Crystal River is a town on Florida’s Gulf coast and self-titled manatee capital of the world. I visited this past weekend, in the middle of winter, as this is the best time to see the manatees for which the town is famous. What makes Crystal River attractive to manatees? Crystal River is at the edge of Kings Bay, a shallow freshwater bay fed by a cluster of 50 springs. The amount of flow emanating from these springs make it the second largest spring system in Florida. The water in Kings Bay remains around 72 degrees F year-round and the bay is directly connected to the Gulf of Mexico. In winter, when the Gulf cools, the springs provide a warm-water refuge for manatees and as many as 400 gather here between November and March.
I arrived at Three Sisters Springs, in the town of Crystal River, on a Saturday morning (2/1/2025).
I later found out morning is the best time to see manatees in Three Sisters Springs. This is because during the day, if it is not too cold, they venture further into the bay (away from the springs) to graze on seagrass and other aquatic plants. They then return to the springs in the evening. The day I visited it was sunny and the air temperature was in the mid-70s. Over the course of about an hour, nearly all the manatees that were resting in the vicinity of Three Sisters Springs swam through a narrow channel into Kings Bay.
After visiting Three Sisters Springs, I went kayaking in Kings Bay and manatees were interspersed just about everywhere, although (unsurprisingly) visibility was clearest closest to the springs. Three Sisters Springs is blocked off to kayakers and snorkelers, but numerous people were kayaking and snorkeling just outside this area.
I had been to Three Sisters Springs a few months earlier (in October 2024) and there were no manatees in the springs. So if you do visit, I would recommend visiting in the winter, preferably in the morning.
Reason and Nature 