Just about an hour north of Tampa, FL you will find a crystal-clear, spring-fed river you can kayak down, called Weeki Wachee Springs. You’re surrounded by tropical plants and trees, you can see clear down to the bottom of the river, AND you will be accompanied by manatees that swim right alongside your boat! I was lucky enough to experience this several years ago and I still rank it among my top 5 experiences ever!
It’s so incredible to be able to see these giant majestic animals just swimming along in their natural habitat! The manatees may be bigger than your kayak, but fear not, these creatures are nicknamed “sea cows” for a reason! They are gentle giants, and just so beautiful, graceful, and mesmerizing to watch in the water.
Here’s a video we took of a manatee we saw while kayaking down the river:
We rented our kayaks through Weeki Fresh Water Adventures and had a great experience from drop-off to pick-up. Here is a video from their Official Instagram page of what it’s like to kayak down the river:
And here are some more pictures from our trip:
A Little History
I did a little research and found out that the name “Weeki Wachee” comes from the Seminole Indians and means “winding river” or “little spring”. Even though they named it, “Little Spring”, it’s actually part of the deepest known freshwater cave system in the U.S.
Weeki Wachee became commercialized in the late 1940s after a former Navy man discovered that it was a good place to train Navy sailors to swim underwater during World War II. He developed a new type of scuba device to help swimmers breathe underwater without a tank and started the first of what would become this area’s most famous attraction, the mermaid shows! An auditorium was built for audiences to watch the mermaids perform feats like eat bananas underwater, play football, perform aquatic ballets, and have underwater picnics! People came from all around to watch these shows, including Elvis! The shows are still running up to 3 times a day, so this is just another unique attraction that Weeki Wachee has to offer.
A Little More About the Manatees
I learned that the best time to see the manatees is actually in the colder winter months. As the Gulf of Mexico cools off, the manatees swim up the rivers and estuaries along the Florida coastline seeking warmer waters. (My trip to Weeki Wachee occurred in August and I was able to see two manatees during that time, so you may be able to see them during the summer too).
They love munching on seagrass and actually spend about half of their day doing this. If you get to see these lovely creatures, make sure you give them plenty of space and of course, don’t try to touch them or harm them at all. They are protected under the Manatee Sanctuary Act, which makes it against the law to harm them in any way. This video from Florida’s Adventure Coast, Brooksville-Weeki Wachi has great footage and more information about the manatees.
So if you’re visiting this part of Florida any time soon, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
