An Incredible Experience at Blue Spring State Park, Florida

Moving up the boardwalk towards the St. Johns River. Crystal clear water to my right and a large crowd gathered up ahead. One of the best surprises of 2025 was happening right before my eyes!

30 MINUTES EARLIER………

I slide my feet into my running shoes, planning on a 4+ mile run through Blue Spring State Park. This was my first full day at the campground and running in new locations is an adventure I enjoy. Plus, I had already been through 19 stages of grief thinking that the hundreds of manatees seen at the spring in weeks prior (because of Florida’s cold spell) had since returned to the river now that the weather had warmed up a lot. At least if this trip was going to be a bust, I’d get a run workout in. I start out down the park road towards a big parking lot. Weaving through the parking lot and over to the boardwalk. There were people there and I didn’t want to look like Phoebe Buffay so I slowed down to an inconspicuous walk. Maybe I’ll see a manatee or two, then finish my run around the park. But then… everything changed…

So what do you do when your run is interrupted by a big crowd gathered around a SeaWorld box truck? You quit running and enjoy the moment! I maneuvered to a spot where I could see what was happening and lo and behold, they were releasing 4 manatees back into the wild. Geez, the one time I don’t have a camera with me! But a kind volunteer named Laura took pics and sent them to me, because if there aren’t pictures, did it really happen? What an amazing experience… thank you for the pics Laura! 🙂 The multi-year rescue/rehab/research was conducted by SeaWorld and ZooTampa at Lowry Park.

Pretty incredible and a trip that could have been a dud was anything but. I don’t even care that I missed the hundreds of manatees from weeks before, seeing this unique thing was something I’ll remember for a long time. Here are a few more pictures during my stay at the campground, including two of the new manatees with their trackers in tow and a couple of alligators for good measure. Have you seen manatees lately? Chime in with your experiences below.