Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

What to expect

Homosassa Springs is not a hot spring, and it is not a swimming spring either. The water holds a steady 72°F22°C all year, and the park’s own brochure is plain about the rules: this is a non-swimming, non-fishing park. Come here to look, not to get in.

What you look at is worth the trip. The park is built around a large first-magnitude spring that forms the headwaters of the Homosassa River. Its constant temperature pulls in both freshwater and saltwater fish (the park counts 34 kinds) and West Indian manatees. The park works as a rehabilitation center for injured and orphaned manatees, which live in the spring while they get used to natural conditions before release. That is why Homosassa is one of the few places where you can see manatees up close every day of the year.

The best view is from the Fish Bowl Underwater Observatory, a floating structure in the main spring. You walk down below the surface and look out through windows at schools of fish and manatees drifting past. A screen on the sundeck shows a live underwater feed if the observatory is busy.

Around the spring, about 1.1 miles of paved trails and boardwalks lead past native Florida animals that cannot survive on their own in the wild: black bears, a Florida panther, red wolves, bobcats, Key deer, alligators, otters, and birds from roseate spoonbills and whooping cranes to birds of prey. The Pepper Creek Trail is a 0.75-mile wheelchair-accessible birding path.

For decades the park’s best-known resident was Lu the hippopotamus, who arrived in 1966 and was made an honorary Florida citizen in the 1990s. Lu died on June 8, 2025, at 65, the oldest hippo on record. Older guides that send you to see him are out of date.

Getting there

The main entrance and Visitor Center are at 4150 S. Suncoast Blvd. (US 19), Homosassa, FL 34446, about 75 miles north of Tampa and 90 miles northwest of Orlando. Crystal River is about 7 miles north on US 19. Parking is at the Visitor Center.

The park has two ends. The Visitor Center on US 19 has the ticket counter, manatee education center and boat docks. The West Entrance on Fishbowl Drive is by the main spring and Fish Bowl, with limited food service. Normally a pontoon boat carries visitors along Pepper Creek between the two, with trams as an alternative.

Boat status: since February 4, 2026, the shuttle boat has been unavailable because of low water levels. Ask at the ticket counter whether the tram is running, or plan to walk the paved route between the entrances and around the wildlife exhibits.

When to go

The park is open every day of the year, and the resident manatees are always there.

• Cooler months: the most comfortable time to walk the boardwalks. The spring stays at 72°F22°C, so the water looks the same in January as in July.
• Summer: hot and humid on the boardwalks. Go at opening time, carry water and plan to spend time in the shade.
• Any day: time your visit for the manatee programs at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m., held at the bleachers beside the Fish Bowl.

Ticket counters close at 4:45 p.m., and the park closes at 5:30 p.m. Allow at least two to three hours to see the spring and walk the full loop.

Rules and etiquette

• Admission: $13 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6 to 12, free for 5 and under.
• Boat ride (when running): $5 for ages 13 and up, $4 for ages 6 to 12, free under 6, plus tax. Normally hourly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday to Sunday.
• No swimming and no fishing anywhere in the park.
• No pets. Use the free kennels at the US 19 entrance. Service animals are welcome.
• Do not feed or tease the animals. They are on special diets. Do not throw anything into the enclosures.
• Children under 12 must be with an adult, and nobody should sit children on railings or fences.
• Shirts and shoes are required at all times.
• No fireworks, intoxicants or hunting.

Where to stay nearby

The park has no camping or lodging. Homosassa, along the river west of US 19, has fishing lodges, motels and riverfront restaurants. Crystal River, about 7 miles north, has more hotels and is the base for visiting Three Sisters Springs and Kings Bay. For swimming in a spring the same day, Weeki Wachee Springs and Rainbow Springs are within driving range.

Safety notes

• Heat: summer temperatures on the boardwalks are the main risk. Drink water and take breaks in the shaded areas and the observatory.
• Wildlife: the animals are in enclosures, but keep hands outside railings and follow staff instructions at programs.
• Manatees in the wild: if you head out on the Homosassa River afterward, slow down in manatee zones and never chase or touch a manatee.
• Accessibility: the trails and boardwalks are paved and suitable for wheelchairs and strollers, and manual wheelchairs are listed among the park’s amenities.

Nearby stops worth adding

Pair the park with a morning in Crystal River, where Three Sisters Springs and Kings Bay are the area’s other well-known manatee waters; check that listing for its own seasonal rules. Further north, the springs of the Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers, such as Fanning Springs, let you swim in the same 72°F22°C water you watched through the Fish Bowl glass.