Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Today was our last day as tourists in central Florida. We went to Homosassa to the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Park.
#Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
We had seen YouTubers eat at a dive bar shrimp place a few months ago so today I chose a later start to encompass dinner in the nearby town of Homosassa. ♥
We headed to the state park to see their wildlife park. A few of the buildings are closed due to extensive hurricane damage in 2024. They were hit back to back by Helene and then Milton shortly thereafter.
We parked and paid our entrance fee, which totaled $18.00 for the both of us. We then waited for the tram to pick us up.
The wildlife center is all about conservation. These are native Floridian animals that cannot be released back into the wild. They also do a good job of talking about the animals at each habitat, why this animal is endangered, what happened to this particular animal and how you can help.
There is an easy to traverse trail that leads out to the Homosassa River and loops around to include an underwater observatory.
#EllieSchillerHomosassaSpringsWildLifeStatePark
As we walked along people were pointing and taking photos and there in the water were two manatees. They were very hard to see as the water perfectly reflects the sky. But, finally, manatees. ♥
We explored the rest of the wildlife reserve seeing a bear, eagles, owls, an alligator, flamingos, white pelicans and sand hill cranes.
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Park
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
I wanted to go back through the underwater observatory again looking for manatees. No manatees, but when I came back up the stairs there was a volunteer who asked if we had seen the dolphins in the river. We had not but we headed back that direction.
There were a bunch of pontoon boats and people in the water and we saw no signs of any dolphins. We went for one last look on this little overhang over the river. We chatted about our next stop and were heading down the ramp to the sidewalk when I looked to my right and there in the water, right next to me, at the surface was a manatee. In fact, there were two for a minute. The second one was smaller, came to the surface and then moved on.
Manatee in the wild
Manatee in the wild in the Homosassa River
The first one was big and continued to use its strange mouth to seek out algae and other food along the bank right there in front of us. I just kept saying, “Thank you, Jesus”. I took so many photos my phone wouldn't let me take any more. And I had not been able to take videos since we first arrived so Gary took a video of the manatee. ♥
Wow. Just wow. What a great day.
We headed back to the tram and back to the gift shop...now I needed to purchase something with a manatee on it! 🤣
For dinner we headed to The Freezer in Homosassa. Some of the best food I have eaten has been in the sketchiest places. My favorite restaurant in Alabama was in a dump that looked like it had been three sheds mashed together but that man could cook. In Georgia, Daniel and Madison wanted to go to a place in Atlanta that was also a shed...you walked up and ordered and found seating somewhere else.
The Freezer Homosassa, FL
Outdoor dining at The Freezer, Homosassa, FL
The Freezer is along the water. It is cash only. And there is no waiter service. You walk up to the bar and order and some kid calls your name to find you and bring you your food. It is served in take out Styrofoam. These are also all of the complaints when you read the reviews. None of these affected my opinion!!!
We both ordered the clam chowder in a bread bowl and we shared the full shrimp order which was two pounds. Because we are water drinkers, the total was $40!!! I paid that for shrimp last week in Yulee and had to go home and cook it!!
The clam chowder was amazing. The bread bowl was fresh and delicious. The shrimp...oh man...I didn't even use the butter! I'm not even kidding.
Clam Chowder in the bread bowl. #TheFreezerHomosassaFL
We were seated outside and it didn't matter how much of a mess we made. I was stuffed and it was amazing.
AMAZING SHRIMP @TheFreezerHomosassaFL
The last thing on the list of things to do in Homosassa was Monkey Island. Monkey Island is a man-made island. It came to be an island in the 60s when a local was tired of the rocks that interfered with boat traffic and had a dredger pile dirt on the rocks, creating the island. In the same decade a doctor brought home some monkeys retired from Polio research. The monkeys caused too much mischief on the mainland so were banished to the island and it became Monkey Island. The three current residents, Ebony, Emily and Ralph are the third set of monkeys to inhabit this island. The monkeys do not swim so they do not attempt to leave the island.
We found a spot on a side street to park and walked toward the island. And there it was.....it was the most underwhelming site seeing destination I have ever seen. I'm not even kidding. It's barely an island....it is so small. I did see three monkeys. But don't plan your entire vacation around seeing Monkey Island in Homosassa...you will be sadly disappointed! 🤣
Monkey Island, Homosassa, FL
Thank you for following along on our adventures. I appreciate you so much. Blessings. ♥