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Places to go in Nature Coast.

Crystal River, Homosassa, Weeki Wachee. 4 places worth the drive in this corner of Florida.

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Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Springs

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Spring Hill, FL · Nature Coast

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park near Spring Hill is the only place on the planet still staging live underwater mermaid shows, performed since 1947 in a 400-seat theater built right into the limestone below the spring's surface. Watch costumed swimmers breathe from hidden air hoses as fish drift past the glass. In summer, cool off at Buccaneer Bay, Florida's only spring-fed waterpark, with slides, a lazy river, and a white sand beach.

Three Sisters Springs Springs

Three Sisters Springs

Crystal River, FL · Nature Coast

Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River is the only refuge created specifically to protect the Florida manatee, and in winter its sapphire spring run fills with hundreds of them seeking the warm 72 degree water. Follow the boardwalk above the springs for postcard views, or, when conditions allow, swim with the gentle giants in the clear shallows. Go on a cold morning from mid November through March for the biggest gatherings.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Springs

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Homosassa, FL · Nature Coast

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park wraps around the headwaters of the Homosassa River and is one of the only places you can watch West Indian manatees up close every single day of the year. Step into the floating Fish Bowl underwater observatory to stand eye-level with manatees and schools of fish, then follow the boardwalk past resident black bears, bobcats, alligators, and a Florida panther. Daily manatee programs run at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Manatee Springs State Park Springs

Manatee Springs State Park

Chiefland, FL · Nature Coast

Manatee Springs pushes around 100 million gallons a day up through the limestone, a first-magnitude boil that pools deep blue before running a quarter mile out to the Suwannee River. Float the spring on a hot afternoon and you can watch fish hang in the vent below you, then follow the 800-foot boardwalk under old cypress to where the clear water meets the dark river. Come in the cold months and the manatees that gave the spring its name move in, riding the steady 72-degree flow while the rest of Florida shivers.