“100 million gallons of water made... daily!”
Manatee Springs State Park is located around Manatee Spring. The first-magnitude spring at this park produces an average of 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily. In winter, West Indian manatees swim upriver to the warmer waters of the springs. Popular for snorkeling and scuba diving, the headwaters of the spring are also a great spot for swimming. The spring run forms a sparkling stream that meanders through hardwood wetlands to the Suwannee River. Canoe and kayaks can be rented May through September. Children enjoy the playground in the picnic area. Hiking and bicycling are available on the north end trail system. The full-facility campground is surrounded by red oak woods.
Awesome! Saw over a hundred manatees just hanging out. Late December. Super cool
Absolutely loved kayaking here. Spotlessly maintained. Enjoyed exploring the area and hiking with the dogs! No cell service-if that’s necessary move on.
Quiet, remote, jungle like, and friendly! Spacious sites for all sizes of campers. Gravel/ sand pads. Magnolia loop 1 has full hook ups. We stayed on Magnolia loop 2. Chiefland is a small town about 8 miles away with a Winn Dixie and Walmart, a few car washes, restaurants and gas stations.
WiFi is non existent at the campground except at the concession stand. TV channels are very limited!
A nice swimming hole exists in the river near the concession. Canoes, kayaks are available for rent and a pontoon boat tour is also available.
We loved this park. Super cold, crystal clear water that my family really enjoyed snorkeling in. Lots of fish and wildlife, beautiful green canopy of trees. The spring gets very, very deep, so there is something for the young ones, and the more experienced swimmers.
I went here. The section of super clear aqua waters was pretty, however extremely small! It was probably like 10x8 feet is all. It would've been worth it if I had scooba gear with me.
The park is dog friendly. Dogs are allowed in the water at the boat ramp but people are not. Like another reviewer mentioned there is a board walk to enter the water so you can’t tie up your dog and still see him. Visited in the summer so I didn’t see any manatees. I saw lots of fish at the boat ramp though. Absolutely beautiful to even just look at the water.
Decent park. Not much to do
Went right at the end of the year. Didnt see any wildlife and the park felt a bit crowded and the springs dont feel as natural as I had hoped. Decks built all along the one side. I was disappointed relative to how far we went out the way to visit but understand that visiting when we did was not ideal.
Kayaking here was great! We saw Manatees, vultures migrating and alligators and turtles! The kids swam in the blue springs and we hung out in hammocks. Beautiful day!
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Manatee Springs State Park
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 20
- Max Length
- 40ft
- Pull Through RV Sites Count
- 6
- Sites Count
- 80
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Rec Facilities
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Back In RV Sites
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Firewood
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Laundry
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Potable Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
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Water Hookup
Campground, Restrooms
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