After a long day of driving, Jackie and I finally arrived in Central Florida in the early hours of Monday morning. Exhausted from 21 hours in the car, visiting Blue Spring State Park seemed like the perfect way to unwind and relax that afternoon.
Blue Spring State Park is the largest spring on the St. John’s River in Orange City, Florida. In the winter, hundreds of West Indian Manatees come into the spring and take advantage of its warm water. Open 8 am until sunset, entrance into the park is only $6. From the main parking lot, you walk down to an open area that has a gift shop and cafe, gazebo, restrooms, and a covered picnic area all overlooking a part of the spring. The boardwalk trails surrounding the crystal clear teal waters are welcoming to those of all ages as they make walking though the wooded areas very easy.
You could tell that a few days of rain is needed here in Florida because the water level was so low. My grandmother was with us and said that when she went a few months ago the water was more of a turquoise compared to the teal to green we saw. I have a feeling this was influenced by the low water level, as well as the sky full of clouds.
At the top of one end of the trail is the bowl-like area of the spring. Spanish moss hung down from most of the trees overlooking the spring and animals rustled in the wooded areas behind the boardwalk as we peered out in hopes of seeing manatees. Suddenly the rustling got louder and seemed closer. We went over to the railing and peered into the woods, and to our surprise there was a handsome little armadillo digging through the detritus.
After watching our little armadillo friend, we headed back down the boardwalk to the other end. There was a large white house, the Thursday house, at the corner of the opening and 3 lookout areas over the water. At the first lookout area, we noticed a group of cormorants sitting on a dead branch that had fallen into the spring. I was totally engulfed in taking a great photo of these birds that I didn’t notice the 4 manatees relaxing in the shallows behind them right away. A large turtle sun bathed on the trunk of another log as an alligator swan about in the shadows of the shallows to its right. Dozens of fish of all different species fluttered around in the crystal clear waters, including several tilapia that seems to be creating nests or homes for themselves. I loved seeing tilapia in this wild setting, because I grew to love them in my aquaculture class in college where we raised fingerlings to maturity.
A small squirrel caught my attention as I walked to the lookout area closest to the manatees. It was making the most adorable little squeaking noise, and didn’t seem too wary of our presence.
Three of the manatees were moving slowly about their refuge, while the fourth just bobbed up and down when it needed to take a breath. One of the three active sea cows seems slightly smaller than the others, perhaps a calf, but it was hard to distinguish this for certain. Another kept rolling onto its side and back upright. The largest of the three swam over to a fallen submerged branch and hung out on top of it so that its back was above the water. We sat there and observed these creatures for about a half an hour before our hunger took over and we decided to go find somewhere to eat.
We stopped off at a restaurant called Swamp House Grill right on the river at the entrance of a campground. With country music playing in the background and screens instead of windows to allow the breeze to engulf the room, their menu was that of a typical Floridian restaurant with plenty of seafood options. I indulged in a fried grouper sandwich, and I have to say it was the best one I’ve had down here to date.
If you ever get the chance to travel down to Florida, I highly recommend visiting both the Blue Spring State Park and Swamp House Grill.
Courtney Callahan Photography 