Manatee Lagoon
Manatee Lagoon
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Come see what’s new at Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Disovery Center®! We’ve reopened our enhanced facility, and you’re invited to come enjoy the new offerings. Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., visit our educational building, upper and lower observation decks, a new augmented reality solar 3D exhibit, and tropical grounds with outstanding views of the picturesque Lake Worth Lagoon. While spotting manatees is not guaranteed, Manatee Lagoon is an ideal location to see them during cooler weather when they congregate near the clean, warm-water outflow of the adjacent FPL Rivera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center. The likelihood of seeing a manatee increases during manatee season, which begins November 15th.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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See what travellers are saying
- Beachcomb_33Eaton, Ohio903 contributionsNice Facility-FreeI unfortunately did not see any Manatee during my visit. However the facility is very nice. Very informative display. Nice gift shop. Two story viewing area. Nice picnic area and walkway. I highly recommend stopping by and checking it out. It is free to visit, which is a plus. Hopefully, you will see some Manatee.Hello, Thank you for the kind review. Yes, our manatee friends can be as unpredictable as South Florida's weather, and we appreciate you coming by. Feel free to check out our Manatee Cam now that we're in manatee season to see if there are any sea cows in sight. We hope to SEA you again!Written 27 January 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2023Travelled soloWritten 17 December 2023
- Diane KVenice, Florida4,621 contributionsUnfortunately no manateesWe stopped by to see if we could spot any manatees. There had been some earlier in the day but none when we were there around 10. Saw some barracuda though. Nice information building about manatees and of course, a gift shop.Hello, Thank you so much for visiting! Manatees are notoriously unpredictable, so unfortunately there's never a way to know if they'll be paying us a visit. But you can always check out our Manatee Cam before our next visit. We hope to SEA you again soon!Written 22 February 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 13 February 2024
- Ellen K192 contributionsWonderful place and free!Wonderful location with a Museum that explains all the things you need to know about manatees and other local fish and wildlife. Beautiful promenade to walk and view. We saw many barracudas, but no manatees. We were there in March and they don’t really stay there much as the waters warm. But nevertheless, it was a great and free place to go. We saw many families picnicking at the tables. Such a great place!Hello, What a wonderful review, we appreciate your kind words. Be sure to come again soon – we look forward to seeing you!Written 16 March 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited March 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 10 March 2024
- Einomrah 1120 contributionsNice for a brief, stop offNice, but very brief museum. There’s some good information about manatees. They don’t have any interactive exhibits, but the facility is well kept, informative and it’s free to park and enter. I didn’t even see a fish while I visited, but the t was a fairly warm morning. If you love manatees and are in the market, they have a really cute gift shop too.Hello, Thank you so much for visiting, and we’re glad you enjoyed your time with us. Come back around manatee season (starting in November 15) for a better chance to see the wild sea cows. We also offer programming throughout the year like Mindful Moments Yoga for adults, Public Tours, and more to make the most of your visit.Written 25 May 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 April 2024
- Catherine P241 contributionsNeed to fill 1-2 hours and no cost to enter. A good way to learn about Manatees & chance to see themThe place is impeccably clean and d well maintained. A nice place to spend 1-1 1/2 hours to learn about manatees and perhaps catch a glimpse of them. They are more present from November till March so try to plan your visit around then if you want me to see them. Really cute gift shop and large selection of choices.- wear polarized sunglasses for best viewing!Hello, Thank you for the kind review and for visiting; we’re so glad you had a great time. We hope to see you around again sometime soon!Written 25 May 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten 18 May 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
527 reviews
Excellent
331
Very good
135
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50
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6
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5
DoloresJacoby.Let’sTravel.98368
West Palm Beach, FL12,459 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
This is a lovely, no stress place to visit. The building is new and architecturally beautiful. The gardens are great to walk. Some sculpture has been added. Indoors there are interesting exhibits as displays to discover, together with a gift shop and conference rooms. Outdoors there’s a large wrap around deck with viewing opportunities along the inter coastal waterway. And the real excitement is to see manatees and large fish in nature. Entrance is free and I highly recommend it.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the great review. We’re so happy you were able to see so many of our manatee visitors. Hope to have you back again soon!
Written 21 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rose G
Portland, ME42 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
Beautiful, free spot to watch boats but no manatees to view. They like to visit this area cuz the water is warm from the power plant but on this particular day the ocean was warm enough so they stayed away. Nice, expensive gift shop has nice manatee-inspired things and some fish tanks with interesting coral and creatures. Overall a nice visit but no manatee sighting.
Written 20 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are thrilled you enjoyed your time at Manatee Lagoon. Our manatee friends can be fickle, so it's hard to know for certain when they will swim by. Feel free to check out our Manatee Cam on our website. We hope you come back again soon!
Written 23 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Arielfl
Coconut Creek, FL2,251 contributions
Oct 2022
I am a manatee fanatee and this is where I can catch a glimpse of the stars of the Florida waterways. FPL built this brand new eco center in 2016. There is no admission charge to come in. The building is two floors housing manatee displays and a small gift shop. On the outside is a snack bar.
Manatees can be viewed either from the ground floor or the upstairs balcony. They like to gather where the warm water is discharged from the power plant. The best time to see them is in the winter when we get a prolonged cold snap of at least two to three days. They like sunny cold weather. As soon as the waterway temperature equals the discharge water temperature they are back out in search of sea grass. Today was the perfect conditions, there were 169! It is so amazing to watch them in the wild like they are meant to be instead of penned up in an aquarium. You cannot feed them because they are protected wildlife. Just enjoy watching them do what manatees do. Check the manatee cam before you go to see if the manatees are present that day. Thank you FPL for this wonderful center.
Manatees can be viewed either from the ground floor or the upstairs balcony. They like to gather where the warm water is discharged from the power plant. The best time to see them is in the winter when we get a prolonged cold snap of at least two to three days. They like sunny cold weather. As soon as the waterway temperature equals the discharge water temperature they are back out in search of sea grass. Today was the perfect conditions, there were 169! It is so amazing to watch them in the wild like they are meant to be instead of penned up in an aquarium. You cannot feed them because they are protected wildlife. Just enjoy watching them do what manatees do. Check the manatee cam before you go to see if the manatees are present that day. Thank you FPL for this wonderful center.
Written 23 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, we’re so glad you got to catch a few of our sea cow friends when you visited. Thank you so much for the kind review – come back any time.
Written 29 October 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Miles Archer
Boca Raton, FL7,135 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
My wife and I just recently found out about this facility. It closes at the end of the so-called manatee season after March 31st. We got here just in time. Parking is free and admission is free, courtesy of Florida Power and Light, which supports and maintains this facility. It's nice to know that the check I send every month to FPL for my home power bill funds this place albeit in small part.
The heated discharge water from this facility warms the water year round. During the colder winter months manatees migrate here to keep warm. We saw precious few scattered manatees while we were here. Manatees are one animal that seems pretty much confined to Florida, though its taxonomic cousins live in other parts of the world. Manatees in Florida do get injured by speeding powerboats with propellers that slice into manatee flesh, leaving tell-tale scars.
The heated discharge water from this facility warms the water year round. During the colder winter months manatees migrate here to keep warm. We saw precious few scattered manatees while we were here. Manatees are one animal that seems pretty much confined to Florida, though its taxonomic cousins live in other parts of the world. Manatees in Florida do get injured by speeding powerboats with propellers that slice into manatee flesh, leaving tell-tale scars.
Written 30 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re so glad you got to catch a few of our sea cow friends when you visited. Thank you so much for the kind review – come back any time.
Written 24 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Caitlyn C
New York22 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
This is a very small but amazing place to learn about manatees! I’ve been here many times whenever I go to Florida and it always makes me happy. I have never been turning manatee season so I usually only see 1-2 manatees in the manatee viewing area but I’m sure when you doing during the official season you see many more! It is free admission and optional to donate money as an entry fee. There is also a really cute gift shop to help the manatee conservation efforts they have. There are no manatees in captivity which makes me happy!
Written 20 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Caitlyn,
We’re so glad you got to catch a few of our sea cow friends when you visited. Thank you so much for the kind review – come back any time.
Written 23 May 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ken W
Milton, DE261 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
We went to enjoy the facilities and check out the Manatees. Beautiful place with lots of free parking. We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed it at one of the tables by the water. After lunch , we checked out the facilities. It is free and open daily 9am to 4 pm from November 15th to March 31st and closed on Mondays during the remainder of the year (April 1st to November 14th). It has a small gift shop and lots of interesting information about Manatees and their behavior. We saw lots of manatees and a lot of different types of fish. This is a fantastic place to visit and it has a lot to offer for people of all ages. Highly recommended!
Written 23 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re so glad to have guests like you visit us, thank you so much for the kind words. Our manatee friends tend to play in cooler waters in the summer, but normally return when during manatee season which starts November 15 and runs through March. Feel free to check out our Manatee Cam to see if there are any sea cows in sight.
Written 24 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SHELBY R
13 contributions
Sept 2022
While it was too warm for manatees, we did see 4 baby sea turtles in the lagoon at the edge of their property. We missed the tour but one of the guides pointed out the turtles and was very excited for us to get to see them, as were we. We went down to the museum and learned a ton about manatees, whose baby's at birth can go up to 100 pounds in weight!
Written 16 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, thank you so much for visiting, and we’re glad you enjoyed your time with us. We’re so happy you enjoyed our educational displays. We hope to SEA you again soon.
Written 17 September 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
tymetraveler222
Bay City, MI6,771 contributions
Jan 2022 • Friends
We only saw a couple of manatees, and not real clearly, but they're out there! The visitor center is really nice. They have a museum that covers the manatee, the environment, the waterways of S Florida. Very bright and cheerful inside. Lots of windows. A nice gift shop and clean bathrooms. Snack bar. Good parking lot. There are sidewalks that take you along the water front, and there are a few benches, and flowers. Definitely worth a visit, especially in winter. Free.
Written 25 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the kind words and we’re so happy you enjoyed our educational displays. We’re happy you enjoyed your time at Manatee Lagoon and had the chance to catch our manatee friends.
Written 24 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tawnyrval
Ontario, CA4,311 contributions
Dec 2022
Prior to your visit go on there website and check out the Manatee cam. As one of the managers explained Manatee's are notorious for no-shows. Nonetheless, If you have kids and need something free to do, bring them here.
What they offer? (From their website)
There are other fun family options that are offered at Manatee Lagoon throughout the year. Manatee Lagoon staffers have created an extensive calendar of activities, ranging from daily educational presentations, yoga on the waterfront observation deck, programs for kids to story and more. Visit our events calendar to access the schedule and registration details.
Manatee Lagoon is one of Palm Beach County's fun and engaging family-friendly attractions, with interactive, entertaining exhibits that tickle your curiosity about the environment of the Lake Worth Lagoon and the wonderful world of manatees.
The only downside is I needed to know if they had wheel chairs available and because the city runs it ,the call goes directly to the power and light company which doesn't make sense. If you are not on the property how are you able to answer customers questions?
What they offer? (From their website)
There are other fun family options that are offered at Manatee Lagoon throughout the year. Manatee Lagoon staffers have created an extensive calendar of activities, ranging from daily educational presentations, yoga on the waterfront observation deck, programs for kids to story and more. Visit our events calendar to access the schedule and registration details.
Manatee Lagoon is one of Palm Beach County's fun and engaging family-friendly attractions, with interactive, entertaining exhibits that tickle your curiosity about the environment of the Lake Worth Lagoon and the wonderful world of manatees.
The only downside is I needed to know if they had wheel chairs available and because the city runs it ,the call goes directly to the power and light company which doesn't make sense. If you are not on the property how are you able to answer customers questions?
Written 14 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Tawny,
Thank you so much for coming to Manatee Lagoon! We are happy you came to enjoy our facility, but we are not happy to hear that you experienced your below issue with needing to know if we provided wheelchairs. We do provide a wheelchair for a guest in need, as we have listed in our website FAQ section. We are actually not run by the city, but rather by Florida Power & Light Company.
We hope you come visit us again soon!
Sincerely,
Manatee Lagoon Management
Written 20 January 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lee
Vero Beach, FL192 contributions
Dec 2019
Free and provided by Florida Power & Light. Off the beaten path and you might feel you are going the wrong way, but well worth it when you get there. You will learn all about the Manatee and almost always see them in the discharge from the power plant. When we were there we say maybe twenty including a couple of bables. Guided tour at 2pm daily is a must if you really want to know about these amazing creatures.
Written 2 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are glad to have guests like you visit us, thank you so much for the kind words. We are happy you enjoyed our Manatee Lagoon Tour and learn a lot of information! Hope to see you again!
Written 23 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I am not sure but I cannot see why there would be an issue.
Written 21 January 2024
Can you paddleboard or kayak around the area? Like is there a place to launch with your own?
Written 26 January 2020
No you may not.
Written 27 January 2020
Is only the visitor center closed Mondays? Can I still park and walk along the boardwalk to see the manatees on Mondays? Or is the whole place locked up?
Written 6 January 2019
The whole place is closed on Monday's including access to the parking lot. I figure Monday is the day they clean,repair,restock,cut the grass,etc.
Written 24 August 2019
There is no admission price, donations only
Written 21 December 2018
What are the chances that the manatee will be viewable in July?
Written 17 January 2018
Hi..November thru April are considered the best times because the manatees are moving around looking for warm water. In July the chances of an encounter is less but not impossible.
Written 17 January 2018
Voy a viajar en la primer quincena de octubre de este año. Me recomendarían ir a este lugar?????
Written 22 August 2017
Hello, we would love to visit, especially if we knew we could get a glimpse of the manatees. Show times? Any alert when the manatees are visiting?
Can we bring our dog?
Written 8 February 2017
no pets are allowed I believe there is a sign posted. the best time to go is early in the morning as it's cool out and they flock to the warm water around the facility. it is a great outdoor activity you can pack a picnic basket and have lunch on one of the picnic benches or under the beautiful trees. there is also a cafe in the facility that you can purchase simple food and drinks. definitely a place to visit hope you enjoy
Written 17 February 2017
I'm not sure unless it's a pet Manatee. Try to call them first.
Written 12 December 2016
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