Crystal River:

Ashley’s dad visited Tampa recently and, since it’s a tradition for whenever he visits, we went kayaking! When he was over for Thanksgiving last year, he brought 2 of his boats and was kind enough to leave one of them here for us to enjoy over the winter. And enjoy it we did! So much so that we ended up buying a new double inflatable kayak. We tested it out on the inter-coastal behind our apartment, and then we headed up north (2 hours north…not Yankee-land north), and checked out one of the most popular kayaking spots in the Tampa Bay area. The Crystal River.

Crystal River is a short river, and I’d say it is more like a bay. One of the cool and unique features of this river is that it has over 30 natural springs. These springs are constantly adding warm water to the Crystal River, so every winter manatees come and seek out the warm water. During manatee season, certain sections are closed to boats, including kayaks, to keep the manatees safe, but you can still dive, snorkel, and swim with them. Please don’t touch these gentle creatures though! You’d be surprised by how many people try to poke them.

We were going to put in our kayak at Hunter Springs Park, but it was closed for construction. So we drove another 2 minutes down the road towards Manatee Tour and Dive center and launched our boats from there. They have 2 large parking lots that only cost $5 for the entire afternoon, and they also have a nice ramp down to the water making it easy to get the kayaks in the water.

Once in the water, we paddled over to Hunter Springs Park to check it out. There was indeed a lot of construction going on, but once it reopens, it is going to be fabulous. The water is clear, and it looks like a great place to explore.

Three Sisters Springs

After that we headed towards Three Sisters Springs, the real attraction. After April 1st, the manatees leave and you can kayak! (FYI…it is closed for the rest of 2016 for preventative maintenance, but you will be able to kayak there again next year!) To get there from the Manatee Tour and Dive center, you need to head south past Pete’s Pier and then turn left into the inlet with a bridge. Head under the bridge and just keep paddling until you see a bunch of boats all over the place. On the left side, there is a narrow inlet with posts spaced just wide enough for a kayak or swimmers to get through. As long as it isn’t manatee season, you can paddle back there. Once inside, it is simply stunning. The water is crystal clear and when the light hits the deeper pools it makes it the most gorgeous teal blue. And, as you probably guessed, three set of springs feed this beautiful sanctuary.

Although I had a lot of fun kayaking in the area in April, and I would recommend it as a fun day trip from Tampa, I’m really looking forward to visiting again sans kayak during manatee season this winter. There are boardwalks surrounding Three Sisters Springs that look to provide awesome vantage points for prime manatee viewing.