ICYMI: TECO’s Manatee Viewing Center Celebrates 30th Season

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Tampa Bay area residents and visitors looking for cheap or free things to do might want to set a course for Apollo Beach. There they’ll find TECO’s Manatee Viewing Center is hopping with activity thanks to the recent dip in water temperatures.

Now celebrating its 30th anniversary season, the manatee viewing center is open daily through April 15. The only upcoming exception is Easter Sunday.

TECO’s Big Bend Power Station has long served as a gathering place for the gentle giants during the colder months. The power plant’s discharge canal is an attractor for manatees because it provides a source of heated saltwater to serve as a refuge for the aquatic mammals.

The annual arrival of manatee congregations near the power station have earned the canal designation by the state and federal government as a protected manatee sanctuary. That sanctuary is also open to human visitors thanks to TECO’s Manatee Viewing Center.

Here are a few things folks need to know before making the drive:

Location

The Manatee Viewing Center is located at 6990 Dickman Road in Apollo Beach

Hours

The facility is open Nov. 1 through April 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. It does close down for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Easter. Visitors are warned that the wildlife observation tower and habitat trails do close at 4 p.m. daily.

Cost

There’s no charge to access the viewing center or for parking.

Tips For Enjoying the View

The center offers an educational building where visitors can learn more about Florida manatees. It also boasts a large observation tower where visitors can see manatees in the wild if they happen to be in the canal. The tower is the main attraction for many, but it’s about a half-mile hike from the parking area, so folks should be prepared to walk.

Other important things to note include:

• There are no bathrooms at the tower, along the trail that leads to it or its accompanying boardwalk
• The tower is several stories high
• Bug spray and appropriate seasonal clothing is recommended
• Water and food are not available at the tower
• Feeding any wildlife in the area is prohibited

To learn more about the Manatee Viewing Center, visit it online or call 813-228-4289.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission