Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, Florida.

 

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”

Loren Eiseley

While staying for a week in Ormond Beach, Florida December 2020, we decided to go back to beautiful Blue Spring State Park. We had been there before in April, but were disappointed when we didn’t get to see any manatees since they had just left for the year. We got up early, driving just under an hour down the Florida country roads, passed horse farms, plant farms, small towns, and many other lovely and interesting sites along the way.

When we got just outside the 2,643 acre state park in Orange City just after 9 am and lined up with the other cars trying to get inside the state park. The line was not long at that time of day so we managed to get into the park within a few minutes. We paid our $6 entrance fee for our car and noticed the sign at the entrance stating 334 manatees have been sited today. How exciting. We followed the line of cars heading to the parking area and parked. We eagerly exited our car and hustled over to the boardwalk and viewing platforms.

There were lots of people milling around also wanting to see the manatees, so we scooted around many groups of people and got up to the rail overlooking the water. The water was a beautiful color blue and, oh my. We were not disappointed, as we saw hundreds of manatees swimming, some by themselves, some in groups, and a momma with her baby. Oohs and aahs came from the crowd and children squealed in delight. These remarkable huge creatures glide through this crystal clear water seemingly effortlessly and seemed to be enjoying their day, not paying any attention to all the spectators.

Blue Spring is a steady 72 degrees which is what attracts the manatees also known as “Sea Cows” since they cannot tolerate a water temperature less than 68 degrees. They come into Blue Spring between November and the end of March to shelter from the cold water. Even though they have an inch of fat on their body, they have a slow metabolism which makes it hard for them to stay warm. If they get too cold, they can get Cold Stress Syndrome which is like human hypothermia which can make them very sick. The park staff keep their eyes on the manatees and watch them to make sure they are okay.

The best time to see the West Indian Manatees at this park is in the morning when they congregate from the St. Johns River to the head spring. In the afternoon, the manatees head back out to north flowing St. Johns River. We got there at the perfect time and were able to view them in their natural environment. A few swam all the way up to the spring itself. These gentle giants have been recorded coming here since 1970 when only 34 came and now over 500 can come at a time. This is one of the largest winter gathering spots for manatees and has the best viewing with the crystal clear water.

Blue Spring is a first magnitude spring, which means they are the largest springs that discharge at least 64.6 million gallons of water per cubic foot. Blue Spring has a pool about 135 feet long from north to south and 100 feet from east to west, 120 feet deep, and discharges over 102 million gallons of water a day into the St. Johns River. The bottom of the spring is mostly limestone and sand. The state park includes two lagoons. It is the largest spring on the St. Johns River.

This state park has so much to offer besides just the beautiful fauna and spring. It is a great place to go camping, hiking, canoeing, scuba diving, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and is a great place to view wildlife. Just know that all the water activities are closed from November 15, 2020 to March 31, 2021 during manatee season. They close every year at this time to protect the manatees. The park is open 365 days a year from 8 am to sundown. There is a lovely campground that offers 51 campsites that have electricity, water, a grill, and picnic table. There are also six two bedroom cabins that can be rented for a minimum of two nights.

On the state park is the beautiful two story white balconied home called the Thursby House. This home was owned by Louis Thursby, who came here from Europe and settled with his family in 1859. He built the house on top of an ancient Timucuan Shell Midden in 1872. What is that you ask? The Timucuan tribe of Indians had been in Northeast Florida for about 6,000 years until the their tribe became extinct after the turn of the 18th century and they loved shellfish. After eating the shellfish, they threw the shells into a debris pile known as a midden. Louis Thursby settled on this property as it was perfect for an orange grove and had water access where he built a pier for the passing steamboats to have a place to stop. They have done much preservation on the property to make it look as it did at the turn of the 20th century. It is now used as a museum and interpretive center.

We walked the entire boardwalk and were just amazed and thrilled watching these amazing creatures enjoying the water. It was fascinating seeing so many manatees at one time. We walked to the spring at the end of the boardwalk trail. It was gorgeous and surrounded by a tropical forest. As we walked, we heard many very different bird calls than we were used to in Georgia. The forest seemed very much alive.

We enjoyed our visit at Blue Springs State Park and felt blessed by seeing such an incredible site.I am sure we will be back. If you are in Florida during the winter months, make sure you visit this fabulous site. It is located at 2100 W. French Avenue, Orange City, Florida.

Until next time. Bye for now.