Manatees Near Orlando: Where and When to See Them (2026 to 2027 Season)

Manatee season in Central Florida runs November 15 to March 31. When the St. Johns River and the Gulf drop below about 68°F, hundreds of manatees crowd into the springs, which stay at 72°F all year. Two places near Orlando give you the best odds: Blue Spring State Park, 45 minutes north, and Crystal River, about 90 minutes west. Here's how each works, what it costs, and how not to waste a drive.

Blue Spring State Park (Orange City, 45 minutes)

Blue Spring is the easiest manatee trip from Orlando and the one with the biggest counts. On the coldest mornings of the season, park staff have counted well over 700 animals in the spring run at once. You watch from a boardwalk that runs about a third of a mile from the St. Johns River up to the boil, with several overlooks.

• Season: November 15 to March 31. During the season the spring run is closed to swimming, paddling and diving so the manatees are left alone. From April 1 to November 14 the run reopens to swimmers and the manatees mostly leave.
• Hours: gates open at 8 AM and close at sundown.
• Entry: $6 per vehicle for two to eight people, $4 for a single occupant, $2 for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Reservations: new in 2026. Since July 15, every day-use visitor needs a reservation, booked online through the Florida State Parks Blue Spring page. The entry fee is paid when you book. Before reservations, the park filled and closed its gates most winter weekend mornings, so this is an improvement, but it means no spontaneous trips.
• Address: 2100 W. French Ave., Orange City, FL 32763.

When to go: the morning after a cold night. Manatees come in overnight when the river is cold and drift back out as the day warms, so an 8 AM arrival on a day following a 40s or 50s night is the jackpot. A warm week in January can mean a dozen animals instead of hundreds.

What else is there: the Thursby House (an 1872 homestead) at the top of the run, picnic tables, a concession, and a short nature trail. The canoe and kayak rentals and the French Landing boat ramp were closed as of early November 2026, so plan on the boardwalk.

Crystal River (90 minutes to 2 hours)

Crystal River and Kings Bay are the only place in Florida where you can legally get in the water with manatees, under rules set by the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge's manatee season also runs November 15 to March 31.

• Three Sisters Springs is the postcard spot. Its boardwalk is reached only through the city's Three Sisters Springs Center at 917 Three Sisters Springs Trail, which runs a shuttle. Hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM with the last entry at 3:30 PM, and daily admission applies. Current prices are on the City of Crystal River's page; the center has been quoting around $12.50 for adults in past seasons, so check before you go.
• Paddle craft are banned inside Three Sisters from November 15 to March 31. Kayak tours still run in Kings Bay and up to the spring's mouth.
• Swim tours leave from marinas around Kings Bay before dawn, when the water is calmest and the manatees are in the warm spots. Operators brief you on the rules: float quietly, no chasing, no touching with two hands, no entering the roped sanctuaries. Our guide to swimming with manatees in Crystal River has more.

Refuge volunteers lead free guided walks at Three Sisters daily during the season, and the town's Florida Manatee Festival usually lands on a January weekend; check the dates each year.

Blue Spring or Crystal River?

• You want to see hundreds of manatees from a boardwalk, in a morning, cheaply: Blue Spring.
• You want to be in the water with them: Crystal River, and only Crystal River.
• You have kids under 8: Blue Spring. Early-morning swim tours in 72°F water are a long, cold day for little ones.
• You want both: they're two hours apart, so make them two days.

Tours from Orlando

If you'd rather not drive, these run as day trips with pickup or meet-up:

• Blue Spring manatee kayak tour, a guided paddle on the St. Johns beside the spring run, which is allowed because you stay in the river, not the run.
• Crystal River manatee swim, the classic early-morning snorkel with wetsuits and a guide.
• Crystal River clear kayak tour, for people who want to see them without getting in. See clear kayak tours near Orlando.

Our springs near Orlando guide covers the other springs within reach, most of which have a few manatees in winter too. For another animal day near Orlando, see Boggy Creek airboat tours and the highland cows at Mini Moo Land.

Tips for seeing manatees near Orlando

• Check the weather the night before. Cold snap plus clear morning equals manatees. Warm, rainy stretch equals disappointment.
• Bring a jacket and a long lens. Boardwalk viewing is at a distance, and 7 AM in January is colder than visitors expect.
• Polarized sunglasses cut the glare on the water and turn gray shapes into manatees.
• Don't feed, touch or splash. Harassing a manatee is a federal offense, and the fines are real.

Other places to see manatees near Orlando

Manatees also winter at Wekiwa Springs, Silver Springs, Homosassa Springs (a state wildlife park with resident rescued manatees you can see every day, about 20 minutes south of Crystal River) and in the warm-water outflows at the TECO power plant near Tampa, which has a free viewing center. In Orlando itself, kayakers on the Wekiva and St. Johns rivers see them now and then from November to March. None of these match Blue Spring for sheer numbers, but Homosassa is the one sure thing for families who can't risk a quiet morning.