Blue Springs State Park

[ellie]

We love visiting our villa at Christmas, as there is always so much to see and do, but if you are looking for something a little unusual why don't you do as we did and visit the Blue Springs State Park? If you are visiting during the winter months you can see the manatees and escape the hustle and bustle. It can be found just north of Orlando, off the I-4.

Blue Spring is the largest spring on the St John River, and is designated as a Manatee Refuge. Here, large numbers of West Indian Manatees congregate in the warm waters to spend the winter, from mid November to the end of March. It was here, too, that the famous Jacques Cousteau visited with his team of divers, in the late 1960s, and his documentary led to this land being purchased in order to provide a safe haven for the manatees.

The scenery is spectacular as I hope you will see from these photos.

[ellie]

There is a boardwalk which runs along the river bank which gives you great vantage points for seeing the manatees. They come in very close and allow you to watch them as they glide gracefully along.

As well as the amazing manatees, which are such gentle looking creatures, there are alligators basking on the banks of the river.

[ellie]

There is a great picnic area where you can eat, and a play area for children.

[ellie]

To get to Blue Springs you will need to travel north up the I-4, past Orlando City, leaving the interstate at exit 114. We travelled along the 17/92 to Orange City for about 2.5 miles before turning right onto West French Avenue. There is a leafy lane which leads into the park itself. Here we paid a meagre $5 entry fee for the car with all its occupants. There is a large car park.

[JAF]

Another advantage of this park is the rangers give talks on the manatees. Last time we were there we also saw a juvenile gator hiding out in his hole on the riverbank.

Cannot remember the opening times but we have also been and the house built for the Thursby family has been open to the public and this gives an interesting insight into life in times gone by.

[Steve]

To get to Blue Springs you will need to travel north up the I-4, past Orlando City, leaving the interstate at exit 114. We travelled along the 17/92 to Orange City for about 2.5 miles before turning right onto West French Avenue. There is a leafy lane which leads into the park itself. Here we paid a meagre $5 entry fee for the car with all its occupants. There is a large car park.

What great photos of the "Real" Florida. I must confess I have never been to this park, but will make an effort next time we go. Such great value too.

[Steve]

Another advantage of this park is the rangers give talks on the manatees. Last time we were there we also saw a juvenile gator hiding out in his hole on the riverbank.

Cannot remember the opening times but we have also been and the house built for the Thursby family has been open to the public and this gives an interesting insight into life in times gone by.

That sounds good, I have always had a soft spot for the Manatee, when I first saw one the first time we visited Sea World, and learnt about them I must confess to feeling a lump in my throat <:embarr

[ellie]

There is a fantastic river boat trip from here, too. We went on the flat bottomed boat, the MV Native II, which is a custom built covered tour boat. This 50ft by 12ft boat was builit in 1993 and it can transport 49 people in comfort along the beautiful St John’s River. Because it can navigate the shallow backwaters of this river at speeds of just 6 mph it is very quiet, so you can hear the sounds of the birds etc. It also means that the boat leaves the minimum wake, so that it does not erode the riverbank or disturb the many creatures which call this river home.

The river is full of wildlife. We saw alligators, turtles, and many different species of birds. Its well worth the trip.

[Shirls]

We went on the boat trip here a couple of years ago in February. You can book online, it was so interesting. We choose a really cold day, so the manatees stayed in the spring. We walked along the boardwalk to see them later.

[ellie]

We particularly liked the sentiments expressed on this notice:

[ellie]

This is the actual spring at Blue Springs. We followed the boardwalk along the river bank until we came to the spring itself. Warm water pumps into the river from deep below the river bed, and you can see it bubbling up to the surface. Because the spring keeps the water at a constant 73 degrees it is perfect for the warmth-loving manatees, who do not have any blubber to keep them warm. They get sick very easily if the water is below 70 degrees, as they do not generate much body heat themselves. If they develop pneumonia they become tired and unable to eat, and this will eventually kill them. It is no wonder that they return to this lush tropical paradise to overwinter.

When the manatees have left it is possible to swim in this beautiful pool.