Blue Springs and the Manatees

Blue Springs State Park, the largest spring on the St. John’s River, provides a safe haven for manatees from November to March. We were able to witness this breathtaking environment this past February.

When the cooler weather and water temperatures occur in the St. John’s River, the manatees seek the warmer waters of the spring, which stays at a constant 73F. On our visit to Blue Springs, there were over one hundred manatees and their calves swimming in the shallow water.

Bok Tower Gardens

On Iron Mountain, one of the highest points in peninsular Florida (a whopping 295 feet above sea level!), sits a gorgeous Singing Tower in an area called Bok Tower Gardens. The tower is named so because of the 60 carillon bells that ring beautifully every hour, and also at 1 and 3pm for a special concert.

Sunken Gardens, The Pier, and Pass-a-Grille

May 30, 2010 we set out for a birthday adventure in St. Petersburg, FL. "St. Pete" as locals refer to it by is located on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Sunken Gardens

Our first destination of the day was to a botanical garden that is midst the center of the city. The Sunken Gardens are 4 acres of some of the oldest tropical plants in the area. The garden began in 1903 by avid gardener George Turner (no relation) who purchased the land below sea level that included a shallow lake. He drained the lake to create the “sunken” garden.