Freedom Outdoors

(6 reviews)

We had a glorious trip down Crystal River. Even though the water was murky, Captain Wayne described…read morethe birds and the trees to us. He was very knowledgeable about the whole area and pointed out the different interesting historical sites. We even saw three green herons, which is rare! We've even stopped and picked up lunch at the shrimp shack and ate we were cruising! A nice breeze and scattered clouds kept us cool. Thank you, Captain Wayne. It was surely a blessing to get my dad back out on the water!

Friendly staff. The boat captain was knowledgeable. Loved that he plucked plastic bags out of the…read morewater. It was a beautiful, relaxing trip. Saw many manatees!

Ms Fin's Oarhouse

(2 reviews)

We had a great dinner with local red fish tasty hush puppies everything was great eat right on the…read morewater

Today Captains Stephanie and Chris and dog Chevy gave our group a wonderful tour of the waters of…read moreOzello, the surrounding keys, Homosassa River and into the Gulf of Mexico. The showed us many creatures including pods of dolphins, sea turtles, Manta ray, schools of fish, some type of shark and sponge, eagle, trout, osprey and other birds. These gals are extremely knowledgeable and are happy to share their knowledge and love of the area. Do not hesitate to book a trip with them. We were booked at 10 am on the pontoon boat tour and it was informative and relaxing.

Go Local Manatee Tours

Great set up & communication from the team. The tour included videos and photos. I would recommend…read morethis tour for anyone looking for a stress free way to enjoy this experience

(I'd give 10 stars if I could!)…read more Highlights: *FREE pictures and videos! *Smaller boat & group = more personal and attentive experience *If you're from out of town, these are the knowledgeable locals we all hope to find on our travels *AMAZING experience! Truly delightful *chef's kiss* This experience was the absolute highlight of my trip to Florida! The captains did an amazing job -- they were so knowledgeable, friendly and playful. I learned so much about the wildlife and felt like they genuinely went out of their way to make sure I had an unforgettable time in the water. The smaller boat and smaller group size made the whole experience feel personal, lots of attention to detail. If you're thinking about swimming with the manatees, there's really no choice -- you have to go with Go Local. Thank you all so much for making my birthday trip incredible. I'll definitely be doing this again!

Fun 2 Dive Manatee Tours

4.8

(249 reviews)

Good morning, Yesterday, my son Lee, his fiancé Ashley and…read moremyself Theresa went on the boat tour through Kings Bay to see the manatees. Captain Marty, our guide, provided a beautiful history about how the manatees group together in the warm water at winter time. We also had the wonderful opportunity to see the manatees and a garr fish.. We all agree it was one of the highlights of our day.. Many thanks to Captain Marty for showing all of us a great time... Theresa from Vero Beach

I think it's important to note that there's a good change you will only see one or potentially none…read moreat all. The crew was extremely nice, but for the money, I would have done something else. We went into the cove area and there was 1 manatee that other boats were waiting to see. After one group left, we swam up, saw it for about 5 min before it swam off. That was basically the extent of it. I swam to see one of the springs. But for $500 for a family of 5; I wish there we could have seen others or at least tried to go and see other ones. It also would have been helpful if we could have had an option to cancel if they had tours that didn't see any or really low exposure that day (or been able to reschedule for a colder day).

Island Girl Cruises

4.9

(30 reviews)

Went with my 91 year old Father and we Loved it!!! Very informative, got to see Monkey Island up…read moreclose, got to see Bird Island close up with all the Blue Heron, huge houses that you can only get to by boat and a trip to Manatee Pub for a quick beer. Overall great experience and very inexpensive, only $25.

June 4, 2025. Had our friends visit from out of town and Captain Joe and Captain Michael of Island…read moreGirl Cruises gave an excellent tour of the Homosassa River. We visited Monkey Island and saw their new digs! The kids especially enjoyed their antics. Saw great blue herons, a few osprey nests, cormorants, Anhinga, turtles and manatee. We highly recommend this boat tour. Since we are locals, we do take this enjoyable cruise at least 3x's a year always learning something new. Educational info shared including the history of the river and environmental status. Thanks again for your hospitality gents! See you soon.

Gulf Coast Expeditions

(16 reviews)

What a fantastic guided tour to see manatees up close. We went today with the grandkids had a…read moreblast. The Captain and diver were amazing . They brought us right next to it and we got to see it eat and move around underneath us. Loved it would recommend this tour to everyone.

This was a fun day. It really was a small group and we got to know each other and the manatees…read morereally well. Aubrey and Captain Ron were great guides.

Sunshine River Tours

(2 reviews)

My 13 year old granddaughter & I visited Florida to see Disney World and Universal Studios in 2014…read more The highlight of our trip was going out on a boat with Sunshine Tours to swim with the manatees. They provided us with wet suits & snorkels for swimming in the slightly cool river. The boat took us to a several different places on Crystal River to provide us whit as many opportunities as possible to see the manatees. The captain of the boat was ever so careful to turn off the engine when we were near any manatees. He was a wealth of knowledge and taught us so much about these wonderful creatures.

It was just my wife and three kids on the boat. It was a big boat and it was very cool they were…read morewilling to take out such a small party. The other boats we saw out there were packed. The manatees came right up to us. It was awesome!!! Such gentle creatures.

Manatees In Paradise

4.4

My girlfriend and I came to the port not knowing what to expect, being from Chicago. We met Sandy…read moreon the pier and found her to be both knowledgeable and extremely personable. Once on board, Captain Jake led us to all the popular hang-outs to see Manatees up close and personable. In a nutshell, the three hours we spent with Jake and Sandy was truly an enjoyable experience. If you want a personal tour and not the big business rush job, book these people!!

Awesome time Casey and Jake went above and beyond to ensure we all experienced the manatees…read more They also gave us the history of Kings Bay and explained the conservation efforts taking place Highly recommend

Family Adventure Charters

4.3

(62 reviews)

We had a fantastic time. What a great tour. Laura, our Captain, shared so much knowledge. She made…read morethe trip amazing. Tonya and the rest of the group were wonderful. We even scheduled another tour on Friday with them. Can't wait to go swimming with the Manatees!! Highly recommend this company.

Captain Misty and our guide Gina were so friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great time. We saw…read morea dolphin, manatees w a baby, turtles, blue crab, and fish. Everyone in my party had a great time.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Things to do in Crystal River

(245 reviews)

Even though Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is still recovering from the…read moreimpacts of Hurricane Helene, our visit was outstanding and absolutely worth the stop. The staff and volunteers clearly care deeply about the park and its mission, and their dedication really shows. While a few areas are still in the process of being repaired, the park remains beautiful and full of life. The wildlife viewing opportunities are excellent, and the park does a wonderful job showcasing Florida's native species in a natural and respectful setting. Seeing the manatees up close was a highlight, and the underwater observatory provides a truly unique perspective you won't find in many places. What impressed us most was how well the park is being maintained despite the storm damage. Paths are clean, signage is clear, and the staff members we encountered were friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to answer questions. It's obvious that a lot of hard work is going into restoring everything while still making sure visitors have a great experience. If anything, visiting during this recovery period gives you an even greater appreciation for the park and the people who take care of it. Their resilience and commitment to conservation are inspiring. If you're traveling through the Homosassa area, this park is absolutely worth your time. It's a special place that celebrates Florida's wildlife and natural beauty, and we're already looking forward to coming back once the final restoration work is complete.

Originally, we road-tripped north almost 2 hours to experience a rare opportunity to swim amongst…read moremanatees in a natural setting. When we arrived we found out that the manatees had migrated away from the springs about 2.5 weeks ago. Disappointed we drove about 6 miles south and happened upon Homosassa Springs State Park, where they have 3 resident manatees that live in the springs year round. This small state park, was devastated by the hurricane several years ago. They have photos showing how high the waters were and many buildings are still closed. We had to wait for the tram to take us across the way to the park, they also have a boat to get there in a unique way. However, the water was too low to enjoy the boat ride. The park has about 3-4 manatees during the off season and you just have to look for them as they live in a natural setting. Eventually we found them a bit down river from the springs. Once in a while you'd see their nose pop up for air. They are such beautiful creatures. There is also a small zoo with a black bear, flamingoes, a white tailed deer, reptile case, an array of birds, and a variety of wild cats. They used to have a hippo but she died about 10 months ago. Definitely worth the $13 entry fee. It's a cute and well maintained park that is about at 75% of its operating capacity due to closed buildings that have not yet been renovated following Hurricane Milton. Although, we were disappointed to miss out on a once in a lifetime experience to *actually* swim amongst manatees, being able to see them in their natural habitat was truly special.

Hunter Springs Park

3.7

(31 reviews)

LOVE THIS PARK! it offers easy drop in access for your paddlecraft and has a beachy swimming area…read moreto enjoy for when you're done. Parking is limited but there are many other places to park nearby.

Florida has some amazing parks. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area…read more The beach here is gorgeous and there are chance encounters with the manatee, but no touchie!

Fort Island Trail Beach

3.4

(44 reviews)

Small beach but a nice place to take a dip! Very pretty area - birding area galore! Worth the trip…read more Again not a big beach but good enough!

Took multi generation family "to the beach" during a visit to Florida in April. Fort Island Trail…read moreBeach seemed like a good start for us and we enjoyed our visit. Arrived around 11 on a weekday and had a choice of parking spaces. Beach was recently smoothed, keeping in mind the area had suffered during a hurricane 6 months earlier, we found facilities were adequate. Row of porta-potties were available. Boat launch and fishing piers were still closed but we wanted beach that day. There are two rock breakwaters at the far edges of beach and several people were climbing and exploring while tide was out. Rocks were covered towards high tide. Line of markers indicated outer edge of swim area. No lifeguards (we knew that in advance) Plenty of room to set up towels, chairs and toys and room to next group. Kids were originally disappointed no crashing waves (they're use to Atlantic Ocean) but quickly decided the Gulf was better as they weren't getting knocked over. We brought our lunch: be aware, lots of birds trying (and some succeeding) to steal food.

Florida Elks Youth Camp

4.9

(9 reviews)

This place is absolutely unbelievable! I was there for the American Heritage girls conference,…read morewhich by the way is fantastic organization. This is a place that had I been a kid and known about this place, I would've been here every chance I had. The accommodations were unbelievable! All the activities like the climbing wall, and the ropes were super cool. The girls got to do kayaking and archery, and even learned how to change a tire. This is the most beautiful land I've seen in a long time! Highly recommend you have any event here!

Great camp for kids aged 7 to 13! The best part is that any child can attend regardless of their…read moreparents financial situation! All they have to do is apply! After visiting the camp myself I can't wait to send my youngest this year. All Instructors are background checked and have training to inspire young adults. Only the best! They have beautiful up to date pools. The gym is state-of-the-art! And the rolling hill of acres is picturesque! There are so many things to do and see, like archery! I'm ecstatic for my baby to attend because everyone is super friendly and all - children, parents and Elk's are treated with the utmost respect and care! If you're looking for a great place to offer your child the best head start, this is the place for you.

Suncoast Stables and Riding Academy

4.5

(10 reviews)

Clean-ish environment, well-trained horses, however the staff was mildly rude and unwelcoming.read more

My daughter attended a horse riding camp this summer at Suncoast Stables and had an incredible…read moretime. What did we love about it? -The themes. Each camp had a different theme and kids could sign up for the one they liked. -Covered riding area. Rain or shine, the kids could ride. -Kona Ice day. The truck came out and the kids could purchase a treat halfway thru the week. -End of the week presentation. Parents were invited to a Friday performance that showed off what their kids had learned. So why not five stars? Mainly because of the lack of communication. Leading up to the start of camp, the only information we had was from the sheet we filled out months before to reserve our spot. An introductory email would be incredible. Also, the paper handed out to parents about the presentation had the wrong time on. I was only able to confirm the actual time because we attended with a good friend who had the owner's phone number. Tightening up the communication would take Suncoast's Summer Camps from being amazing to perfect!

Freedom Outdoors - boatcharters - Updated July 2026

Best of Crystal River

People found Freedom Outdoors by searching for…

People who viewed Freedom Outdoors also viewed

Blue Heaven River Tours

(20 reviews)

Swimming with manatees has been on my bucket list for a long time and I was finally able to check…read moreit off. This tour and experience was one of the best I have experienced. Captain Wyn was knowledgeable, helpful, and fantastic at making sure we saw manatees. He even went the extra mile taking pictures for us and sending them without any charges! I have so much gratitude to Blue Heaven that we were also able to do this on Christmas Eve. This is an experience I will not forget anytime soon. We booked the semi-private option and the extra cost was definitely worth the extra money. You will not regret going on this adventure!

We LOVED our manatee tour! Hot coco and heater were a great touch since it was a little chilly in…read morelate December. Wets suits were nice too. Friendly captains and of course friendly manatees!

Crystal River Manatee Tours

(20 reviews)

Did the tour over Christmas holiday to Florida. Plan ahead early, they fill up fast! Great tour,…read morevery efficient. Captian and dive instructor did a great job. Nice warm jackets provided between dives which is a great help...gets chilly between dives. Took us to three dive spots and we were not disappointed, manatees everywhere! Big sweet docile creatures, very nice. Water is warm coming out of springs, and very clear in the early morning hour we were there. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who love animals and see in their habitat.

Capt Greg was very informative about the area and the manatees. Our guide in the water, Leah,…read moreseemed to be the manatee whisperer and she attracted a few to her. It was on my bucket list to swim with these wonderful, gentle creatures and I am more than satisfied with our experience. I think we were a little late in the season because they are moving out of the very clear water toward the warming ocean. If I do it again, I would chose December or January to see hundreds of them in the river. Very positive experience with this company because they truly love and want to protect the manatees.

Manatees In Paradise

4.4

My girlfriend and I came to the port not knowing what to expect, being from Chicago. We met Sandy…read moreon the pier and found her to be both knowledgeable and extremely personable. Once on board, Captain Jake led us to all the popular hang-outs to see Manatees up close and personable. In a nutshell, the three hours we spent with Jake and Sandy was truly an enjoyable experience. If you want a personal tour and not the big business rush job, book these people!!

Awesome time Casey and Jake went above and beyond to ensure we all experienced the manatees…read more They also gave us the history of Kings Bay and explained the conservation efforts taking place Highly recommend

Salty Siren Tours and Charters

(19 reviews)

Snorkeling with Manatees! William L Schams and I had a fun encounter with many manatees at Crystal…read moreRiver, Florida. Salty Siren Tours and Charters was our tour guide. Our guide, Tyler, was so fun and made sure all of us had the best spot to have clear water and positive encounters with the Manatees. He also made sure we were safe, had pictures and videos. A really nice and thoughtful person. Our captain was Captain Randy. He was very knowledgeable, kind and fun. He made sure we had hot beverages after we got out of the water! He was a very experienced captain. William was loved by the baby Manatee so much. It constantly sought him. It was adorable. Our guide, Tyler, had a really close encounter with the Manatee nibbling his facial hair! Lol. The whole experience, we maintained our instructions to not touch the Manatees. They could touch us, but was had to stay still and be respectful. The Crystal River Community is doing everything they can to protect the Manatees and educate us humans how to respect them. What a beautiful place.

Just an absolute first class experience. From the time we stepped into the shop until the time we…read moreleft the shop after a great tour we just felt like friends and had a wonderful time. The effort of Captain Ed, and our guide Tyler was unmatched. Using the drone to find manatees as well as take really amazing photos and videos of our experience is unmatched. There's nothing I could say bad in anyway and I would recommend this company to anyone, especially given the smaller size of the tours

Homosassa Manatee Snorkeling Center

(24 reviews)

What an amazing few hours on the river. Traci did an amazing job of educating us as well as finding…read moremanatee and dolphin for us to enjoy and swim near. The group was six people, and the atmosphere was amazing. I would highly recommend and definitely do this again.

Captain Dee was incredible from start to finish. Presented the importance of safety for guests as…read morewell as the manatees. Dee was professional and personal. Very kind, informative and fun.

Double J Adventures

(6 reviews)

This was my 25th wedding anniversary and the wife always wanted to swim with the manatees...what a…read moregreat decision to go with Double J. If you want to enjoy time with the manatees with a team that makes the trip worth it... Double J Adventures is the place. We saw numerous manatees and the captain always gauged what the customers wanted and took us to some really great spots. CPT Garret was from the area and made sure we were taken care of. The 3 sister springs was the ending spot where we relaxed in the warm water and still spotted manatees on the way back to to boat. Love this trip and will be back scallop season to book a trip with CPT Jim and his team! Thanks for the great time.

We are so glad we did a trip with Double J Adventures!…read more Have to admit that I initially planned on booking with 1 of the bigger operators, but they did not have slots at the times we wanted. So I looked for other operators on TripAdvisor, and found really good reviews for Double J. Gave a quick call to Capt. Joanne, and booked for the trip on their website. On the actual day, we got the boat to ourselves (there were 6 in our party). Capt. Jo was enlightening, and explained everything to us. We went to 2 spots where we got to swim with not less than 6 or 7 different manatees. Also got to touch and interact with them quite a bit. In the course of the break, some of us needed to use the bathroom, and Capt. Jo very kindly obliged. She also lent us her waterproof camera, and emailed links to the photos to us the following day. All in all, a very special experience, with a really professional operator! Word of advice: go for the early tours before the place gets swarmed with visitors!

Captain Mike’s - Swimming With The Manatees

(20 reviews)

Captain Mike's was sooooo much fun! Our captain - Tom? Idk, he was an older guy with a beard - was…read morevery knowledgeable about the area and EVERYTHING about manatees. The manatees themselves were plump and happy :). Definitely do this if you are staying in Crystal River for the weekend! NOTE: Stay at the Best Western. Not only is its location great, but it's literally a 10 step walk from the hotel. My family and I stayed here, and it is literally on the property

Captain Morgan was our in water tour guide and she was AMAZING!! She's super knowledgeable about…read moreall things Manatees! She kept a great eye on all members of the group and did check ins throughout the tour to make sure we were ok and didn't need to head back to the boat. We did the 2pm tour and got super lucky with all the manatees we were able to see. I will definitely recommend!

Manatee Tours And More

4.9

(10 reviews)

Captain Anna is nothing short of exceptional! She's great with the kids and definitely knows how to…read morefind and interact with the manatees. We went in March when there were fewer. She still scouted out plenty for us to swim alongside. She is 6th generation in this area, so she's also a plethora of history and information (which I LOVE). We absolutely loved her!

Captain Anna was simply amazing! My daughter and I were so excited to see manatees and even though…read moreit was a tough weather day, she made it an awesome trip! We only saw a few manatees on our swim (again, thanks weather) but we learned so much from her and really had a great time. Swimming with manatees had been a dream for me for many years and I was thrilled with this trip. Please use this business if you are looking for a great time...you won't be disappointed. Thank you Captain Anna for being so kind and sharing so much local info with us! Stacey and Maddi (Dallas,TX)

Sunshine River Tours

(2 reviews)

My 13 year old granddaughter & I visited Florida to see Disney World and Universal Studios in 2014…read more The highlight of our trip was going out on a boat with Sunshine Tours to swim with the manatees. They provided us with wet suits & snorkels for swimming in the slightly cool river. The boat took us to a several different places on Crystal River to provide us whit as many opportunities as possible to see the manatees. The captain of the boat was ever so careful to turn off the engine when we were near any manatees. He was a wealth of knowledge and taught us so much about these wonderful creatures.

It was just my wife and three kids on the boat. It was a big boat and it was very cool they were…read morewilling to take out such a small party. The other boats we saw out there were packed. The manatees came right up to us. It was awesome!!! Such gentle creatures.

Go Local Manatee Tours