Outdoor Activities and Manatee Watching at Blue Spring State Park

We visited on a seemingly busy day during the holidays when kids were out of school, as it took close to 30 minutes to get inside. We paid with a card as they were walking down the queue to make it faster. We were fortunate to get parking close, so not much walking to the water. We went to see some manatees which we did. None got too close as they seemed to gravitate to a warmer portion of the water. There is plenty of other wildlife to see with birds and fish. We didn't see any gators or turtles. The Thurman House was nice and we visited the gift shop. There were also lines for the bathroom as the crowds were bigger, but overall, it was a nice experience. For a large family, the price for the boat ride on the river was out of our range as it would have been well over $100 for the short boat trip. There are picnic tables, and it seems you can grill there as well. There is also a kids' play area, but the kids didn't use it on this trip.

The park, which had plenty of amenities, had a good number of them closed for maintenance and upgrades (winter time). However, what was opened was very nice. So if the upgrades are anything like the opened amenities, it will be an especially nice State Park, not that it already isn't. Enjoyed watching the manatees as they swam in their winter home.

This is a wonderful protected park with a lot of wildlife and nature to take in. After taking in the walking trail we went kayaking and canoeing and had a wonderful, peaceful and relaxing time, even seeing an alligator in the water near us. The water was smooth, serene, and the only sounds were of nature. Unfortunately we weren’t able to see any Manatees, as global warming had caused the manatees to leave the area before February (as waters in the surrounding canals is warming sooner). But still a wonderful experience!

This was an impromptu visit today. Decided to take my mom to go see the manatees while they're still here and it was a beautiful day to go. As we approached the entrance, the line to get in was down the dirt road, then you basically loop around and wait until instructed to move forward to enter. There was a park ranger walking along cars to make the paying process easier, which was pretty convenient. Parking was tricky, but you drive around until you find one. There was some construction going on, but nothing too crazy. We walked along the boardwalk, stopping at each lookout area to catch a glimpse of the manatees. There were lots of them today, 794 that was counted. They have restrooms, gift shop, place to rent under tubes (in the summertime), couple of concession stands. The Thursby House you can tour kayaks to rent and boat tours (best to go on the star park website and make reservations). My mom loved seeing the manatees and all the fish and commented on how clear the water was. It was a very enjoyable day!

Beautiful park! Thrilling to see the manatees during our recent visit on New Year’s Day. The fee per car was six dollars, extremely reasonable. Plenty of parking, lines to get in can be long but didn’t take more than 15 minutes. Rest rooms were clean. Nice picnic areas. Can’t wait to return someday to explore more of the park