider booking a tour in advance.

We didn’t have the chance to kayak or take a boat cruise during our visit, but boy did I wish we had! As I watched paddlers plying the calm waters of the beautiful blue St. Johns River, I couldn’t help but wish I were one of them.

WHAT TO BRING

For a winter visit to Blue Spring State Park, consider packing the following:

• Sunscreen
• Shade hats & sunglasses
• Bug spray — although fortunately bugs are less of an issue in winter
• Water — you can buy it in the park, but bringing your own refillable bottles is best
• Picnic food and/or snacks — food is available on site, but I recommend packing your own picnic if you can
• Binoculars — great for getting a closer look at manatees, alligators, and birds

CURRENT INFO

Find more information about Blue Spring State Park on the Florida State Park website.

MANATEE TIPS

Blue Spring State Park is incredibly popular. In cold weather, when the manatees flock to the springs in the hundreds to warm up, expect a long line of cars waiting to enter. Bring everything you need with you, as you may not be able to reenter the park if you leave. Once the parking lot fills, more cars will not be admitted. On busy days, you may need to arrive prior to 8am just to secure a spot!

We visited Blue Spring State Park on a holiday Monday in February when the manatee count was low. This worked to our advantage, as we were able to get into the park despite arriving around noon. This isn’t to say that Blue Spring wasn’t crowded — we waited in the car line for half an hour before entering! Had the manatee count been high, I expect we would have been turned away.

You can view the daily manatee count and more on the Blue Spring State Park Facebook page. The count records how many manatees were in the spring each morning at 7am, but manatees will come and go throughout the day. Because Blue Spring’s water is 72 degrees Fahrenheit year round, it provides a refuge for manatees when cold weather causes the temperatures of nearby lakes and rivers to drop. Since the spring offers little in the way of food for the manatees, they leave to graze in the St. Johns River, then return to warm up. On warm winter days, they may have no need to leave the river, and will avoid the spring entirely. In short: arrive extra early on a cold day to see the most manatees.

But wait! Is it still worth visiting Blue Spring State Park on a warm day? Absolutely! Winter is a wonderful time to spot alligators, a large number of bird species, and watch the fish swim in the crystal clear water. The boardwalk along the spring run is gorgeous, with interpretive signs providing information about the wildlife and geology. Manatees or no, Blue Spring is a fantastic place to learn about and experience Florida’s nature firsthand.

GOOD TO KNOW

There is a $6 per vehicle fee to enter Blue Spring State Park. Pets are allowed on leash. Restrooms are available, and there are numerous picnic tables scattered around the grounds, including several shady picnic shelters. There’s also a fun playground for kids.

The main trail along the spring run is one mile out-and-back. It includes both boardwalks and paved pathways and is largely accessible. Numerous platforms along the water enable visitors to view the manatees from above, as well as fish, alligators, and birds.

Blue Spring Adventures runs a small cafe and gift shop at the park. They also rent kayaks and offer guided kayak tours as well as boat tours on the St. Johns River. In summer, tubes are also available for rent.

We purchased lunch from the cafe during our visit. The food was fine, but nothing special (although Michael’s meatball sandwich was pretty good), so I recommend packing your own picnic if you can. Still, it sure is convenient to have food available on site.

HIGHLIGHTS

Blue Spring State Park showcases the stunning natural beauty of central Florida — there’s more to see here than Disney and Universal! Vibrant green water (not blue, at least in our experience), lush forests, and plentiful wildlife are all great reasons to visit — just don’t expect to have the place to yourself. Plan to arrive early, especially on colder days when the manatee count is high.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

Manatees? Check! Alligators? Check! Playground? Check! Blue Spring State Park has plenty to keep the kids entertained. During our visit, the boys were mesmerized by the fish we observed swimming in the clear water. Perhaps because of their proximity, they were more fascinated by Blue Spring’s piscine residents than the manatees or alligators. Boat tours and kayak rentals are other great options for families looking for a little adventure.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

Want more of beautiful Blue Spring State Park? You can camp here! Hikers can try the Pine Island Trail, a 3.6-mile one-way hike through scrub forest. Of course, Blue Spring State Park is also an ideal spot to rent kayaks or take a boat tour.

Central Florida abounds with other beautiful natural areas. South of Blue Spring, check out Wekiwa Springs State Park. Near Wekiwa, we enjoyed tubing the Rock Springs run at Kelly Park. Looking for the beach? Florida’s longest stretch of undeveloped Atlantic coastline is west of Blue Spring State Park at Apollo Beach on the Canaveral National Seashore.

I was a little uncertain about visiting Blue Spring State Park. Less than a week earlier, manatees by the hundreds had flooded its waters, but according to the recent daily manatee count, those numbers had dwindled to practically nothing. Would we drive for an hour only to meet with disappointment?

Ultimately, we made the decision to go, and I am so glad we did. I’m also thankful that, after a half hour waiting line at the entrance, we made it into the park! due to our indecision, we did not follow the usual advice to arrive early in the day, preferably before the park opens at 8am. Instead, we moseyed in around noon, hopeful that the crowds would have thinned due to the low manatee count. While still busy, we made it into the park after a half hour wait to get through the gate. Not bad!

Once we applied the obligatory sunscreen, the kids were immediately drawn to the playground near the parking lot. But not so fast — we were here to see manatees first and foremost, and from the sound of it we were in luck. We headed to the boardwalk and looked out across the mouth of the St. Johns River. There, where the waters of Blue Spring meet the river, several manatees could be seen swimming slowly toward deeper water. They were tricky to spot at first, as the darkening water obscured their passage, but we soon learned what signs to look for.

We hadn’t been there long when Michael came running up to join us with an exciting announcement. Not far ahead, an alligator was spotted napping along the shore. We hurried down the path to the next viewing platform. Sure enough, there on the opposite shore lay a giant gator, peacefully sleeping in the sun. At least, he was giant by my standards. I’m unfamiliar with the typical size of Florida alligators, but suffice it to say that I was glad to view him from a distance.

From this first viewing platform, we also had a clearer view of a few more manatees drifting lazily below. Not only that, but the translucent water was ideal for watching a myriad of fish passing by at close range. The manatees seemed to prefer the opposite side of the spring run, although one rescue manatee swam close to our side. Recognizable by the buoy attached to its tail, this manatee was rescued and rehabilitated prior to being rereleased into the wild.

In addition to manatees, we spotted cormorants, a blue heron, and yet another sleeping alligator. Despite the crowds of people, Blue Spring State Park is a haven for wildlife.

We continued along the trail, which was now a paved pathway, passing the historic Thursby House. Built in the mid-1800s, the house now hosts a museum, although it was closed during our visit. Interestingly, the Thursby House was built atop a much older historic site, a shell midden. These mounds, created by native Floridian tribes from shells and other items, stretch back hundreds of years.

As we neared the cafe and gift shop, a set of stairs led down to another viewing platform, this one located right above the emerald green water. There were no manatees to be seen, but it was an ideal spot to watch the many fish that call Blue Spring State Park home. Longnose gar, tarpon, tilapia, and more wafted in and out of view.

The vermiculated sailfin catfish, a lovely fish with dark, long frilly fins, was especially mesmerizing. Unfortunately, it’s also an invasive species whose burrowing habits are causing significant erosion along the banks of the spring run. A volunteer naturalist explained how this erosion creates a more shallow run and even affects the water temperature as more river water flows into the spring, all of which affects the manatees. Definitely take the time to read some of the signs and talk with the volunteers when you visit; their friendliness and knowledge will enrich your understanding of this special habitat.

Just beyond the cafe, another forested boardwalk trail continued on to the headspring. It’s a beautiful walk, and it only takes about ten minutes one way. Here at the source, a narrow fissure leads to unseen depths. While the spring run is shallow, this cavern extends diagonally to a depth of more than 100 feet. From even greater depths, Blue Spring pumps out around 100 million gallons of water per day! In the summer, it’s possible to SCUBA dive in the spring run, but only certified cave divers are allowed to explore the cavern.

After our journey to the headspring, we returned to the main day use area, where the kids were thrilled to finally be let loose at the playground. The adults relaxed and enjoyed a shady picnic lunch with food from the Blue Spring Cafe.

Before heading out, we wandered down to the nearby viewing platforms for one last look. Sunlight sparkled across the water beneath blue skies flecked with white cotton clouds. The alligators had disappeared, but one or two manatees still floated below. The next day would find us exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s theme parks, but for now I couldn’t think of a more enjoyable place to be than right here at Blue Spring State Park.