We want to see a Manatee!

Florida loves its manatees. These unusual creatures that look like giant Russet potatoes floating in the water are found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, bays, and estuaries all over the state. Its one of the few places in the world that you can see these rare, endangered species.

Everywhere we went we saw manatee statues and the kids want their picture taken in front of all of them.


We were lucky to finally see a real, living Manatee at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. In fact, Snooty is one of the state's most famous as he's over 60 years old, the oldest manatee born in captivity.

But we were determined to see one in the wild.

In Naples, we looked into taking a boat tour that promised manatees sightings but we learned that the animals were swimming north in search of cooler waters.

In Bradenton, we were told you could spot them off the Memorial Pier downtown. We stood there for a good 30 minutes. No manatees.

In Dunedin, some people told us they had just seen a manatee off a pier--but he was gone.

And so we hoped that as we traveled north, we'd finally get to see one of these creatures that are often called gentle giants.