Manatee Spring is the third Florida natural spring we visited during a long weekend in April. Initially we were going to visit Fanning Springs, but there ended up being a large event the day we visited. We were looking for an area to paddleboard and kayak and the Park Ranger at Fanning suggested Manatee Springs State Park, which was close by.
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Manatee Springs State Park is located in Chiefland, Florida. It opens every day at 8 am. The entrance fee is $6 per car for up to eight people. Additional information about visiting the park is located on the Florida State Parks website.
This park offers quite a few activities for those who want to experience nature in Florida. There are hiking trails, bike trails, caves for scuba diving, a swimming/snorkeling area and a kayak/canoe/paddleboard launch. These activities can be enjoyed for free after the entrance fee if you bring your own equipment.
The launch area is located near the north west corner of the parking lot by the Manatee Spring. There is a loading area one can use to easily access the launch point.
If you are looking to rent equipment, there is a rental company on site – Anderson Outdoor Adventures. They also offer BBQ at this location.
We started our day paddling from the launch area to the Suwannee River. The water was calm and clear and we were able to see hundreds of fish.
We paddled around the area where the spring meets the river and here we encountered more wildlife. We found a (large) snake taking a nap in a tree and an alligator hiding in a boggy area in the water.
This was our first experience with an alligator in the wild. I spotted the gator and was quite spooked at first. Skylar thought I was seeing things as he had passed the area with the gator and didn’t see him, but he was there! The gator didn’t move the entire time we were paddling around. Skylar, of course, had to take a selfie with the friendly gator.
After making it to the river we decided to paddle back and swim and snorkel in the spring before calling it a day.
There is a designated swimming area at the Main Spring. The water here was clear and was a beautiful blue color from above.
Here we found another snake soaking up some rays on a rock. He also didn’t move the entire time we were swimming.
The water here was a cool 72 degrees, but our bodies adjusted quickly.
There was a bit of a current we had to fight against to swim toward the bottom, but the force wasn’t anything like the Blue Hole at Ichetucknee Springs. This was a spring you could float around and relax at.
We also learned that Manatee Springs is home to over 5 miles of underwater caves. Certified cave divers can explore these passages. Three entry points access the caves – the Main Spring, Catfish Hotel and Friedman Sink. Visit the Florida State Park website if you are visiting with intentions to explore the caves. This activity is strictly regulated. The rules and regulations are identified on the site.
We could have spent more time enjoying Manatee Springs but this was our last spring stop of the day.
After swimming around in the Main Spring we drove out to Cedar Key to enjoy some greasy food while watching the sunset over the water. Eventually we made it back to our hotel in Crystal River to rest up for day two of our Florida natural springs tour.
For video footage of our time at Manatee Springs check out the video below on our YouTube Channel Explorcation:
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If you are planning a trip to any Florida natural spring Florida Spring Life is a great resource for maps, pictures, videos and blog experiences.
Thanks to Linda for accompanying us on our Florida natural springs tour and for helping us document our time at the springs.
That looks amazing there!
Thanks! It is cool to know there are even more springs like this in Florida!
Wow! I would have never of thought Florida would have something like this? This looks like the Philippines not Florida! I’ll have to visit here.
Right? Most people think of beaches and Disney when planning to visit Florida. We’ve lived in Florida for a while now and it took us over 4 years to visit one of the many springs. I don’t know why it took us this long because they are beautiful 🙂
Great post! I love how beautiful this is, and how clear the water is! I probably would’ve been quite spooked by both the gator and the snake. Lovely photos, and it sounds like an amazing day! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much. I was spooked at first, but when neither of them moved an inch it kind of seemed that if we didn’t bother them, they wouldn’t bother us. Thankfully neither were aggressive.