Manatee Park | Things to Do in Fort Myers, Florida
Yet again, I had a close friend of mine tell me that they had never seen a manatee in person. I sort of understand how that happens. If you don’t spend enough of time on the water you may not see them. These enormous creatures are nearly silent and can easily go undetected especially if you are not in tune with the faint sound they make when they breach the water’s surface for a fresh breath of air.
On a cold day in January I decided to provide a complimentary first sighting of manatees to friends. I figured the conditions were just about right to catch an aggregation of manatees taking advantage of the warm waters at Manatee Park which is a non-captive warm water refuge. When the temperature drops in the winter months the manatees head upstream through the Caloosahatchee and Orange Rivers to take advantage of the nearly constant 78 degree water temperature at the power plant.
In my thirty-some years of living in Southwest Florida I have seen my share of manatees but I had never visited Manatee Park. Next to seeing the manatees, the second best sight was watching both children and adults marvel at seeing “the mermaids” for the first time. The waterway is lined with spectators looking and pointing at marine mammals on parade. The kids really seem to be humored by their nostrils when they come up for air. Some of the kids try to count how long they stay under water on one breath. They can stay under for up to fifteen minutes, if you’re wondering.
It is absolutely amazing that so many of them are able to find the warm water and how many there actually are in that one relatively small location. They really are gentle giants but can raise quite a ruckus with, what looks like, an effortless swish of the tail. There were hundreds of manatees swimming plus we were also lucky enough to see a tarpon in the mix, too.
Manatee Park also features a very nice butterfly garden, walking paths, boardwalk trails and kayak rentals. While we didn’t rent kayaks, I recently directed a vacationing friend of mine to the park and she rented a kayak. She explained that if you go downstream a few turns in the river there are also manatees gathered in the shallow, warm bends of the river. Manatee actually swim around the kayaks and bump them a little adding a bit of a thrill when the kayak feels like it hit a speed bump.
The optimum months for viewing manatees are late December, January and February when the gulf temperature is below 68F.
When you go: Manatee Park is free to enter but there is a small charge for parking; $2 for an hour or $5 for a day. The kayak rentals are optional and fees start at about $15 for an hour. The park is fully accessible and there are rest rooms on site plus helpful park guides who share information about the manatees and the park in general. Pets are not permitted.
Manatee Park is located at 10901 Palm Beach Blvd (SR 80). From I-75, take exit 141 and head east 1.3 miles and turn right into the park.
Happy Trails and Manatee Parks!