Florida’s Laziest River

Last winter was a banner season for manatees in the Crystal River region of Florida. According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife aerial survey, the largest number of manatees ever counted had migrated to Citrus County waters between November and the end of March. In fact, more than 1,000 manatees were counted in Kings Bay, a fresh water lagoon that is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the Crystal River. In addition, the largest number of manatee calves ever observed in the region showed up as well.

Of course, it’s wonderful to see the gentle mammals surviving and thriving in their natural habitats along Florida’s western coast. What’s even more wonderful is that here visitors are able to observe them up close and like nowhere else in the country. Known as the “Manatee Capital of the World,” the Crystal River Preserve and its surrounding springs and creeks, located west of Ocala and north of Tampa, are warm-water magnets for the animals each winter. To assist visitors in observing manatees in the wild, a network of boardwalks stands in place at

Three Sisters Springs and the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding is also permitted throughout Kings Bay and the Homosassa River—all making this manatee-watching central until the milder temperatures of springtime arrive.

Usually beginning in November, hundreds of the slow-swimming mammals leave the nearby Gulf of Mexico for the constant 72-degree spring waters of this region and the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, the only refuge in the country specifically created to protect critical habitats for manatees. Seven manatee sanctuaries inside the refuge’s boundaries are off-limits to human activity during the winter months. However, other waters are open for close encounters with the animals as they swim, munch eelgrass and laze away their afternoons. While swimming is not allowed in designated animal-safe zones, guided excursions are offered by a variety of tour operators that can get visitors within arm’s length of the gentle aquatic creatures, also known as sea cows.

Keep in mind swimming with the manatees is permitted, touching them is not.

Also, in the region and a site worth visiting is the Crystal River Archaeological State Park, a 61-acre property home to pre-Columbian burial mounds, temple mounds and an oyster shell midden. It is believed the site served as a ceremonial center for Native Americans for 1,600 years. The park welcomes anglers, hikers and birders, as well as those interested in historic landmarks. u