This park is only worthwhile once it is cold outside and the manatees seek the warm water. Today the water temp was 90°F and none to be found. Neat observation areas and one includes a speaker to hear their underwater sounds. The trails here are very short -kid sized. Paid parking at the 2 meter areas. If you rent kayak here have to be back by 4:45pm and leave by dark. Will be awesome Dec - Feb

Helpful staff, well kept, clean park. It has a nice sized walking trail. There is a playground available, clean bathrooms with gift shop that offers ice cream. Unfortunately, I didnt see any manatee. It is a nice park. It took me an hour to visit, walk and read the placards. You will need to pay for parking. It is a $1 per hour.

This place was very nice and peaceful. It was a rainy day so it was empty and we had it all to ourselves. Beautiful boardwalks. Hubby took advantage of the fishing pier and we had a quiet afternoon.

Very nice little park to see the manatees at the right time of year. Go when the gulf is as cold as possible for your best chance to see them. Its right near a power plant warm water discharge and they love it when the water is chilly. If you go in the hot months, however, you have as good a chance to see them on any other slower moving shallows in Florida.

Very Beautiful scenery, didnt get to see any Manatees, but its a great place for a family day or just even just a picnic date.

Beautifully keep ground and clean restrooms. Not very crowded this time of year. Kayaking was fantastic as always.

I guess we were a few weeks early to see any Manatee. Its a nice little park with a gift shop. They should sell shirts that say I went there to see Manatee and all I got was this shirt. I would have bought one.

A very Beautiful and CLEAN park..... Wonderfully maintained its not too big to where its confusing and risk getting consumed in it. But its spacious enough to social distance, with the visit being worth while of your time. I like the fishing area it is very kid friendly. There are plenty of picnic and sitting areas all through the park much wood trails as there are concrete, it was beautiful I was satisfied as well as the children were, we didnt see any manatees but all is well. Thats mainly because of the season, LATE Nov-Feb would be better time to expect to see them.... Well be back.

Good place to see manatees. When water temps in the surrounding area get below 75 degrees, the warm water from the power plant makes this an ideal place for manatees. Usually mid to late Nov, till early spring.

Nice place still to warm ( nov.14th ) to catch a whole bunch, but we did see 1. Cool boardwalk . Neat trees

Really wish we could have saw a manatee, but the squirrels were super cute and definitely not afraid of humans.

Great experience. I paddleboard and kids kayaked. Saw manatees, and other wildlife. Absolutely beautiful! Kayak load in goes down a narrow canal, and into river. Drop off kayaks first then park ;)

Super friendly staff. The manatees were amazing

A beautiful park to walk around with the family. Its not too large, so you can walk with children and seniors. Unfortunately, it was too warm so we didnt get to see any manatees.

Highly recommended! Rent a canoe or kayak to adventure through the water looking for manatee! The canoes have a backrest which is nice for some, but those who like to kneel not so much. The experience is truly worth it! Provided you stay within the narrow river you dont need to be an experienced paddler. If you are more experienced and want to head up to the water plant let your journey take you to the open water. Suggest going in earlier in the morning to secure your boat rental and have a higher chance of seeing Manatee!

Manatee Park was great. I was a little worried when I showed up and the parking lot was almost at maximum capacity. Throngs of people were there.Thankfully, once we were out on the water in our kayaks, there was hardly anyone. Most people that showed up wanted to see the Manatees from dry land.We came out in January while it was cooler, and the Manatees were everywhere. Such a cool experience!The star taken away is because my group and I couldnt figure out where the rental kayak launching area was. Renting it was easy enough, and the staff was knowledgeable and friendly, but the area where you need to get your kayak is not well advertised, I felt. Took some searching.

Its end of October. No manatees around at this time of the year. But kayaking was great! Loved it!

Very cool place to hang out with FAMILY. I highly recommend for everyone if you ever want to visit this PLACE just DO IT I really had a great experience JUST visiting this place.I promise that youll love this. PLACE if you ever want to visit it.......

This place was very nice, especially for families. We did not see any wildlife during our visit but we did not rent kayaks. The weather was overcast and rainy which may have influenced seeing animals.

Ill have to get you pictures next trip there but especially in the winter time you can play with the manatee right on the side of the river they come right up to get in the warm Waters from the power company Park is beautiful long trails canoeing kayaking fishing and lots of gyms and spinners to play with

I took my ten year old son and we had a great time! I hadnt been since right after they opened and they have added many new features. A fully stocked gift shop with ice cream and cold drinks, the boardwalks through the mangroves, and of course the famous Manatees! We rented a double kayak from the park and that is by far the best way to see the Manatees!! The kayak rental was very reasonably priced. It was my sons first time on a kayak but he took right to it!! He loved it and we will definitely be back to do its again!

Just came up here afternoon. They’re very green and fresh. However, they’re nothing much to do, the park is pretty small, unless you wana rent a boat

Have to visit this park at the right time of year in order to see manatee. I was lucky and saw a number of the beautiful majestic creatures in January. Parking for the hour or $5 for the day. You need to have patience to wait for them to surface.

Nice place for a quick 15 minute stop or an entire afternoon excursion. Cheap parking ($2/hour), a small gift/info kiosk, and affordable kayak rentals for an hour or all afternoon. Single and double kayaks available. Theres a large viewing area where you can watch sleeping/resting manatees on the canals. Their presence is seasonal, so know before you go.

Beautiful views! 5 manatees and their calfs came out today on February 27th, 2020. Great experience!Visited again the next day except this time we brought our own kayaks. Im so glad we did! What an awesome experience! I definitely recommend kayaking here! It was awesome! The manatees swim right underneath your boat. You have to have patience to wait for them to rise to the top of the water for air. It was peaceful and beautiful. We loved it!

Dont come unless its manatee season. But if it is in season its a great experience.

I love this park. I knew there would be little chance of seeing manatees but I was seriously hoping the kayak rentals would be available! Ready for the Covid19 to be over.

Cool but I didnt see any manatees :(

Had a blast kayaking, a little early for large groups of manatees maybe on our next visit

Great manatee viewing center. Saw 5 manatees closer compared to other viewing centers. Clean restrooms, small gift shop but has some cute stuff. Also a nice walking trail and kayak launch.

Saw 3 manatees, several manta rays and a black tip shark within 10 minutes of launching our kayaks. We were there the beginning of May. During our trip down the Orange River we saw 3 more manatees, lots of big fish (not sure what they were but very big) and an alligator. Additionally, many beautiful birds and gorgeous flora. The launching area is kind of fun as you start your trip out in a little forest, then after a few minutes you’re out on the river. Well worth checking out. One tip, the manatees don’t necessarily jump out at you, you need to be present and quiet to realize they’re just below you. Once you see them, they’re much easier to spot and notice.

Beautiful park & great info from the presenter! The portable speaker & mic were not loud enough though Im sure they dont have the resources since its Florida and ... well theres no taxes.

The Manatee park is nice. There are places to walk around. Many places to see Manatees. There is a nice playground for the kids. A very nice experience.

A highlight of our trip to Florida! The weather was somewhat cooler this week, which brought lots of manatees to the park area! We saw many in the lagoon area (maybe 15 to 20). It was a perfect day, so we rented the double kayak for one hour. Absolutely fabulous! We were able to go to more secluded areas on the Orange River and get closer to many manatees. Plus a beautiful day and so peaceful. Well worth it!!

The manatee park was an awesome trip to do. The weather was great there was not too many people out. We was able to see the manatees. Everything about the park and the area was so peaceful and nice. If you ever going past the area I will recommend the family are single people to vist.

Another beautiful morning enjoying the outdoors thanks to geocaching. Very busy park. Observed a lot of manatees swimming around today. A great learning experience for both adults and children.

This is such a great park! The manatee are plentiful and theres also a playground. I highly recommend this place to tourists. Such a cool place.

Pretty clean best time to see the manatees is around January February

Even though there were no manatees, the park itself was pretty cool.My 7 year old granddaughter loved the information along the trail.It was just overall, a very fun and informative walk around the park.

Read reviews yesterday, and a recent review assigned blame for lack of manatees at the park on red tide deaths, injuries, and climate change. Well, despite that doom and gloom assessment, my wife and I visited the park this morning, Sunday 12.08.2019. We arrived just before 7 a.m., first people there, and quietly approached the waterside viewing area. Our reasoning that the previous 2 nights of chilly temps should cause the manatees to seek warming waters was spot on. We saw at least 50 individuals, and many of those were young alongside adults.We got great pictures, and were able to steer the next arriving couple to the best spot to see the most manatees close up. So, I am happy to report that the news of the near extinction {LOL} of the manatees is a mite exaggerated. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and the population seems to be doing just fine. Timing is everything, so watch the weather reports for the coolest nights, and arrive as early as possible. Thank you Manatee Park for a well maintained, great recreation resource that is friendly to people of all ages. Good luck and wishes for a great experience to all looking to enjoy this place. 5 stars in our book !

Great place to see manatees and native butterflies. The native butterfly garden is beautiful year round.

Great little Park. It has rest rooms. You can launch your Kayaks there too. If you arrive early on a cold morning, there are manatee in the viewing lagoon.

Do not recommend.... water dirty and did not see one manetee

The Manatees were really cool kinda floating around and shooting water from their noses. A few of them got close. Very relaxing watching them hang around. There were oaths for walking and even a small playground for my kids to play on. The paths were clear and clean. Saw some cotton growing there too lol

Wonderful park to stop take a walking trail visit the manatees or launch kayaks. Unfortunately that day there werent any .Best times to go during the cool months beautiful area with live oaks and fauna...well maintained bring a picnic stay awhile and relax

Free, manatees are either there or not. They werent for us at the time but its still a nice fray of trails. There is plenty of animals besides manatees in the trail and a serene place to gather your thoughts. There is a controller gorge where the manatees can come to but due to the recent red tide, they werent around and they travel in packs so it was a shame.Again, not the free parks fault, just bad timing in our visit. Not s bad place to run/jog either. Gazebo to relax, creek with a bridge... overall a quaint place.

This is a great place. Even if you don’t kayak you can just pay for parking and walk around the park. It’s educational and enjoyable.

This important park is perfect for viewing and learning about Florida manatees. Lots of informative displays, classes, and presentations. Excellent viewing sites, and plenty of basking mermaids. Good supply of parking spaces, easy access, and inexpensive to visit with the family.

This is a wonderful place to see Manatee especially on a cooler day as the water is heated by the nearby power plant and the Manatees love it.Its free except you have to pay a couple bucks for parking.My family had a great time and the gift shop employees were great!

Plenty of parking, $5 max for whole day.Gift shop with soda and ice cream and souvineers. Indoor restrooms! 2 playgrounds, pavilions, and nature! We saw birds, fish, squirrels and lots of Sea Cows! Had such a great time on land there we went back the next day to kayak it.

Fun, beautiful place. Good to visit with children.

Great place to bring kids, January-February seems to be a good time to see the manatees. Theres a playground & restrooms & a gift shop. I believe its $5 for parking for the day or $2 per hour. Theres also a little place to sit and watch a video on manatee rescue & preserve.

Family friendly nature park. Saw 11 Manatee, walked in short easy trails. Picnicked by the playground. Affordable and nice. Small and easy for young and old alike

We visited this park recently when staying with family in Ft Myers and we really enjoyed our experience. The detailed lecture about the manatees was absolutely fascinating.Parking was extremely reasonable and there were plenty of things for our young kids to see and do while we were able to enjoy ourselves as well. Truly an excellent family-friendly spot to visit and learn about. Our kids especially enjoyed the playground.

Cool little spot, unfortunately didnt see any manatee. Water probably too warm this time of year.

I had a great time with the kids. Nice little park. Would have been a bit livelier in the winter months and we might of seen some manatees and a lot more butterflies. It was still a good time.My complaints: Some of the plants are a little overgrown and some of the gravel paths look a bit sketchy. Honestly, neither of which is really that big of a deal.

It was kind of cool, there were dozens and dozens of manatees, but theyre all lazy so all you can see is their tummy floating above the water and every so often theyll put their nose out of the water extremely briefly. I wish they would have shown more of themselves so I could at least get a decent picture or something.. I did get to see a monarch butterfly and a black racer snake up close though.

This small park can handle a surprising amount of people. Great views of manatee. They say its best from December through March. We were here early February and there were lots of them. Highly recommend that you rent a kayak and paddle with the manatee on the Orange River.

The manatees cluster in an isolated section of the power plant warm water discharge canal. The park has a raised walkway which allows for easy viewing of manatees as they feed or seek shade or interact with kayakers and other personal watercraft. The water is very clear which facilitates detailed inspection of the manatees from the walkway. I recommend bringing binoculars or a magnifying device for enhanced viewing. There is a parking fee which is paid using 2 kiosks. The payment directions could be improved. Highly recommend this experience.

This was a fun stop. It was a cool morning so there were plenty of manatee to see. There are a lot of really large fish visible near the edge of the water that was kind of cool. There is a small trail to walk but not much else to do unless you rent a canoe or kayak, which we hope to have time to do because it was very scenic along the water. We only spent an hour there which was plenty of time.

Last minute decision to stop here before flying back home was one of the best things to happen on this trip! So many Manatee sightings right along the fence by the canal!

Its a decent experience for a sunny day. For the price, its likely worth spending maybe an hour here especially if you have a family with young kids. There are also some short trails along the mangroves and swampland where you can get lucky and spot an alligator.

Great way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. Planetarium show, a live animal show where we got to pet a turtle, a snake and a baby gater

Nice little park to go see Manatees. We were lucky that day as there were a couple manatees hanging out near the walkway. Hard to see them from the park level so recommend renting a kayak if you have time.

Very nice park. We saw a manatee. This park is educational.

Very small park and no manatees that day. So it was an ok visit.

First time seeing wild manatees! Park was clean and awesome. Parking was only $1 for an hour. Gift shop had very reasonable prices with kayak rentals as an option. Would highly recommend in the winter season when the manatees are hanging out.

There were no manatees at all because of the warm temperature in mid Feb. During cool weeks, manatees are attracted to the area because of the warm water near the power plant. Granted, there was a sign at the parking pass purchase booth advising of the fact that manatees were rare in the area at this time.Friends who have visited in January, when the temperatures were in the 60s, said they saw 15-20 manatees. It is a nice park, well maintained and would be suitable for families with children. There is no charge to get in; parking is $1 per hour.

No manatees were clearly seen although we saw shadows in the dark waters and a tail or something every now and again. Go when the westher is cool or cold when they come to the heated spill from the power plant to stay warm. A nice half hour or so walking the path and observing.The gift shop is limited but nice with cool beverages, ice cream treats, and candy bars available for purchase along with the numerous small manatee related items. Very friendly lady working the register.Kayaks are available to rent.

Wow! This was amazing. We arrived around 9am and were one of the only kayaks out on the water. There were about a dozen manatees including a baby manatee. The staff was very kind and helpful. You definitely want to get there early as business begins to pick up around 10am and the manatees become a little more shy.

Such an incredible experience up close and personal with the manatees! Was an extraordinary encounter with these lovely creatures.

Lovely place to take an easy stroll and see lots of manatees and other marine life, especially starting in January when the water starts getting a bit cooler. The park and viewing area is located near a power plant where the water is considerable warmer and it attracts the manatees. Parking is very reasonable ($2) and the walk is very easy. Kayaks are also available to rent. Very much a family friendly experience. THE ALLIGATOR IS FAKE! But its a great way to set up a fun family photo!

What an outstanding park. Cleanest Ive been to. We did see 2 manatee, but a little late in the season. January and February are the best times. But the flora is also exceptional as well as the butterflies. Playground for kids, a gift shop and picnic areas

A nice little spot to check out. Found plenty to keep busy for an hour or so. Great family place.

The water makes it difficult to see the manatees because its kinda dank but its a good time killer and fun and I would recommend for families.

Great place to watch wildlife, kayak, listen nature sound.

It was so much fun and we all loved it

Excellent place to walk and enjoy nature

It was really good there was a cute gift shop with even cuter manatees,snakes,crabs, and lizards.Highly recomend this place for a fun family activity

Gentle giants of the sea shooting snot rockets in the water...a great fun adventure.

11-26-19 we visited, always wanted to see manatees. So cool. This afternoon there was about 10 out there lolling around, I understand that is a low count compared to the colder season in a few months. Water is very dark so at first hard to see, but you soon realize the big yellow thing is one coming up for breath. Great walking paths, a nice size structure for kids. Kayak rentals available. Overall a nice place to visit, glad we stopped and I got to see manatees!

5 stars if we were able to see the manatees today....unfortunately they were hiding. Nice trails and a cute park for the family to play. There is even a scavenger hunt and a bingo game for kids to learn about manatees and have a bit of fun. Activity book at the end of the games!

Absolutely amazing place! We saw many Manatee up close. Theyre rental prices for Kayaks and canoes are very reasonable. Love this place it never gets old!!!

I visited the park in December while visiting my family. My experience was wonderful. It was unusual as there were so many manatees in the park. They migrate inland when the water gets colder. I was so glad I came that day at the great advise of my Dad.

Did not see any manatees or butterflies. Its a nice lil park to just relax and hike around. Dont need more than 1 hour to visit all it has to offer .

Loved our trip to Manatee Park! We rented to single kayaks for about two and a half hours on a weekday morning. There was hardly anyone else on the water which made it really relaxing. Too warm to see manatees but saw lots of birds and turtles as well as a gator! The staff was friendly but two people stood out in particular - first, the man who was running the boat launch (he was nice, great personality, and advised us to paddle upriver for better wildlife opportunities) and the lady who cashed us out at the end of our trip (instead of charging us for the 2.5 hours we were actually out, she advised us to report it as 3 hours to get the special 3-hour discount which actually made it cheaper!). Will return another time to try and spot some manatees.

We drove to this expecting it to be a dud. We did not think we were going to see any manatees at all, much like one of those whale-sighting boats where you are lucky to get a glimpse of a fin. We were very pleasantly surprised to see over a dozen manatees of all sizes.There is a small area where you can watch films about manatees and conservation, and there is a small nature walk as well. While we dont have young children, there is also a playground, which is a bonus. Kayaks are available for rental.

Worthy. Manatees have come here since before it was a park.

We went on a cool day and there were plenty of Manatee to see. There also was an interpreter who gave an interesting talk about Manatees with props.

No manatee Sept to oct and not seen again untill January

Amazing to see all the life around, nice place for kayaking too. Perfect for children too,there is a playground and much to see and learn!

It is such a beautiful Park to walk around in you could bring a picnic lunch or they do have a little snack shop over there. Definitely family-friendly even a little playground for the kids and barbecue grills. For any tourists the colder the better chance of seeing the manatees.

The water is a bit murky. We did see manatees and they were beautiful!! worth it but if you can go to the rainbow River or St Johns River the water clarity is amazing, you can almost see the expressions on the manatees faces! For how far south you are it is still a great

Whether you kayak or go to the viewing stations, you will likely see manatees during the winter months. The park is well maintained.

Didnt really see many. Bad day for it I guess. But nice park... watch out for the trail gator tho

Nice. Deserted. No manatees, water too warm.

I think my expectations were a little too high. It is a beautiful park, but the water is so dark that it is very hard to see the manatees. However, there are kayaks for rent so you could probably get a better view from in the water.

A great place to see manatees when the season is right (cool months). Great for all ages. Their small gift shop has awesome souvenirs.

Absolutely beautiful place, we took my 5 year old and she had a blast doing the scavenger hunt they offer at the beginning of the trail. We saw tons of manatees and my little one was thrilled to spot a bunny. Parking was inexpensive, they also have a nice playground for the kids to play on. Overall it was a really nice experience to go see the manatees when the weather got chilly.

I am here at the end of April. Its a nice park but no manatees today. Locals say they have left for the seaaon. I was hoping to kayak but rentals are only available on Saturdays currently. Parking is $5/day or $2/hr. Nice bathroom facilities and a childrens park. Good for walking around and seeing nature but no manatees at this time.