My 11-yr-old daughter (who loves manatees) and I are going to Tampa this March. We are planning a swim-with-the-manatees tour. Does anyone recommend a tour group? Tere is one guy from Sanford who does a small group (6 people) and I figured we could meet him at Crystal River/Homassas (sp?). BUt there are groups that start at 6:15 or so right there adn recommend seeing the manatees first thing in the morning. I would appreciate any input on this as well as other things to do in that area and the Tampa area.

It's always good to hear about children who are interested in Florida's wildlife. Manatees are indeed, very special.

Please remember that interacting with manatees is not a good idea and may violate the law that protects them. Here are some tips you can use if you see someone getting too close to them: http://www.savethemanatee.org/Tips.htm

Lowry Park zoo in Tampa has some very good interactive animal exhibits that your daughter might enjoy such as feeding their giraffes. They also have a Florida area complete with gopher tortoises, alligators, panthers, and yes, you guessed it: manatees.

Crystal River is at least an hour drive from Tampa so 6:15 crew call means getting up and getting there MUCH earlier. The key to seeing manatees is not necessarily an early riser but rather how cold it is. The manatees go into the spring boils because the water is a constant 72 (or something like that) year round. So when the bay and gulf waters are cold the spring is warm (the cold will kill them). Honestly, burry, I think by March you are out of the cold weather season and it will be unlikely that you will encounter manatees -- especially if you're going late march. But I'm sure the tour groups would be more than happy to take your money. Sanford, btw, is not REAL close to Crystal River. Why not deal with a group that is in Crystal River -- they will be able to tell you if the manatees are out in the gulf or still hovering over the spring boils.

And the Lowry Park exhibit, which dsquared mentioned, is excellent. You can view the manatees at eye level through the glass sides of their aquarium. I believe Sea World also has the same sort of exhibit.

As for other things to do in the area, there's the beach. You might see some dolphins or stingrays. Canoeing is great, you'll see plenty of alligators, turtles, lots of fish. I think Canoe Outpost is a good group, and canoeing in Florida is VERY easy, all downstream, no white water. The outpost drops you in the water, you float down for 3-4 hrs. then they pick you up downstream. Take a picnic lunch, lots of goodies, plenty of fresh water, and you will enjoy some of Florida's finest.

And congratulations on wanting to experience the real Florida instead of all that tourist stuff.

Amen! Florida has many natural wonders; good for you for seeking them out.

My girlfriend did this trip and loved it. She went with an outfit called Birds Underwater and thought they were great. She loved her time with the manatees so much she bought the video of the adventure.
http://www.birdsunderwater.com/

While in the area she also visited the State Park and thought they did a good job with their manatee program as well.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/hom...gs/default.cfm

Not sure of your travel plans, but she stayed right in Crystal River at the Best Western so she'd be ready for the 6:15 start time.

Thanks for the additional ideas about the Lowry Zoo and canoeing. Thanks, too, for reminders about laws and well-being of the manatees. My daughter has adopted one at Homossasa State Park so we want to visit there, too. The reason I was interested in the Sanford manatee program (although he would meet us by Crystal River) is that he offers a smaller boat and goes into the springs that the bigger groups don't go. In fact, we've decided to go with this since it starts later, and we can reserve the whole boat for just the 4 in my party. This will maximaze our chance of seeing manatees since it is getting a little late in the season. Our other few days will be spent in Tampa so any other ideas are much appreciated. Thanks again for the help.