Swim with Manatees at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Crystal River is one of the only places on Earth where you can legally snorkel alongside wild Florida manatees in their natural habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues Special Use Permits to over 25 licensed tour operators who guide small groups into Kings Bay's warm spring vents from November through…
Three Sisters Springs. A trio of crystal-clear freshwater spring vents within the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Three Sisters Springs is accessible by kayak, paddleboard, or guided boat tour and features a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk. The springs are the last undeveloped spring habitat in Kings Bay and are a magnet for…
Crystal River Archaeological State Park. A National Historic Landmark, this 61-acre park preserves a pre-Columbian ceremonial complex occupied continuously for roughly 1,600 years — one of the longest in Florida. Six earthen mounds, a plaza, and burial sites date to approximately 300 BCE–600 CE, and an on-site museum contextualizes the Native Americans who…
Crystal River Preserve State Park — Eco-Walk Trail & Heritage Boat Tours. Spanning 27,500 acres of scrub, pinewoods, hardwood hammock, and salt marsh where springs meet the Gulf, this preserve offers more than 20 miles of trails and seasonal eco-heritage pontoon boat tours departing from park headquarters. The 2-mile Eco-Walk Trail winds through 11 Discovery Zones and is a premier birding…
Gulf Coast Scalloping. Each summer, Crystal River's shallow grass flats become the stage for one of Florida's most beloved family activities: wading waist-deep in 3–6 feet of Gulf water and hand-gathering bay scallops by snorkel. The Citrus County season runs July 1 through September 24, with a bag limit of 2 gallons of whole scallops per…
Fishing the Nature Coast — Inshore, Offshore & Freshwater. Fed by springs, the Crystal River, Kings Bay, Lake Rousseau, and Gulf reefs create an exceptionally diverse fishery: spotted seatrout and redfish on grass flats, tarpon (May–September) in the passes, shallow-water grouper on rocky nearshore bottom as close as 8 feet deep, and largemouth bass in the Tsala Apopka chain…
Kings Bay Kayak & Paddleboard Exploration. Kings Bay — fed by more than 70 springs that pump 600 million gallons of 72°F freshwater daily — is the ideal paddling playground. Launch from Hunter Springs Park or Kings Bay Park and glide through mangrove tunnels and spring-boil pools, spotting manatees, herons, and river otters along the way. The spring water…
Withlacoochee Bay Trail & State Trail — Cycling on the Nature Coast. The 47-mile Withlacoochee State Trail, a National Recreation Trail, runs through three counties of old-Florida ranches, forests, and small towns on a paved former rail corridor. The adjoining 5-mile Withlacoochee Bay Trail branches west through maritime hammock and salt marsh to the Gulf shore, offering a flat,…