Three Sisters Springs Visitors Center for Swimming with Manatees — Attraction in Crystal River

Three Sisters Springs is a beautiful thing to see! While the address mapped here is not the actual location of the Springs, this is a good place to start if you're looking for access to the boardwalk. Individuals can access the springs by boat or by swimming in, however the only way to (legally) access the springs by land is by purchasing a ticket for the boardwalk. These were $15 per adult when we went. After purchasing a ticket at the visitor center, you can either ride the free trolley over to the springs or I'm told you can drive yourself. While we enjoyed the boardwalk and the experience of seeing the clear water and the manatees, $15 seemed pretty steep and the boardwalk left more to be desired. If the manatees are in the springs, you'll have a great view. If they are out in King's Bay, as they were in our case, you may get a few glimpses of a silhouette, but that's it. If you pay to access the boardwalk, you cannot get into the water. Standing on the boardwalk while watching the people below in the water actually interact with the manatees for free made the tickets seem like a waste of money. If you have a boat you can launch from Pete's Pier or Hunter Springs and easily access the springs by water. Boats are not allowed back into the springs during the winter, but there are places to tie up your boat while you swim back there. We came back another day hoping to swim to the springs for free. We accessed the bay behind Pizza Hut (SE Cutler Spur Blvd). There was a nice foot path down and clear waters that placated my fear of snakes. There was a sign here stating that you could not launch a boat, but nothing about entering the water or swimming. From here we swam about 1,000 feet to the entrance of the springs and were able to snorkel through the springs and get an up close and personal view of...

Went this past Saturday. It was incredible to see so many Manatees so clearly in this beautiful spring. But the amount of time spent with the Manatees was far less then the time it took to get in and out of the springs. There is no onsite parking (unless you have a handicap tag) so you have to park outside the springs in random lots that may or may not be legal. We parked next to a Bank of America parking lot and others next to a shopping center lot. You can take a tram into the springs but it’s hourly and fill up fast. Only other option is to walk in which we did. It’s a 10 to 15 minute walk into the springs.

Once inside you have a limited area in which you can see the Manatee along several linked boardwalk’s. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to move thru and back. We got there by 11:15 and were back in the parking lot by 12:40. Was a bit pricey for what the experience was but we kind of knew that going in. Just felt like everyone was so squeezed together so it was a little uncomfortable. If you do want to go you must be aware of the tide times. The Manatees come into the spring mostly at high tide so you want to be there at high tide or as close as possible. But the manatees were pretty cool so...

YOU CANNOT SWIM HERE! There is no water access. This place is a complete mess. There is no parking, so you have to park at City Hall and take a bus to the park. At the gate, you pay $20 for adults and $17.50 for seniors to basically go on a 0.3 miles walk to a wooden dock with a lookout onto a part of the Three Sisters Spring. Considering how many pictures there are of people on kayaks and in the water, we thought we could swim here. We were told we cannot enter the water from this park and had to take a kayak from another place. The attendant at the booth was a piece of work. One of the nastiest and rudest people I have met in a while. When we asked where the entrance to the spring for kayak/ swimming was, she refused to answer and went so far as to say that is outside of the park and her job and she does not know. She knew...we later discovered there is just one entrance to the just one spring in the park. The woman was just trying to be difficult. This place left a bitter taste for us and to pay $37.50 for two people to walk 0.3 miles to a lookout to partially see the spring and not be able to get in the water, when numerous pictures online show people in the...