Blue Spring State Park

Hours: 8:00 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year
Admission: $6.00 per vehicle. Limit 2-8 people per vehicle. $4.00 Single Occupant Vehicle. Boat fees are extra.
Location: 2100 West French Avenue, Orange City, FL 32763
386-775-3663

Blue Spring State Park known to Orlando sometimes known to locals as Blue Springs is a 2,600-acre park with the largest spring on the St. Johns River. It’s also one of the premier places to see Manatees in Florida. What is a Manatee you ask? Well Manatees are very large sea-cow looking creatures that still somehow manage to swim and they often use Blue Springs to hide from the cold weather during the cooler months. Want more information? Well unfortunately the Unlock Orlando Marine Biology Squad is only serviced by occasional part-time interns, so we don’t have much, but you find out more about them online. We can tell you that you’ll have the best chance to see Manatees at Blue Springs than anywhere else. This is because the water at Blue Springs is always at a constant 73 degrees year-round, and that temperature while cool in the summer is warm in the winter and that’s why Manatees stay there when it’s cold. Definitely take ride out on the boat tours and check these guys out.

It’s also a great place for snorkeling, canoeing, boating, and swimming. It’s really popular with locals, especially on the weekends in the cooler months so the earlier you arrive, the better the chance you have of finding parking and seeing everything you want to see. Blue Spring State Park has gorgeous scenery, gorgeous water, and it represents everything great about Florida’s natural beauty. And you should be able to get there within an hour’s drive from Central Orlando depending on the day and on traffic.