Even though Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is still recovering from the…read moreimpacts of Hurricane Helene, our visit was outstanding and absolutely worth the stop. The staff and volunteers clearly care deeply about the park and its mission, and their dedication really shows. While a few areas are still in the process of being repaired, the park remains beautiful and full of life. The wildlife viewing opportunities are excellent, and the park does a wonderful job showcasing Florida's native species in a natural and respectful setting. Seeing the manatees up close was a highlight, and the underwater observatory provides a truly unique perspective you won't find in many places. What impressed us most was how well the park is being maintained despite the storm damage. Paths are clean, signage is clear, and the staff members we encountered were friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to answer questions. It's obvious that a lot of hard work is going into restoring everything while still making sure visitors have a great experience. If anything, visiting during this recovery period gives you an even greater appreciation for the park and the people who take care of it. Their resilience and commitment to conservation are inspiring. If you're traveling through the Homosassa area, this park is absolutely worth your time. It's a special place that celebrates Florida's wildlife and natural beauty, and we're already looking forward to coming back once the final restoration work is complete.

Originally, we road-tripped north almost 2 hours to experience a rare opportunity to swim amongst…read moremanatees in a natural setting. When we arrived we found out that the manatees had migrated away from the springs about 2.5 weeks ago. Disappointed we drove about 6 miles south and happened upon Homosassa Springs State Park, where they have 3 resident manatees that live in the springs year round. This small state park, was devastated by the hurricane several years ago. They have photos showing how high the waters were and many buildings are still closed. We had to wait for the tram to take us across the way to the park, they also have a boat to get there in a unique way. However, the water was too low to enjoy the boat ride. The park has about 3-4 manatees during the off season and you just have to look for them as they live in a natural setting. Eventually we found them a bit down river from the springs. Once in a while you'd see their nose pop up for air. They are such beautiful creatures. There is also a small zoo with a black bear, flamingoes, a white tailed deer, reptile case, an array of birds, and a variety of wild cats. They used to have a hippo but she died about 10 months ago. Definitely worth the $13 entry fee. It's a cute and well maintained park that is about at 75% of its operating capacity due to closed buildings that have not yet been renovated following Hurricane Milton. Although, we were disappointed to miss out on a once in a lifetime experience to *actually* swim amongst manatees, being able to see them in their natural habitat was truly special.

Staff was very friendly and informative. Caves were easy to find and an awesome experience!read more

This is an older, very small campground with an incredible amount of charm. Management is extremely…read morepleasant, accommodating, and welcoming. If you're arriving after dark, be cautious--the entrance sign is not lit. I was driving a 40-foot motorhome towing a 30-foot trailer and mistakenly took the first turn instead of the second. The signage isn't illuminated, so headlights are helpful to confirm you're in the right place. I highly recommend arriving before dark. The campground is very quiet and feels like stepping back into "old Florida." It sits right on the river, where we saw otters playing and fish jumping--literally jumping two feet out of the water. Very cool. We stayed in Site 20, a pull-in site with excellent river views and located right next to the boat ramp. There's a small store on-site that sells firewood, fire rings at the sites, and it's perfect for a relaxing evening. The permanent residents were extremely friendly and helpful. Kayaks are available to rent for river trips (we didn't do that this time). They don't sell bait, but there's a great bait and tackle shop less than a quarter mile across the street with wonderful people--perfect for fishing off the dock. No problems at all, the dogs loved it, and my wife really enjoyed how relaxing it was. We'd happily stay again.

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!

MANATEES ARE MAGICAL! We saw well over 30+ manatees on our late January kayaking outing. We rented…read morea 2-seater top kayak (comes w paddles and life vests). And from the staff to the dock hands, to the quality of the vessel and cleanliness of the shop: 10/10. A guide handed us a laminated map (nice touch) and told us where to head for manatee sightings. And even pointed us to a cove that homes a lot of turtles and alligators. We saw it all! They have volunteers overseeing the 3 sisters springs, to help monitor the safety of the manatees (and scold ignorant people lol). Great time! If you're unsure, let me assure you.. just book.

Had a really great family adventure with an amazing guide, Stevie! He was so knowledgeable and…read morehelpful. The tour was so relaxing and we saw so many animals. Highly recommend!!

My friends and I visited on Feb 22nd and Ben was our amazing guide. He had a lot of interesting…read morefacts and information about the springs and all the animals we came across -- he also had great sense of humor! It was so cool gliding ontop of the crystal clear waters and watching the fishes and HUGE turtles swim beneath us. We were lucky enough to see a manatee and a bunch of Macaques (babies and adults!) that day too. So happy we all agreed on the 1:45 hr trip out to Silver Springs from Orlando, definitely worth the hype!

Very nice, perfectly positioned, clean, well kept and comfortable kayaks. Nice set up for parking,…read moreentry and exit. Awesome guide map. Scenery looked very similar to the mangroves I kayaked in Key West. Water not as clear, but it's beautiful. Will do this again!

We had a wonderful time with Bria. She was a great guide and ambassador for Rainbow River wildlife…read moreand natural springs information. She was supportive when I needed her help. We had a great paddle today. I will be back and recommend you to others.

Been coming here for 15+ years and glad much hasnt changed even after everything they have been…read morethrough with hurricanes and everything. The people that work here and the people on the water are great had a euphoric day!

Great location for kayaking, etc. There's so many places to explore…read more We arrived on a Sunday and heading down to the boat launch. There were a lot of people in/on the water having a good time. Heavy kayak/boat traffic, but everyone was respectful of each other. We took the kayak out on a Tuesday and had a peaceful time. We went to Seven Sisters Springs - didn't cave dive but it was crystal clear. Also ventured down to the crack - but it was murky (from the hurricane) and we couldn't see it. We saw many fish, crabs and even river otters on our trip! The campground itself is good. It's heavily wooded and if you go, be sure to bring bug spray. The horseflies are awful (I have a bunch of painful bites). We can't sit outside and enjoy the weather. All in all not a bad place to camp.

The girl at the front desk was an air head when I first arrived I went inside because it was…read morefreezing and she made me walk around to the outside front of the building so that I could grab a clip board and walk inside which she could have easily handed me. That was weird Then she didn't tell us we had to pay for parking at the dock neither did the guy that was at the dock when we got there! I overheard him telling someone after we were done for the day he said that they can park at the rental place and walk so they don't have to pay but we were already unloading and done with our rental. We got back to the car and had a $50 ticket. I would be fine with paying but I didn't see any of the signs or where to meter even was. I also told her I wasn't swimming and she said to get in the water you have to have an wetsuit which costs extra and I kept saying I'm not getting in the water but I she just ignored me and then I saw SO MANY PEOPLE not in wetsuits so that was irritating. And the wetsuits were in terrible shape they had holes and stains all over it she handed it to me and I was like thins is what I paid $100 for ? And she was like yeah they are all old. This is a CRAP Buisness!!! Especially what you get for the price!! The manatees are cool and I recommend doing it but NOT using this company.

Pros: easy online registration and scheduling; Front desk…read moregirl for check in was great super sweet. Very nice and informative. We were a bit late and she extended our reservation. I was quite thankful. The kayaks were fun and we were left to our devices to explore. Isaiah was cool and very laid back. We were also a half hour late coming back and they were totally cool with it. Thank you! I can't believe I saw the baby manatees. I literally cried. Cons: I was surprised they just let us out with no real guide! It was cool but I'm surprised they trusted us. We kinda got lost the first 90mins and didn't know where we going but eventually we got to the area where the manatees were gathering. A bit crowded and I felt bad everyone so close to the protected species. Overall a super a cool experience. We went during manatee festival in January so it was a bit crowded but not overwhelming. It was a beautiful day with beautiful site seeing. Def recommend!

My daughter and I went on the Sunset Dolphin Cruise and absolutely loved it! All aspects were…read moredelightful: the dolphins showed up for us, the sunset was gorgeous, the ride was gentle and Jodie and Ed were informative guides to the area, which I've never seen before. I recommend this cruise to everyone, Sara

This is one of our favorite experiences of this vacation. We saw manatee, dolphins feasting, and…read morelearned so much while still just having a great time in the boat. We're glad we took this tour early in our vacation. The knowledge she gave us served us well for the rest of the trip.

We flew in to Orlando and then we rented a house and car to…read moreget to this area specifically for the manatee viewing and brough friends with us who had swimming with Manatees on their bucket list. We arrived and were fitted with wet suits, watched the video and went with our guide to the boat. We boarded with another couple and our 2 girls. 10-15 minutes into the tour, our tour guide yelled F*** when she realized that she was going to run out of gasoline. We did not go back for gasoline. We kept moving forward into an area searching and following a manatee. We stopped in an open area where we thought a couple on manatees were and got out of the boat to swim where they might be. Our guide moved the boat within that area but ran out of gasoline at that point. When the other mother got back into the boat, the guide seemed short with her for not swimming out to look for manatees. The guide had just told us she was going to move us up into an area with better visibility as the area we were in was very murky. However, we were stuck with no other employees available to bring gasoline. At that point, the other mom was upset about the F word and the boat running out of gasoline at the beginning of the trip. We spent the remainder of the trip in the same spot. Another tour group pulled out boat over a little in the same area to try to be near manatees. We sat in the same spot the entirety of the trip. The guide apologized saying that the owner had just lost her animal companion and did not remember to fill up. I assume the guide did not check either before we departed. The guide finally received help and instead of having us get in a few minutes of manatee time or go to an area with better visibility to snorkel, she let us know she had to book it back to the dock for the next tour. At the dock, she pulled me aside and offered me 50 off next trip. I explained that we did not have time to come back and she was aware that we had flown in from out of state.

Captain Dee was incredible from start to finish. Presented the importance of safety for guests as…read morewell as the manatees. Dee was professional and personal. Very kind, informative and fun.

My friends and I have been using River Adventure Tours over 5 years now for our annual scalloping…read moreadventure! A day out on the water with this outfitter has always been super fun regardless of the number of scallops caught. My group has gone out with a few different captains, all of which have been knowledgeable & safe. The booking process is pretty easy. I always book online - you can even sign the waiver through their website so there is no paperwork to take care of when you arrive at the dock. The boats are comfortable for the short ride out to the scalloping site and we always bring along a well stocked cooler of drinks and snacks to enjoy during our trip. All the snorkel equipment needed to dive for scallops is included in the tour. In general, the equipment is nice and well maintained. The conditions have been a little different every year I have gone - sometimes we catch a lot, sometimes a little. The captain has always dived with us to help search for scallops and moves to new locations as necessary. Cleaning the scallops after returning to the docks has always been easy - sometimes there is a group of high school students who will clean them for you for a fee. If they aren't around, there is a station to clean them yourself, and the captain has always been around to help / walk us through the best process. We will be back again!

Came to Homosassa just to visit and check it out. Found this place online, called and booked my…read morepaddle board. When I arrived it just a lil shed you check in at- the worker that helped me was, she was amazing! More than a worker a line of hot spots along the water information center! Yes this girl had all the details to guide me safely on the water as well as back to the shop at the end of my tour! I have already told people to book here and go on the Homosassa river- serious beautiful experience! Thank you! Best 420 Day ever!!!