Homosassa Springs

What a wonderful day we had at the Springs!  We had not been there since Lance was very little.  It was so nice to see that it was even better than we remembered. This time had the added joy of going with friends.  

Between our families, we had nine children, and they all did wonderfully. There are two ways to get to the visitor's center and as luck would have it each family chose a different entrance. Our friends had arrived much earlier than we did and took the boat ride over. We drove directly to the "West Entrance" (skipping the boat ride) and we arrived at the visitor's center about the same time.

Upon arrival we went straight to the first demonstration, the "Wildlife Encounter".   The lady conducting this (and the rest throughout the day) was not only incredibly informative but friendly and cheerful as well; it set a wonderful tone for the rest of our day.

She had around her neck what appeared to be a very large opossum, but we learned they could be twice as large.  In fact, we learned a lot and the kids had very interesting questions.  Ben even stumped her by asking if they could swim.  The best part is we were able to pet the opossum, including Amber, which I think helped keep her interest throughout the talk. She was all smiles.

Afterwards, we began to explore.  I cannot convey how beautiful the grounds are; so natural and open.  If we lived closer, I think we would be regular visitors.  We ended up walking around the whole park twice.  The weather could not have been more perfect.

Jared enjoyed the American Eagle best; Titus liked the "fish in the underground fish place", Matthew like the bears ( I think Amber did too), and Lance liked the turkey and bobcat.  Strangely, no one chose the manatee or Lu the Hippopotamus as their favorite but I know they enjoyed seeing them all.  Lu was quite the character, thrashing about at times and gnawing at the iron underwater gates.

That's our crew next to the fence!

I learned quite a lot about the animals that day, unique things I did not know before.  Chris and I even learned where the term "snookered" comes from.  In the underwater viewing area, about all we could see were "Snook" fish. A fisherman explained how "smart" they were because even if hooked they would find a way to remove the hook and escape, and the light bulb went off.

We spent a long time in the Children's education center.  The kids enjoyed the exhibits, doing the rubbings and playing with the puzzles.  Jaime and I took a picture of this exhibit so we could use it to make our own.  Afterward the kids played some tag football in the big grassy area behind the center, before we started our second loop.  We stopped for lunch at the cafe in the visitor's center and the food was quite good.

The boys have all asked already when we are going back, and I too look forward to visiting again.  It would be neat to see the spring full of manatee but at the same time that would mean it would have to be a lot cooler for our visit.  As it was, we still saw quite a few from the river platform without needing to be all bundled up.