By Ben |

Late this morning, Diane drove me out to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.  Like a lot of Florida's state parks, it used to be a private attraction and so seems a little bit Disneyish.  We got on a boat and rode to the main part of the park, but the boat wasn't on a rail, and the wildlife along the river was all real!

The main part of the park is kind of like a zoo... most of the animals have been rescued from near death and recuperated in captivity so long that they now can't be released into the wild.  The manatees put on a great show, crowding around for one of their many daily feedings, since they've eaten all the underwater grasses that are their natural diet.  There's a "fishbowl" floating observation room right above the spring that gives a good view of the manatees and fishes underwater.