homosassa springs wildlife state park

Enjoyed our visit. Free parking and boat ride into the park. Saw many animals, but enjoyed the hippo, manatees, and river otters the most. Nice shady paved path around the exhibits. (Smell in the bird area was terrible!) Did not eat in the park, but a café and snack areas are available. Admission was only $10.40 with a coupon from the web. Would visit again.

I was staying in Homosassa, and this was perfect to keep the little one busy. The grounds are beautiful, you get great views of the spring, and of course the underwater observatory where you can literally see thousands of fish. All of the animals (except Lou the Hippo) are native to FL. You can see the whole place in about 2 hours, but they also have demonstrations and encounters to extend the visit. If you are staying anywhere around the "nature coast" you really have no reason not to come here, especially if you have children, they will absolutely love it.

The animals are very close to you and it's really shaded which is nice for super hot days...kids will really enjoy the underwater viewing..

I was incredibly impressed with the staff. the maintenance and care of these animals are given is superb. All the animals keepers are extremely knowledgeable and very attentive to their specific location. We had an incredible time boating to the front gates and writing the cute trim that. My son had an amazing time will becoming educated with Florida's natural habitats and animals.

We had a great experience. Park was very clean and all the animals looked very happy. Bathrooms were clean and plenty of places to get something to eat/drink. Boat ride took a little long to wait for (between the wait and the ride it took 45 minutes) but it was a pleasant ride. Trolley is faster if you know about Florida creeks and vegetation and want to get to the park. Loved that there was shade and the animals were active unlike other parks where the animals are in full sun and/or seem distressed and don't want to be available to see. It was cool to see the rehabilitation process for some of the animals. The spring water looked very refreshing and we wanted to jump in. Alot of beautiful areas to sit and relax and enjoy the day. Wish we went a long time ago.

We visited with Grandma and two children, ages 8 & 12. Even though it was a little warm in the afternoon, most of the park was shaded. The volunteers and staff were super nice and knowledgeable. Lots to see and easy to cover in a couple of hours.

Free to park. I thought i was at a zoo. I cant believe all the different animals they have here. They even have instructor shows. Manatees where sooooo big. Kids will love this as well. There's not that much walking comparing it to a full blown Park. I recommend taking the boat over its a guided tour (no additional fee). However there are different options to get there by tram or walk.

This is really just a small zoo focusing on native Florida animals, with some exceptions (e.g., a hippo). If you've been to a lot of zoos, this is not particularly exciting. However, the walking path through the exhibits is pleasant, which makes this is a good place to spend a couple of hours looking at animals. The underwater viewing area is a great place to see a lot of different fish. We also saw manatees and diving birds from there. You can see a Florida Panther. There are regular informative presentations given by the staff, and there seemed to be staff scattered about that could answer questions. The staff at both visitor centers were pleasant and helpful in answering my questions. I also appreciated it when the cashier mentioned, before she accepted my money, that many of the animals might not be out because of the rain and wanted me to know that before I decided to pay.The boat ride from the park back to the visitors center was very cool, and the captain gave us some history and pointed out osprey nests and other views. Other than that, it's a zoo.

We came here with four adults and grandparents. The weather was just beautiful. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Lots to see such as the manatees alligators bears and various reptiles. The boat ride is nice and you're likely to see an alligator or two. A great place to spend half to a full day.

We were really disappointed The manatees were interesting but overall not much to see. Area was small so shrt walk through it. What there was was nice. We arrived at 12:30 on a Sunday. The wait for the boat ride was 40 minutes so we took the tram into the park. No big deal on that ride. The manatee 'talk was interesting but short. The info they shared was no more than what was written on the posted signs around the grounds. Seem like they could have told way more interesting facts. We rode the boat back to the Welcome Center. That was better than the tram and the guide pointed out some interesting animal life. If we would have had grandchildren with us maybe it would have been more interesting. But still $13 entry fee not worth it.

Arrived here at 9:15 on a Thursday morning, and had the place to ourselves (until a school group came in). Had hoped to see manatees, but they were already gone. We were here in early March , and they had already swam back. The fishbowl was still great -- saw tons of amazing fish. The other animals were also great to see. This park is well done -- you walk around a loop to see all the animals. Very peaceful. Natural environment. We really enjoyed it. Tip: Apply bug repellent before you go in the park.

We loved this place. Spent about 3 hours there and could have stayed longer. The 20 minute boat ride was wonderfully peaceful and we saw alligators and turtles in the wild. The manatee feeding was interesting. The young panther, Yuma, was wonderful to see and hear the story of how it was rescued at about 3-5 weeks old. If you are in this area, this is a MUST SEE park.

We went to Homosassa Springs hoping to see a manatee but came away after seeing much more. Besides dozens of manatees, both adults and calves, we saw birds that are usually only seen in field guides. Endangered wood storks and whooping cranes keep company with pink spoonbills and other native species. A reptile house provides closeup views of venomous snakes. Both fresh and saltwater fish swim by windows in an underwater observatory. Endangered mammals complete the tour. Staff is extremely pleasant and informative. We recommend that you enter the park from US 19 and take the pontoon boat to the park entrance.

I had been here 30 years ago and remembered seeing what seemed like a hundred manatees. If we saw 20 this time that would be a lot. Not sure what has happened. I know they are threatened, but I hadn't realized their numbers were that low. I hope they just aren't coming here as much as in the past. Not really sure. The manatee program was not very interesting. The other animals were nice to see, but it is an old-fashioned type zoo with relatively small enclosures. Seems very outdated.

Good value for $13 admission fee. Saw manatees, lots of birds and other wildlife. Was nice area to walk around and not too crowded. Underwater observation area disappointing as we were expecting to see some tropical fish from the Gulf.