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Sign in with FacebookLatest Crystal River hotel reviews
Pro
Seeing manatees in their natural habitat
Con
None really, just don't stay for too many days or you might get bored.
In a nutshell
Our first experience of living the SNOBIRD life was fun
diving in 50 ft deep spring caverns
SarahEcho Says: Crystal River Springs is a town that is not given the attention it deserves. It is a part of Florida that every local should experience. It is a small town with a uniqueness no other state has to offer. Crystal clear water, vast amounts of fish, bright blue private grotto...
doug48 Says: the coastal heritage museum is located in the old crystal river city hall. the old city hall was built in 1939 and is listed on the national register of historic places. the coastal heritage museum is part of the citrus county historical society based in the old citrus...
crystal river archaeological state park
doug48 Says: this interesting state park is located on the crystal river near the town of crystal springs. the first native americas to visit this site was the deptford culture around 500BC. these people were hunter-gathers and did not have a highly developed social society. around 300AD...
crystal river preserve state park
doug48 Says: crystal river preserve state park is located near crystal river archaeological state park just north of the town of crystal river. this sixty one acre park has saved a large section of the crystal river from developement. crystal river reserve offers hiking, fishing, and...
crystal river archaeological state park
doug48 Says: pictured is a stele at the crystal river state archaeological state park. steles are ceremonial rocks that were placed here about 440AD. this stele has two eyes and a mouth carved into it. a cache of small stones, animal bones, and charcoal was found at it's base.
crystal river archaelogical state park
doug48 Says: pictured is burial mound F. this mound is 20 feet high and has a diameter of 70 feet. the dead were buried with their personal possessions such as jewelry, tools, and pottery. copper earrings were found at the site that indicated trade with indians as far away as ohio.
crystal river archaeological state park
doug48 Says: pictured is one of two midden mounds at crystal river archaeological state park. these mounds consisited of oyster shells, fish bones, and pottery shards. these mounds were native american garbage dumps.
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park
maryellen50 Says: Each year thousands of visitors flock to the Park to see manatees close up. This park is one of Florida's most treasured destination spots on 180-acres at the headwater of the Homosassa River. The park houses manatees which are unable to return to the wild due to...
Swim & Snorkel with the Manatees
momsmyname Says: Just got back from a wonderful visit to my inlaws in Inverness, Florida. There were so many neat and interesting things to do while we were there but the most exciting thing by far was a trip to swim with the Manatees. What a wonderful experience it was to snorkel with these...
Swim & snorkel with the manatees
MLW20 Says: What an incredible experience! The first manatee we saw was so friendly. We swam with him for 20-25 minutes. He swam right over to us and was very curious. I took lots of pictures, got to pet him and get an up close look at manatees in the wild.We also saw a few groups of...
Holiday Inn Express Crystal River
294 Opinions
Plantation Inn And Golf Resort
352 Opinions
charle's fish house is a very good seafood restaurant just north of downtown crystal river on US19. good local seafood selection moderately priced.
Written Apr 13, 2008
Address: 224 n.w.US19
Phone: 352-795-3949
doug48 Says: burke's of ireland is a nice replica irish pub in downtown crystal river. good beer selection. casual.
maryellen50 Says: This is the place where you sleep at night after a long day swimming with the manatees or diving. With the exception of going to a restaurant there is very limited nightlife here - this is a primarily retirement community.
Helpfulness
The Crystal River-Homosassa Springs area is located equi-distance between Orlando and Tampa, Florida. I think it is easier to fly into Tampa as Orlando is usually full of conventioneers and tourists to Disneyworld/Epcot. I arrive at the Tampa International Airport where I rented a car and drove south on the Suncoast Parkway Toll Road. Driving on the Toll Road is much faster than taking the Hwy. 98 to Hwy 19 route.
The total driving time from Tampa Airport to Crystal River was approx 1 hour. You do need a car to drive around in Crystal River-Homosassa Springs.
Updated Mar 6, 2003
This shop which is located in the Best Western Motel in Crystal River probably has the largest selection of manatee items in the area.
What to buy: Manatee souvenirs
Written Mar 6, 2003
Website: http://www.manateegifts.com/
MLW20 Says: I love trying interesting meats as I travel so I was happy to see Alligator Tail on some menus in the area. The tail came as little nuggets, not a whole strip of meat that I expected. The taste was pretty good, kind of like chicken. It definitely makes a nice appetizer and...
JudyinPA Says: The Gulf was about 10 miles from our location. The beach was not busy with tourists and liked just sitting next to the water and reading. There were four State Parks within 20 miles so we tried to visit all.
maryellen50 Says: The Homosassa River is premium manatee viewing with the Crystal River being the second choice. I spent 3 nights in Crystal River so I booked manatee snorkel tours with 2 different companies - both excellent.The reputable manatee tour companies do not allow you to swim after...
maryellen50 Says: I did a sunset pontoon boat tour on the Homosassa River. It was a nice relaxing way to end the day. Another day I did the airboat ride to the Gulf of Mexico where we saw many birds. Jacket or windbreaker and camera
Favorite thing: Swimming with the manatees in the spring-fed waters around Crystal River was an amazing experience! I would recommend "Birds Underwater" Dive Shop and you might want to stay at the Plantation Inn, a real "old Florida" hotel that is very nice and near the dive shop. It is right on the water and even has a heated swimming pool. And for breakfast, try Grannies, at the entrance to the Inn----good food at reasonable prices. A final tip: take a change of clothes and a few towels with you on the boat and most of all, enjoy :")))))
Written Feb 1, 2005
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Magical Manatees in Crystal River, Florida
Crystal River and Homosassa Springs, Florida (Citrus County) are home to the largest population of the West Indian Manatee. The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge provides critical habitat for 25%...
Our campground location was about 20 miles west of Ocala in horse country. There are a few farms open for tours but you need to know someone to get in. We were not able to meet the right people. Most...
crystal river is located on US 98 in citrus county florida. the area around crystal river was originally inhabited by the deptford culture native american tribe around 500 BC. this small town is home...
There is a lot of wildlife to see in the area. Manatee tour is, of course, mandatory for anyone who can swim. Aligators can be seen from boat at the Homosassa Visitors Center which also has (a lot...
Crystal River: Home of the Manatees
This is definitely not your typical Florida visit. We came special to swim and kayak with the manatees in Crystal River. This was an amazing experience that is well worth visiting Florida for....
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