THE WILDLIFE IN FLORIDA

THE WILDLIFE IN FLORIDA

BLUE SPRING STATE PARK.

By: Ergio Guitian A.

Every year, between the months of November and March, hundreds of Florida manatees migrate from

the shallow waters of the sea to the rivers and especially the springs, looking for less cold waters. It is

acknowledged that manatees, also known as "sea cows," do not tolerate living in waters withtemperatures below 66 Fahrenheit (approximately 19 Centigrade). And these wonderful natural

scenarios of Florida offer a perfect habitat for those water giants during the winter.

A characteristic of these springs present in Florida is that the temperatures of their waters remain

constant throughout the year, around 72 Fahrenheit (approximately 22 Centigrade). For this reason,

they are an excellent refuge for manatees during the winter and an extraordinary area for the recreation of humans during the summer, where we can take a refreshing bathe to combat the warm weather.

When do you ask what to do in Orlando on your next vacation? do not forget that Blue Spring State

Park, located in Orange City, approximately 45 minutes north of Orlando traveling on I-4, is one of the largest and awesome parks in Florida. A short orlando florida tours will take you to see the spring that discharges 104 million gallons (just over 390 million liters) daily of pure water to the Saint Johns River.

Blue Spring is the winter home of more than 200 manatees, in fact, the last weekend when I visited the park, there were 400 of them swimming, eating, and playing in its shallow waters. In addition, in the 2643 Acres of the park, you can also see several species of wildlife other than manatees, including alligators, turtles, Florida black bears, raccoons, squirrels, and several species of birds. (watch our short  video clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ckmq7Q9T7c )

In 1971, the famous expeditionary Jacques Cousteau filmed in Blue Spring "The forgotten mermaid" an episode of the series "The underwater world of Jacques Cousteau." This documentary film influenced the decision of the state to acquire the lands surrounding the spring and declare it a natural park and reserve area for wildlife, especially manatees.

Blue Spring State Park is one of the many hidden tourist wonders that Central Florida has, as few visitors know them. You should know that when you visit Orlando you have this option to answer the question what to do in Orlando? In the park, you can spend the night as it has an area for camping (RUVs) and cabins to rent. In addition, there are roads to jog, hike or bike, playground, picnic or BBQ areas, walkways, and docks where you can rent canoes or kayaks and from where you can take a scenic tour of the Saint Johns River. 

One of the attractions of the park is a long wooden boardwalk, bordered by trees, which runs parallel to the course of the channel that carries water from the spring to the Saint Johns River, and from where you can see the manatees in their natural habitat.

During the winter it is forbidden to swim in its clear blue-green waters, due to the presence of

manatees, but in the summer the fun includes swimming, snorkeling, or even diving (if you are certified) in the spring cavern.

If you want to be advised or taken to any of the hidden wonders of central Florida, there are many

orlando florida tours and golf and tourism in Orlando is one of them, so do not hesitate to contact GO-TO on

 https://goto.agentstudio.com/golfandtourisminorlando.html to plan your next visit Orlando.

Bonus: Watch the Jacques Cousteau documentary on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9MV3kKqPN4 )