Blue Spring State Park, Orange City, FL

What do you do when a cold front comes through Florida? You head to the springs to see the manatees! We decided to take a day to visit them at Blue Spring State Park.

To our surprise, on the day we went, there were over 531 manatees in the warm spring water. Since the water is a constant 72 degrees coming out of the springs, when other bodies of water get too cold, the manatees seek the warmer water of the springs. Blue Spring State Park is located near Orange City, Florida and about 102 million gallons of water flows out of the springs every day. According to bluespringadventures.com, “In 1972 Blue Spring became a State Park with the help of Jacques Cousteau after he filmed the episode called The Forgotten Mermaids.” In order to protect the manatees, the park made many improvements and the number of manatees has grown from 14 tracked in 1970 to 729 tracked in 2023!

Manatees are such gentle creatures and live such a peaceful existence. They are slow moving, graceful, and always seem to be so unworried about the world around them. Manatees are also called ‘Sea Cows’ and can eat up to 10% of their body weight in a single day. These gentle giants can live up to 60 years, grow up to 10 feet long, and can weigh up to 1,200 pounds! They make calls to each other and can communicate their feelings by the sound they are making. Getting to see these beautiful creatures so up close and personal was a wonderful experience.

We watched individual manatees travel at a relaxed pace, but there were also mommas with their babies traversing the springs. Whether they were alone or in groups, they captivated all of us and we all enjoyed watching them come to the surface to take a breath. Fun fact: Manatees can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes! You can find some videos of the manatees we recorded here:

Walking from one viewing point to another, we were able to appreciate the beauty of the park. They are currently under construction in some areas and the gift shop was closed when we visited.

In addition to the paths and springs, the park also has The Thursby House to view. The Thursby House, built in 1872, was the homestead of Louis Thursby and his family, who were some of the first settlers to live in Blue Spring. While we were there, the home was open to self-guided tours and it was really interesting and educational.

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