the case of the manatees at crystal river

A long time ago, my sister, myself and our two neighbors created an Animal loving club (or something?) in which we each chose an animal mascot and made membership cards. Anne's chosen creature was the manatee. That's pretty much all I remember about that club. But the point is, that Anne loved manatees. Loved them then and still likes them a lot now. Upon browsing Groupon for a fun activity to do (besides Harry Potter world; more on that later) while Anne and the Mollys were visiting, I came across a discounted manatee snorkel tour. "What? You can swim with the manatees? That sounds so awesome! Book it!"

After doing some research on the activity, it turns out its a very popular winter activity in Florida. The waters of Crystal River area stay a consistent temperature of 72 degrees year round, so when the Gulf waters dip during the winter months, the manatees flock to the river and become a tourist attraction all on their own. When spring hits, they head back out to the Gulf. The prime manatee season is December-March. Manatees are friendly creatures so there was pictures and photos of tourists snorkeling and scuba diving with them and being able to touch and interact with them. It looked terribly exciting and since we'd be visiting the second to last weekend in March, I figured though there may not be a zillion manatees, we'd at least see quite a few. And snorkeling no matter where is always fun!

The tour left early in the morning so we were up before the sun. The small tour office was only a short drive down the road but we definitely got a little lost with bad GPS address problems. We found it after a few U-Turns and after signing the appropriate waivers, walked down to the dock with Captain Ned and our snorkeling gear. When looking at Crystal River on the map, it is HUGE! and thankfully it looks mostly preserved through the State Park foundation. You could probably spend days upon days exploring all the nooks and crannies in a kayak or other small boat. However, as we were part of a commerical business, we stuck to the public waters and explored all the canals and small waterways off King's Bay looking for the manatees. As all the canals have residences built along them, going in and out of them felt a little invasive but it was a lovely tour overall. Ned though, was not a tour guide. He was a boatman, so we didn't learn much.

After having no success whatsoever in finding the manatees, Ned took us to the entrance to a cove-like place. You could tell it was a popular place to explore as other manatee boats were anchoring at the entrance as well. Seeing as those all had plenty of people on them, I cherished that our tour was private. Ned informed us that if we swam up the little tributary, we'd come to a cove of crystal clear waters that is famous for having upwards of a hundred manatees in it during the prime season. Eager to get in the water and do something, we threw on our fins and goggles and hopped in. In all honesty, it was freezing and I had to force myself in the water. I was hoping that since the outside temperature was about the same, the water would feel warm and I would have no problem jumping in. It did not and I had major problems. But I did it. Anne however, had no problem.

Snorkeling is an interesting watersport to quickly dive into. While fins are the best thing in the world in easing the exertion needed to swim, it certainly takes a moment to accustom yourself to breathing only through your mouth and having your breath be amplified greatly due to your ears being submerged underwater. It took a minute or two for me to feel completely comfortable but the further up the tributary I went, the more natural the breath pattern became. The water was truly crystal clear. Coming from New England where the ocean is as far as you can get from clear, when you get to experience such see-through waters, it's fascinating to behold. You can see straight to the bottom, side to side...all around.

Once we made it to the cove we quickly peeked around for manatees and much to our disappointment, not one was chilling anywhere in the cove. However sad we were though, the cove was a sight in itself. It was serene, with different corners to explore and all sorts of natural aspects to look at. There were tree limbs along the bottom and different areas were deeper than others. There were even bubbles coming out from the floor in one section. Since we hadn't had any manatee luck so far, Anne snapped some great photos of just us under the water which turned out really cool.

 

Once we'd finished up in the cove, all of us swam back to the boat and tried to warm up as best we could while Ned drove us over to the other side of the bay to continue our search. This side of the bay had less homes along the edge of the water which was lovely but the water was NOT clear. It was murky and brown so when Ned finally spotted a manatee and told us to hop in, I was frightened. Not because of possibly encountering a slimy snake or other aquatic being, but of hitting the manatee head on. When we put our faces under the surface, our visibility was maybe a foot. If the manatee was swimming in our direction we would have no idea it was coming. And Ned was no help; he kept attempting to shout instructions at us that proved increasingly futile. Once he lost sight of it he had us come back to the boat so we could gain a better idea of where Mr. Manatee headed. 

By that point I was done in, freezing and shivering, and could not fathom going back in the water again, no matter how much I wanted to interact with Mr. Manatee. Soon after, his backside popped up swimming along the surface; Anne and O eagerly jumped back in while L decided to stay in the boat with me. Anne was determined to touch that manatee if it killed her. From the boat we actually had a good vantage point of where he was and could direct the girls towards him. Ned however, was not good at giving directions, as we had learned the previous time in the water, so we did our best to counter his directions. It was a success! Though brief, and through murky waters, both Anne and O got to touch Mr. Manatee before he swam off for good, bringing an end to our morning escapade at Crystal River.

Looking back, it truly was an awesome morning filled with fun memories and stories to retell over the years even if it wasn't filled with hundreds of manatees. It is something I would definitely want to try again, but next time I'll go in January. Tho there were a lot of people online who said they'd seen lots of manatees as late as the end of March, the winter of 2012 was unseasonably warm so I believe that due to higher temperatures, the manatees went back to the Gulf earlier than normal that year, hence why we had so much trouble scouting one out. But, we did find the one, and Mr. Manatee, well he was a good one.

friends in florida

From Aug 2011 - May 2012, I had the fortunate, and wonderful opportunity to work at an internship in Orlando, Florida. It was a fantastic 10 months; and while the professional experience was full of learning and laughter, the time spent living in the city afforded me the chance to explore a state I knew little about. My previous travel tales in Florida were minimal; a family vacation to Disney with a trip to Cape Canaveral, another (short) Disney trip in addition to the Everglades, and a week in Naples as a last hurrah with my best friends before graduating high school. Okay, so looking back, maybe they weren't that minimal. But having the chance to live in Orlando did provide me with the ins and outs of being a full time Floridian as well as being able to spend beautiful sunny days at local state parks, and gallivanting off on weekend trips with visitors. Because when you're friend is in Florida, who doesn't want to visit and escape the cold winter of New England?

The end of March proved to be the best time for my sister and best friends to come down as it was Anne's spring break; and as I was not running a show, had my weekends completely free. So it was then that she, and my two best friends, L and O, flew down. It also happened to be when "The Hunger Games" was released, so what better timing than that? After a long day at work, I picked them up at the airport, and we headed off to a midnight showing filled with tweens, teens, young adults and fabulous Hunger Games nail polish (courtesy of Anne.) The movie was awesome and we all had a blast!

Up semi-early the next morning, I took the gals to the Orlando Repertory Theatre, my then-current home of employ. We attended a rousing field-trip performance of "Lyle the Crocodile" which was spectacularly produced (just as all the Orlando Rep shows are); and I found it quite fun to actually see the show from the audience as I had only previously seen it from the set change POV whilst roaming the hallways backstage. After the curtain went down, my besties got a backstage tour where I showed them the wings, set pieces, SM office (with puppets) and scene shop. Before long, we were off and headed towards Crystal River, FL.

After lunch at Grannie's restaurant, we arrived at the hotel and since it wasn't super late in the afternoon, took full advantage of the Florida sun by laying poolside for a few hours. Ahhhh, just what the vacation doctor called for. Dinner was at a lovely restaurant next to the hotel where we enjoyed a tasty outdoor meal complete with mosquito bites. For dessert, the neighboring ice cream store was the perfect bookend to our day. Exhausted after the long, adventure filled day we easily fell asleep, eagerly anticipating the manatee tour the next morning.

harry - yer a wizard

The Harry Potter book series is da bomb. There's no other way to put it. Well, there probably is a more eloquent way to state how imaginative and genius J.K. Rowling's story of a boy wizard's journey at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but I'm not going to try and make such a statement. Let's just conclude that Harry Potter is da bomb. Since the first book was published in the United States in September of 1998 I have been an avid fan. Having just turned 11 myself I was easily enraptured and eagerly awaited each new book release.

When Universal opened up the Wizarding World of Harry Potter inside their Islands of Adventures theme park, I certainly wished I could go one day, but given the fact that I'm a cheapskate and have only been to Florida a handful of times, I didn't believe I'd be going anytime soon. Molly mentioned going at some point, but she too didn't have a determined time. For this trip I was trying to keep our expenses low so I didn't think a 2-day theme park ticket would qualify. But I brought it up one day with Molly and all she had to say was "yaaaaaaa!!!" So to the Wizarding World we went. We actually went to all of Islands of Adventures and Universal Studios, but this part is solely dedicated to Harry Potter, the boy who lived.

entrance to Hogsmeade

There are technically two entrances to the Wizarding World, one on each end, but due to crowds in the morning hours because everyone wants to see Harry Potter first, they shuffle visitors in through the main entrance of Hogsmeade. The first thing you see, besides the snow covered roofs of Hogsmeade, is the scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts Express. Here, photo-ops are available with the lovely conductor.

all aboard the Hogwarts Express

To your left you'll find Honeydukes and Zonko's. One sad note is that they are actually connected inside so they essentially function as one shop. Although not authentic to the books, I see why they did it and a perk we discovered is that instead of waiting in the much longer lines of Honeydukes, you can purchase your treats on the Zonko's side in half the time. I recommend purchasing a Cauldron Cake.

welcome to Honeydukes

Zonko's joke shop

We decided to lunch at the Three Broomsticks and chose the most unideal time to dine. Not only was it prime lunch hour but it had started to rain which drove everyone inside. We waiting in line for probably half an hour, longer than some rides. When you get close to the registers, they have a massive display case of all the meal offerings. Examples include turkey legs, mixed green salad with chicken and a full family platter. You place your order then move to a number along this long counter where you pick up your food. Once you've got everything you wait to be seated. Although they've got a very smooth process going, this is the one area where I could see people getting angry. If you have to wait a bit for a table, not only are standing there holding your food and drinks but said food is getting cold. Molly and I both got butterbeer (not frozen and not overpriced) which had an interesting flavor. Neither of us loved it but the caramel cream stuff on top was quite delicious.

the Three Broomsticks

Next door to the Three Broomsticks is the Hog's Head which serves no food, only beverages for the 21+ crowd. Across from the dining area is the entrance to Dragon's Challenge, a covered picnic table area as well as Dervish and Banges and the Owl Post. As with Honeydukes and Zonkos, Dervish and the Owl Post are also connected inside. On our first day there was a 20 minute wait to get in so we opted to wait until the next day. When we finally did go inside it was really cool. Not only was the merchandise great to look at and geek out over (Triwizard Cup, Book of Monsters, Quibbler) but all the decorations and merchandise not for purchase in the level above such as broomsticks, books and other wizarding necessities were great fun to look at.

a sample of the Dervish and Banges merchandise

The Owl Post had even more great things to see. Wands filled the shelves and up above animatronic owls loomed overhead admist packages of all shapes and sizes. The register was in the middle of the room semi-behind bars like at a real mail office. Really nifty stuff.

inside the Owl Post

Ollivander's is right near Dervish and Banges and the line for that snakes around the storefronts. Although we would have loved to see the Ollivander's Experience, the wait was over an hour as they only let in around 20 people for the 15-minute presentation. And they only choose one kid for the ceremony so we figured they weren't going to pick 20-somethings for it so why waste the time. Had it been a shorter wait we would have done it, but over an hour was just too long. As you continue down Hogsmeade's streets there are a number of shop windows to peer into although none are functioning stores. However, that doesn't mean they're pointless. The objects in the windows are all doing something such as the scribbling quill in Scrivenshaft's.

magical quills inside Scrivenshafts

Now for the rides...as I said up above, the entrance to Dragon Challenge was across from the Three Broomsticks. Lockers for any bags or bulky items are in "Hogsmeade Station" which I thought was cute. When we first got here I didn't understand why there was another castle, but later learned that since they re-purposed the former Dueling Dragons for the Wizarding World they kept the former scenery aka the castle. Before entering the castle the Weasley's former family car is crashed into a tree.

the Weasley's Ford Anglia

The sign above the castle entrance welcomes all Tri-Wizard Champions. The first room is the prep tent where the Goblet of Fire sits, its blue flame burning away. There are also a couple of beds along the walls. As you follow the queue you pass by an illuminated Tri-Wizard Cup, a hall with floating candles and dungeons. Everything had a Tri-Wizard Championship or dragon theme. You choose which dragon you want to ride, the Hungarian Horntail (Blue) or the Chinese Fireball (Red) and like any other theme park you pick the row you want and then wait for boarding. I think we ended up going on Dragon Challenge 3 times, twice on the Horntail and once on the Fireball. The fireball was my favorite even though it was raining and the water was pelting us in the face since we were in the front row.

On the far side of Hogsmeade you'll discover Hogwarts Castle sitting atop a grand hill. Nearby is the performance area of the Frog Chorus and Durmstrang/Beauxbatons dancers as well as Hagrid's Hut and Flight of the Hippogriff. Flight of the Hippogriff is a small coaster for younger children but it is really fun. We enjoyed it a lot and rode it 3 or 4 times as there was no wait. Although Hogsmeade was crowded everyone seemed to be on the Forbidden Journey or waiting for Ollivander's. The view at the top of Flight of the Hippogriff is a great one of the castle.

Hagrid's hut

Finally, the most anticipated ride of them all, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This ride was having issues the days we were there because we kept hearing things about it being shut down but we lucked out and it was mostly running smoothly for us. Our wait the first time began on the bridge leading into Jurassic Park (the other entrance to the Wizarding World) and it took about an hour or so to complete the ride. We learned quickly that having bags was becoming a pain because you had to put them in lockers for all the cool rides. And if you didn't have any bags you could skip the line waiting for them and just go right into the ride line. The queue leads you through all sorts of places in Hogwarts: the dungeons, the greenhouse, Dumbledore's Office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and a few other rooms. I won't spoil what happens in all the rooms but its all really magical.

The ride itself was sooooo amazing. I had no idea what to expect and it was just so, so cool! Because of the wait we only went on the ride once on Day 1, but the next day we did it twice more. Upon returning to it, since we'd already ridden with each other the first time, we opted for the very short wait of the singles line. GREAT DECISION MAKING! The ride seats 4 at a time so when they have groups that don't fill out the ride, they take from the singles line. And sometimes they have to take pairs so on our second round through the singles line we did get to sit together. You don't get to walk through any of the cool castle stuff but the wait is only 10-15 min. In my opinion, totally worth it.

view from Flight of the Hippogriff