Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge — Attraction in Crystal River

I visited with my senior parents. I have always wanted to see the manatees and visit the crystal river. We went to the visitor center where you can hop a trolly or commuter van to the trail head. The staff att the center were very informative and helpful. Other options are park at the center where the van pick up is located and walk to the site which is about a mile. Double check at the center about parking closer if this not what you want to do.

The 15 minute ride to the trail head takes you through town, so you do get an idea of what to do after if you plan on sticking around for shopping or food. The vehicle is clean and the drivers are lovely folks.

The trail itself is well maintained series of elevated boardwalks use to Three Sisters Springs. Guides located along this section of the trail are there to monitor visitor activity (both on land and in the water), manatee activity and to answer any questions you have. The staff are easily identified by their bright orange vests. Full of knowledge, you will definitely learn a few things about the animals and aquifers you are viewing!

Beyond the boardwak there is a lovely loop of well maintained hard packed sand trails that are well groomed with small look off points that overlook the Crystal River waterway. There are also benches along the way for those when need a rest or who want a moment of quiet to enjoy the views. The area is rich with other critters, so take a quick walk and see what you can find! On my visit I found some cardinals, a few turtles and several other bird species as well as more manatees swimming in groups in the river.

Overall the visit was wonderful and I would do it again. I highly recommend this for people who want to see them from land, regardless of how mobile you are. I saw a few people on motorized scooters visiting without issue. This park is VERY accessable for all and the staff are wonderful. Check when the peek months are for visiting. They are best viewed...

The manatee we saw was very sweet, and stayed by us for a few minutes, but we couldn't see him til we were literally on top of him. I say 'him' because he was enormous. If it weren't for the huge white scar on his back, we might not have seen him at all. Did I mention he was the only one? There were also extremely obnoxious young men slapping the water with noodles. It was so loud it would have scared anything away and nobody said anything to him. He kept doing it for more than 10 minutes. I paid to see animals. All I saw were people. Also, I didn't see any dogs, and the restrooms are not cleaned enough. They also don't tell you that you gotta walk 3 blocks if you park by them. That info would be nice when you're carrying stuff and you can actually park closer. To sum it up, the water is too murky to see the animals because the people and boats stir it up too much. I will try another...

This is a GREAT value! They have senior discounts and will also discount if you have a federal lands pass (AKA National Park Pass). Included in your admission is a short bus tour to the visitor center and downtown. You can hop-on/hop-off basically all day, and a bus stops every thirty minutes or so.

You may be tempted to walk from parking to the springs, and that's fine. However, make sure to hop on a bus and visit the amazing new visitor center/nature center. This was very interactive and enjoyable for kids of all ages! Make sure you hit the "manatee fart" button!

From the ticket seller, to the bus drivers, or the gate attendant, to the boardwalk volunteers, or the visitor center staff, literally EVERYONE was super-friendly and enjoyed being there!

We saw TONS of manatees and learned so much about them from the...