Just make sure you go with a tour group that respects the manatees’ privacy.

Best times to go are November through February. That’s when the manatees tend to migrate in from the ocean and hang out in the warmer inland waters. And try not to go right after a storm – makes for murky water.

They are MUCH larger in person than I anticipated. Even though it was a beautiful experience, when the first one got close, it scared the bajeebus out of me!