Tampa Bay & Southwest Florida - Florida - page 898

( 352-628-5343; www.floridastateparks.org/homosassasprings ; 4150 S Suncoast Blvd; adult/child
6-12yr $13/5; 9am-5:30pm)
This state park is essentially an old-school outdoor Florida animal encounter that features
Florida's wealth of headliner species: American alligators, black bears, whooping cranes,
Florida panthers, tiny Key deer and - especially - manatees. Homosassa's highlight is an
underwater observatory directly over the springs, where through glass windows you can
eyeball enormous schools of some 10,000 fish and ponderous manatees nibbling lettuce.
Various animal presentations happen daily, but time your visit for the manatee program
(11:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm). The park itself is a short, narrated boat ride from the visit-
or center.
Homosassa Inshore Fishing FISHING
( 352-621-9284; www.homosassainshorefishing.com ; half-/full-day $350/400)
Captain William Toney is a fourth-generation Homosassa fisherman specializing in red
fish, trout and tarpon fishing. You can't get a better guide.
Sleeping
MacRae's MOTEL
( 352-628-2602; www.macraesofhomosassa.com ; 5300 S Cherokee Way; r $85-125; )
MacRae's is a good sleeping option 3 miles from the Homosassa Springs park off W Yulee
Rd. It's a fisher's paradise of pseudo log cabins and has 22 rooms (some with kitchens)
complete with front-porch rockers. MacRae's also operates the riverfront Tiki Bar , which
is perfectly perched for exceptional afternoon drinks. You can come to MacRae's to do
nothing but sleep and read, or you can arrange tarpon fishing trips, airboat tours and kayak
rentals from its marina.
Crystal River
Florida has some 700 freshwater springs, 33 of which are categorized as first magnitude,
meaning they discharge at least 100 cubic feet of water per second. The Nature Coast
boasts several of these high-volume springs, the largest of which are the 30-odd springs