Cold water fills the springs with manatees.

Manatee season November to about mid-March; daily morning roll call by Save the Manatee Club. Biggest gatherings on the coldest mornings after a cold front.

Private campgrounds and RV parks in the Orange City / DeBary area of Volusia County, a short drive from the park entrance; the spring run itself is day-use.

Counts vary day to day with the weather and are never guaranteed — go the morning after the coldest night. Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge: swimming with manatees here is prohibited; view from the boardwalk.

USFWS manatee season November 15 to March 31; best on cold days when Gulf temperatures drop below 68F. Over 600 manatees migrate to Kings Bay each winter (USFWS).

No official daily count is published here — USFWS gives the season and the below-68F trigger. Over 600 manatees migrate to Kings Bay each winter. USFWS — Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge

Private RV parks in the Crystal River / Homosassa area of Citrus County, minutes from the Kings Bay boat ramps and the Three Sisters Springs Center.

In-water contact is federally regulated as passive observation — never chase, corner or touch a manatee, and follow refuge and outfitter rules. Crowds and manatee numbers both peak on the coldest mornings.