Blue Spring State Park is located near Orange City, Florida.
Blue Spring State Park, located in central Florida, is a location that I’ve been to three times. Each time, I walked along a boardwalk to the springs, where when I went in December 2022, I could see manatees by the hundreds congregating in the warm waters by Blue Spring. There were fewer manatees the other two times I went in the summers, although I did see a couple. On every trip I also saw several alligators and lots and lots of birds. I’d recommend taking the guided river boat tour of St. Johns River – it is focused on the wildlife and gets you up close to it all.
Animal Sightings
Sighting #1
What: American Alligator
When: June 2020, May and December 2022
Where: Blue Spring State Park boat ride
How: We drove to the park (plan to come early as it can get crowded during the peak season). From there, there’s a boardwalk you can walk along to see the Blue Spring, but most of the alligators can be seen via a scenic boat ride.
Of note: I saw alligators even before getting on the boat of the tour of St. Johns River. The alligators were most visible is June because it’s mating season and they were out and about. There were fewer in December, when the weather was colder, although we did see a few.
