The ultimate guide to the manatee capital of the world

Since this is Florida, there's no shortage of seafood restaurants in the area; however, few are as delicious as The Crab Plant. This seafood market and eatery is located right on the water, and serves up what locals and visitors alike consider to be some of the best grub in the area. Clams, shrimp, frogs legs, crawfish, gator, lobster, fish, and more appear across the menu in a variety of preparations; the chef makes fried clam strips, shrimp dip, crawfish jambalaya, shrimp and scallop mac 'n' cheese, crab cakes, stuffed crab, and tons more. The low-country boil is the stuff of legend. Pair it all with a cold beer and end with some key lime pie for the perfect meal.

Another must-visit park in Crystal River is Hunter Springs. It's free to visit (parking will cost you, or you can park nearby for free), and is a great place to launch a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard in the summer, or swim with manatees in the winter. It's a quick 20-minute paddle from here to Three Sisters Springs, so if you're looking to go on a self-guided manatee tour, this is a great starting point. There's a sandy beach, and the water is fed by five spring vents, so it’s fresh and clean and perfect for a swim. All in all, it's a great lagoon for an afternoon by the water.

For a taste of what Florida looked like centuries ago, you can't beat Crystal River Preserve State Park. It protects a variety of special ecosystems that are unique to the Florida coast, like salt marshes, tidal creeks, mangrove islands, hardwood forests, coastal scrub, and pine flatwoods. The park features 20 miles of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, and a good portion of the Crystal River, which is a winter destination for manatees. The state park has a great visitor center at the entrance, with a museum and aquariums, as well as a canoe launch. The visitor center is also the starting point for several boat tours, including an eco-tour and a sunset cruise. There are also six nature trails in the park, which also contains the Crystal River Archaeological State Park, a 61-acre Native American ceremonial site comprised of six earthwork mounds. The site was abandoned before Europeans ever arrived in the Western Hemisphere.

A visit to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park gets you a ton of bang for your buck. Included in admission is a guided boat tour along Pepper Creek from the visitor center to the Wildlife Park, as well as access to the Wildlife Park, a one-mile hiking trail, manatee programs at the manatee care center, and more. The Wildlife Park is a sort of zoo that features captive native animals who are, for one reason or another, unable to be returned to the wild. The coolest feature here is the Fish Bowl underwater observatory, which floats in the main spring and provides an underwater view of the spring and the fish and manatees.

For a more unusual wildlife encounter, check out Monkey Island. This island in the middle of the Homosassa River is occupied by an ever-rotating cast of spider monkeys. The Homosassa Riverside Resort is in charge of the care and keeping of these monkeys, and the best view of them comes from the onsite Monkey Bar. Enjoy tacos, seafood, and mac 'n' cheese as you watch the monkeys flit around their island home.