I recently visited Blue Springs in Orange City, FL with the family for the nature walk and to see if we could see the resident manatees that stay there year round.
The section of the park we go to is the nature walk along the canal. There is a boardwalk path with many areas that go down close to the water. The whole area is lush with forest and there are many types of creatures that reside there.
These are the fish species that are native and abundant in the clear waters of the springs canal.
The boardwalk path allows visitors to view not only the canal side but the forest side also where you can view many small animals and insects in their natural habitat.
My grandson Bennett impatiently waiting to move onward.....
...as we were all looking at a bale of turtles in a marshy area.
A stick bug we found on the walkway rail. His camouflage doesn't really work on lumber.
A caterpillar. On a stick.
We got to the far end of the boardwalk and finally saw one of the manatees lying in the warm waters.
The bobber is connected to the manatee for the protection of itself as well as visitors to the park. There are many activities at the park such as kayaking and swimming. The bobber allows safe distance.
Blue Springs is also rich with history and there are panels all along the park explaining how it has evolved over the past few centuries.
I found this particular image and description kind of sad. Hope and faith are powerful recovery tools but I think that many people left this place questioning both.
The biggest historical attraction at the springs would be the house of the original settlers at Blue Springs, the Thursby's. Many of the original 'conveniences' are still on the site. There are also many informational panels in the house describing how life was when they lived.
In conclusion, if you are ever visiting Florida a trip to Blue Springs will not disappoint you. The best times to visit if you really want to be awed would be mid-November to February. That is when the warm waters are filled with manatees. It is truly a sight to behold.
I hope that I have put forth an entertaining and informative post for you to enjoy. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Myself (center) and my two oldest sons at Blue Springs.
Me and the grandboys.
Japhofin8or
[//]:# (!pinmapple 28.947365 lat -81.343510 long Blue Springs State Park d3scr)