8 Things You Should Know Before Visiting the Manatees at Blue Spring State Park
About an hour drive northeast from the theme parks of Orlando is a place of unspoiled beauty, where in cooler months, you’re almost guaranteed to see Florida’s most beloved marine animal.
Off Interstate 4 in the community of Orange City is Blue Spring State Park. The park covers more than 2,600 acres, including the largest spring on the St. Johns River. The park is a designated manatee refuge and the winter home to a population of West Indian Manatees.
From mid-November through mid-March, several hundred manatees flock to the constant 72-degree spring water. Visitors from all over the world descend on the park to get a better look at this awe-inspiring creature.
Today’s video is dedicated to the sea cow. We’re running down the 8 things you should know before visiting the manatees at Blue Spring State Park.
Best Things to See & Do in Palatka
Established as a trading post in the early 1820s, the northeast Florida city of Palatka is about an hour drive south of Jacksonville. It’s well known as a festival city, holding several big events every year, including the Florida Azalea Festival and the Blue Crab Festival.
If you find yourself in the area the first few months of the year, there’s one place you have to explore.
Ravine Gardens State Park is one of Florida’s natural hidden gems with hundreds of blooming azaleas that burst with color when other parts of the nation are in a deep freeze.
On this episode, we’ll show you around this unique park. Then we’ll make our way downtown to check out some really cool murals, a place where you can learn more about the area’s ecology and a few other points of interest.
