Florida is the best place on earth to see manatees, and these springs are where they gather — especially November through March, when hundreds crowd into the 72°F water to escape the cold.
5 springs
Blue Spring State Park
Florida's greatest manatee spectacle.
Three Sisters Springs
The only legal wild-manatee swim in America.
Manatee Springs
A first-magnitude spring flowing straight into the Suwannee.
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Guaranteed manatees, year-round, from an underwater observatory.
Chassahowitzka Springs
The wildest spring-fed paddle on the Gulf Coast.
Never touch, chase, or feed a manatee — it is a federal offense. In-water encounters are legal only on permitted tours at Crystal River.