We had the opportunity to go camping at the Blue Spring SP. It has a warm spring which runs into the St. Johns river and the manatees gather to enjoy the warm water when it gets cold.

It’s quite the sight. Hundreds of them can be seen in the crystal clear water.

There is a beautiful boardwalk along the creek to view the manatees without disturbing them.

They come up to breathe every so often and with the huge groups it’s really cool listening to them.

Some of them have radio trackers on them with little bobbers for scientists to study their movements.

This home was built in the late 1800’s when the river was really the only way to get supplies. At one time there was a large landing and people would come to get mail and supplies from the boats that traveled the river.

This is so the home that I envision in my historical romance novels, lol. My son is purchasing a home in Minnesota built in the early 1900’s and I loved noticing the similarities and differences in the architecture. The southern homes always seem to have a wide central hall down the middle of the house whereas the northern homes come into the kitchen and don’t have a hallway. Now we just have central air and heating, lol.

This cool piece of artwork was along the boardwalk. Max loved walking the boardwalk and visiting with all the people and dogs, but wasn’t crazy about posing for a photo.

The campground was really nice with private sites and nice roads. We did find a low hanging limb somewhere along the way that did some damage to our roof and a vent. Always something…but it was a wonderful adventure. The park is north of Orlando and if you get a chance to visit, I highly recommend it. The manatees are only there when it’s cold out and the park does fill up during that time.

Thanks for stopping by the Roost and be sure to check back tomorrow for Swap Card Friday where I share cards created by other talented artists.