St. Johns River Cruise: Best Manatee Spot in Florida

Embark on a St. Johns River Nature Cruise at Blue Spring State Park, the ultimate destination for manatee sightings in Florida. Discover the rich history and diverse wildlife of the St. Johns River with our expert crew.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Blue Spring State Park - The St. John Boat Tour is located within the spring park.
  • Saint Johns - As the journey through this untamed wilderness unfolds, it’s essential to remember that wildlife sightings can differ daily, adding an exciting element to each trip. Expect to see a fascinating variety of wildlife, including majestic wading birds,…
What's Included
  • Tour Guide
  • On-board restrooms
What's Not Included
  • Blue Spring State Park Entrance fee : $6 per vehicle (limit 2-8 people per vehicle)
Additional Information

Blue Spring has been acclaimed as the top location in Florida for manatee sightings. Experience the revered St. Johns River Nature Cruise, departing daily from the Blue Spring State Park harbors, a favorite among Central Florida tourists. Dive into the vast historical richness and the plentiful wildlife that the St. Johns River boasts, under the guidance of our well-informed and approachable team.

Location
2100 W French Ave
West French Avenue
Passengers arrive 1.5 hours before departure (Highly recommend) Once inside the park, report to the BOAT DOCK for check-in, 10 Mins before departure LOCATED at the lower parking lot.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(179 Ratings)
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Travelbug14617
Apr 15, 2025
Great experience! - There is so much wildlife to see! We loved it. It was very relaxing. The captain gave very interesting facts and information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F7736xcjuliam
Apr 15, 2025
The park and tour were wonderful! - The park was beautiful with signs to learn about the park and animals, a beautiful dockand board walk, play ground plenty of restrooms and a cantina, a gift shop and smaller shops near the dock! We took the big boat tour guide clearly lived her job she was informative about the river and pointed out so many animals and slowed down, making sure we could all get photos! And there were so many Animals! This was for my sons birthday and he had great time. We'll be coming back with my parents! One complaint. Trip Advisor wrongly informed us on the ticket that we needed to arrive 1.5 hrs early. Maybe when it's busy that's necessary but the park people said that's wrong. AND the location link I clicked on in the ticket sent us to someone's house! So check on all of that before you decide when to leave for the park Thankfully it all worked out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kht5592xm
Apr 14, 2025
Highly recommend! - This was one of the highlights of our trip to Florida! Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained lots of interesting facts about the wildlife. We saw numerous different types of birds, gators, turtles, a rancoon and even a few manatees out of season. The plants and vegetation were stunning and the boat was clean comfortable and relaxing. Highly recommend. Snacks and drinks available to purchase on board was a nice extra. Also walked the board walk at the park and visited the gift shop. Uber drop off and pick up worked well for this trip. Don’t forget the small state park entry fee on the gate on the way in.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jack_p
Apr 13, 2025
Fantastic 2 hour Eco Tour - Beautiful setting, excellent narrator and pilot. So many birds! Unfortunately we didn’t see any manatees while on the boat, but this was due to the time of year.
Review provided by Viator
Mrfrd17
Apr 11, 2025
Great Experience - Trip was nice and relaxing. Guide was very informative and friendly. Saw a lot of wildlife. Weather was perfect in April. Saw manatees, eagles, heron, osprey and tons of gators.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terri_s
Apr 10, 2025
Awesome boat ride. - Very knowledgeable captain. Careful to slow or stop boat to point out wildlife. We saw many different birds and other animals. A delightful trip and great weather in early March.
Review provided by Viator
Nancy_r
Apr 7, 2025
The tour guide was... - The tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable. I would not recommend it to families with small children. 1 1/2 hours is probably better than 2 hours. We enjoyed this relaxing boat ride, learning about the river.
Review provided by Viator
Marilynrz155in
Apr 16, 2025
See nature in its natural.setting - Very relaxing cruise on St Johns River. Saw many birds, gators, and different vegetation. Guide was decent - speaker wasnt working last 20 - 30 minutes of trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aymara
Apr 16, 2025
The longest river in FL. - The river experience is very limited. However, it is a peaceful even that takes you to the virgin days of Florida. Guide and captain, the best and very funny!!! Very patient and ready to please boarders if safety rules allow him to do it. Also, very knowledgeable about fauna and flora of the area. If you go in warm weather, do not expect to see manatees. They take refuge in winter. Expect to see alligators, turtles, herons and birds.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Natashasuvorova
Apr 15, 2025
Don't waste your time/money on cruise with Captain Bob - It was our second experience with this company. The first time we had a trip was one year ago and we enjoyed it a lot. The two people, captain and guide, showed us a lot of new places, we learned new information about the local flora and fauna. All passengers were happy. Because of that we decided to take it again with our granddaughter. This year the experience was  terrible. Captain Bob, elderly person, was alone, without any guide. He took us 100-200 meters from the pier, showed one crocodile and two birds and started his speech with a duration of 2 hours. It was a very hot day, April 6, 1pm. In 30 minutes, some passengers were sleeping, some talked with others. Especially felt sorry for the children. They were exhausted from the heat and boredom. But the Capitan didn't pay attention to anyone. He was enjoying his speech, talking about himself.. In the end we made a small circle around and returned to the pier. I saw the people faces, it seemed all had only one dream to finish this "amazing trip" and go away. I didn't understand why it happened, probably the Captain Bob saved gas, probably because he is absolutely unprofessional. If you are going to have this trip, I recommend calling this River Cruise company and ask who will be a Captain and if the Guide will be during the trip. Otherwise, you waste your time and money. And honestly, you can see many more birds and animals in any backyard in Florida than during this Cruise.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $38
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).