Manatee Springs

Before venturing to Florida this year, I’d never seen or heard the term “Nature Coast.” Not that I remember anyway.

For me, Florida is primarily synonymous with white-sand beaches, warm water, palm trees, and sunshine. Then there are all the amusement parks and other touristy stuff. Plus the Florida keys and the Everglades. I really never know much about the Nature Coast area (basically the coastal counties on the western, Gulf of Mexico side of the state, up near the inside of the elbow. Real technical, right? You can read the Wikipedia definition if you like. If you really want to dig in and learn more, visit this Florida Nature Coast website.

As I was planning our travels for 2021, I had us going to Florida in mid-June to get the residency paperwork started. Every time I mentioned staying longer than few days, Mike said something like, “It’s ungodly hot in FL in the summertime.” He didn’t want to stay any longer than we HAD to. That’s because he’s not a water-lover like me. I don’t love heat either, but I do love a good beach.

For the longest time, we had no reservations anywhere from June 19 through July 7. I really wanted to spend more than the three nights/four days we’d committed to residency stuff, but every time I brought it up, I had to listen to the “it’s too hot” spiel. Finally, he relented and said, okay, with the condition that I found someplace shady for us to camp.

Thank goodness we were at Amy’s house for a week+! Finding a shady spot in Florida relatively last-minute that would satisfy both of us was a bit of a challenge. Even more challenging was finding a spot for the July 4th holiday weekend! But that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Somehow, I managed to come across the Yellow Jacket RV Resort website. It looked shady, was on a river, had a pool, and was close enough to the coast that I could reach salt water if I chose. I booked the reservation and considered that particular to-do, done. It wasn’t until we were almost at the place that I started looking into things to do, noticed the proximity to several springs, and started to get more-excited.

Florida’s springs is another category of stuff I knew little about. Here are some of the things I did not know until recently…

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection…

Florida is home to more large (first- and second-magnitude) springs than any other state in the nation.

Why should I really care about that? Because the FL DEP also said…

Springs offer visitors unsurpassed locations to swim, snorkel, scuba dive, and observe wildlife.

All those things are right up my alley! So I had to learn more.

There are state parks in Florida that offer camping AND feature springs, but they are very popular and reservations must be made well in advance. Especially during Winter and early Spring when the manatees are usually present. (Manatees tend to hang out in springs during that time because the water in the springs is a constant 73 degrees F [about 23 C] year-round, which is considered warm in the cooler months.)

The closest state park to us with campsites that can accommodate our large rig and a spring was Manatee Springs State Park. I wasn’t expecting to see manatees in June, but wanted to check it out for potential future stays. When I went, I was prepared to swim. I took my phone, but did not take my camera. And I am STILL kicking myself, especially since my phone only had 26% charge when I arrived!

It was such an amazing, beautiful, and powerful place. I will let these pictures tell the rest of the story.

 

 

Spoiler alert… photos do not do the place justice. I looked at a lot of images and videos before going, but nothing prepared me for what it felt like being there, aka the vibe of the place.

Many of the following images were captured along the boardwalk that parallels the spring run (area between where spring comes out of the ground and where the run-off from the spring meets the river or other larger body of water).

 

 

 

 

 

If you click on the above image for a bigger view and look closely, you might be able to spot a snake or two.

It was so peaceful and beautiful. The water really is crystal clear.

 

 

 

If you want to know m ore about Florida’s springs, here are some links to get you started:

* How springs form

* Origin and anatomy of springs

* Springs in the Suwannee River Water Management District

* Nice post on the prettiest springs (Manatee Springs excluded!)

I did capture a few videos while there. If I can figure out how to combine them and share them here, I’ll update this post. It was such a gorgeous spot.

We both liked that part of Florida so much that we will be returning to Yellow Jacket RV Resort for the month of December. We will also be spending the entire month of January at a nearby place called Hart Springs Campground. I don’t know if the manatees come that far north, but I don’t really care. If they do, bonus! If they don’t, road trip! 🙂

I WILL own a kayak, stand-up paddleboard (SUP), hybrid kayak/SUP, or other suitable flotation device before December when we return. Or I will buy one while there. I intend to really explore Florida’s beautiful springs during that time.

Have any of you visited a Florida spring? If so, I’d love to read about your recommendations in the comments.