WATER & COAST
Manatee Springs State Park
Levy County · Gulf Coast
A first-magnitude spring six miles west of Chiefland on State Road 320, feeding the longest spring run on the Suwannee River.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
William Bartram came here in 1774, saw a dead manatee on the bank, and wrote the place up as Manate Springs; the name stuck. The spring holds at seventy-two degrees and that is why the manatees come, moving up the run from the Suwannee in fall and winter when the river turns cold, with roughly a hundred sightings logged in a year. A boardwalk runs from the spring basin down the run to a floating dock on the Suwannee, which is the easiest place to watch for them. Underneath, the cave system is one of the more heavily explored in Florida, with the Catfish Hotel sink as one of its openings; cave divers register before entering. Above ground there are eight miles of trail, picnic pavilions and a full campground. Swimming and snorkeling in the basin are open to everyone. The park is open eight until sundown every day of the year, and the fee is charged per vehicle at the gate
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