With temperatures steadily dropping, manatees are starting to retreat to Florida’s warmer rivers and springs. Here are a few of our favorite Florida spots where you’re pretty much guaranteed to hangout with a manatee.

Three Sisters Spring at Crystal River 915 N Suncoast Blvd., Crystal River | 352-586-1170 A critical warm-water refuge for manatees, Three Sisters Spring offers boardwalk viewings of the manatees in their natural habitat. Scenic and boat tours are available from third-party providers. Photo via natgeotravel/Instagram
Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge 1502 S.E. Kings Bay Drive, Crystal River | 352-563-2088 The refuge is home to over 325 different species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including manatees. Private boat tours are offered through third-party companies, or you can view the marshes from the shoreline. Photo via Discover Real Florida/Facebook
Fanning Springs State Park 18020 NW HWY 19, Fanning Springs | 352-463-3420 West Indian manatees are known to swim upriver to the warm waters of this spring, which sits on the famous Suwannee River. You can watch them from the gazebo located on an upland slope or just, you know, get in the water. Photo via Zenzero Photos/Facebook
Lee County Manatee Park 10901 State Road 80, Fort Myers | 239-690-5030 Known for hosting many a concert at the Live Oak amphitheater, this warm water refuge says that, if the temperature is under 68 degrees, you can be sure to spot a manatee or two. While that happens, the butterfly garden should provide enough of a distraction. Photo by Holly Edwards
Manatee Lagoon – Florida Power & Light Eco-Discovery Center 6000 N Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach | 561-626-2833 While this educational attraction is open year-round, if you really want to see manatees the best time to visit is in the winter. Before you head out, we recommend checking the center’s online manatee cam to see if they’re in the lagoon. In addition to an observation deck, they also have hands-on exhibits and a gift shop. Oh, and admission is free! Photo via Manatee Lagoon Featuring Mia the Manatee/Facebook
St. Marks River 55 Riverside Drive, Saint Marks Observation tours are offered here, or you can rent a canoe and take a self-guided one. Manatees can be viewed year-round, but you are mostly like to see them in the cooler months when they are on their way to Wakulla Springs. Photo via The Wilderness Way/Facebook
Spring Bayou near Craig Park Library Court, Tarpon Springs | 727-942-5628 Craig Park offers a rec center, a boat ramp and a tennis court. Among the Greek Orthodox celebrations cross-diving ceremonies, you might notice that this quiet spring nestled inside a residential area also home to a ton of snowbirding manatees, who mostly hover directly under the surface. Photo via City of Tarpon Springs, Florida City Hall/Facebook
Blue Spring State Park 2100 W French Ave., Orange City, | 386-775-3663 Manatee season at this park runs from mid-November to March, and in the coldest days, you can even see a few hundred atop the spring’s overlook. Careful though, swimming with them is not permitted in this designated manatee refuge. Photo via natgeotravel/Instagram
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park 4150 S Suncoast Blvd., Homosassa | 352-628-5343 It’s easy to forget that the manatees in this park are seen all year round amidst the picnicking, bird-watching and hiking you’ll probably be doing. Manatee programs are run three times a day, making them pretty hard to miss. Photo via Delia Blankenship Pittman/Facebook
Manatee Springs State Park 11650 NW 115th Street, Chiefland | 352-493-6072 Snorkelers and scuba divers are fixtures at this spring. It is closed for boat traffic, making this a safe haven for manatees to swim up to when waters get too cold elsewhere. The old boat-launch-turned-canoe-ramp and cypress trees add to the charm of this state park. Photo via palmstopines/Instagram
Merritt Island 1987 Scrub Jay Way, Titusville | 321-861-5601 An interesting bit of history: Merritt Island’s wildlife refuge was developed jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canaveral National Seashore from land bought by NASA that wasn’t ultimately used. Today, the West Indian Manatee is said to frequent the refuge year round. Photo via Sobe Surf & Paddle/Facebook
The Vero Beach Municipal Power Plant 100 17th St., Vero Beach | (772) 978-5050 In the winter months, manatees can be found here seeking warmer waters. The turbines at the power plant suck in cold water and discharge it a higher temperature, making it perfect for manatees. Photo via 365 Things To Do in Vero Beach/Facebook
Manatee Observation and Education Center 480 N. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce | 772-429-6266 Manatees frequent the center all year long, and can be viewed from a two-story observation tower. If you can keep your eyes peeled you can also sometimes spot dolphins, pelicans, and more. Wildlife boat tours are held daily, and they hold several other special events including fish feedings and touch pools. Photo via Susan Roberts/Facebook
Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center 6990 Dickman Rd, Apollo Beach | 813-228-4289 Weird right? Well, not really. The Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach once powered the community for 16 years, but when people started realizing that its discharge canal was home to manatees in the colder months, it became a viewing center. Today, it’s a federally designated sanctuary with an environmental education building and a butterfly garden to add to its eco-cred.. Photo via She Just Glows/Facebook
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park 465 Wakulla Park Dr., Wakulla Springs | 850-561-7276 Daily guided riverboat tours provide a close view at all the wildlife in this park, and when the weather is nice and the water is clear, glass boat tours can bring you even closer. Alligators and baby birds are more of a common daily occurrence. Photo via Travel Around USA/Facebook
Lovers Key State Park 8700 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach | 239-463-4588 Lovers Key is a haven for wildlife, including West Indian manatees. You can kayak or canoe around the park and see the manatees (as well as dolphins, eagles, and more) up-close. If you prefer dry land, they also have an observation deck near the entrance. Photo via Lovers Key Adventures/Facebook