This was so much fun! It was inexpensive and we got to kayak and see Manatee's up close. One even raised up and showered me with a spray. They are not always in these waters but when they are this is a truly great park and adventure. We had a mini family reunion and the waters are calm enough for everyone. Our group had pre-teens up to 80-90 year olds and everyone had a great time.

We rented a kayak for three hours and it was awesome! We got there at 9 am and there weren’t many people but there were tons of manatees. Started filling up around 11:00 am with people. We had a couple of manatees follow us and gently nudge the boat and surface to see us. Just have to be patient. We kayaked a bit down the river and it was nice.

Great park. We saw manatees from the viewing areas... you need to be patient and wait for them to surface. You will see their heads, snouts, etc and sometimes their backs. They can hold their breath for awhile, so don't expect a constant show. There is also a fishing pier that overlooks the wilder part of the river where we sat and watched them surface in the shallow waters. Much easier to see them here, I think it depends on the time of day and the sun glare on the water. Picnic tables, playground, nature walk. Just a great stop. We stayed about 2 hours, but had a picnic. I would say an average stop would be 1 hour--1.5 hours. Park cost $1/hour or $5/day. Worth the stop!

Fun morning visiting Manatee Park in Fort Myers. It is a cool location for viewing non-captive Manatees who visit the park in search of warm water during the cooler days in winter when the temperature in the Gulf of Mexico is below 68° F. The warm water in comes from the Florida Power and Light Power Plant across the street and is created as a byproduct of cooling off their equipment. Their closest living relative is an elephant 🐘. The is a small parking fee (about 1 dollar per hour). There is also a nice gift shop, restrooms and snack available on site. TY SWFL

I decided to check at Manatee Park as the temps are def cooler making the gulf waters cooler. I was pretty confident I would see manatees here as they search for warm water. I was delighted to see many manatees hanging out in the canal. They were playing with other manatees and rolling around in the water. It made my heart happy to see these beautiful beings! The cost was $5 for the day to park and parking was abundant. The park was small but well kept and had a butterfly garden and flower garden as well. The pathways to see the manatees were paved and there were more natural pathways in the gardens. There was an educational video playing about manatees and I saw free educational sessions being given under the live oak tree, which was beautiful. My goal was to see manatees and I was rewarded. I was very happy with this park.

Get there early. It is $2 an hour to park. Make sure you pay because they ticket. Park is small so spending 1-2 hours is more than enough time. You might need more time if you rent a kayak. See the manatee up close on a kayak is awesome. I highly recommend. There is a small gift shop with snacks and souvenirs. Park is clean and peaceful. It gets crowded so go early.

This was a great experience for us. We have only seen manatees at the zoo and aquarium. It was way better seeing them in their natural habitat. We saw a few babies with mammas also. We walked the trails and to the look off tower. We were there about 2 hours or so, went right at opening and were in a line of traffic waiting to get in. Best part it’s free! We would totally go again as we didn’t see everything.

Best way to spend a cool morning. The manatees are so close and easy to view. A ranger gave us some very interesting information about the manatees - like they are almost as smart as dolphins. You can spend as little or as long as you want wandering and observing the manatees. The only cost is a minor parking charge.

I went on a 2-hour kayak tour and saw so many manatees! The water is dark so the manatees were hard to see unless they were near and swimming not too deep. It was a joy to see their little noses come up. It felt like I spotted a manatee every minute or so. The guide was knowledgeable about the animals and also knew the best spots to find large groups. It was very relaxing few hours. I did take some time to just paddle through the mangroves as well. The temperature was in the 60s, but the water temperature was actually quite nice (and I’m a wuss about the cold 😆)

We rented a tandem kayak and kayaked along the Orange River and saw several manatees and heard many more when they would raise their snouts out of the water to breathe. It was a spectacular experience!! We loved it so much m, we drove up twice from Sanibel to kayak with the manatees!