Crystal River Preserve State Park, Florida, United States
4.5 (155 reviews) Spent 1-2 hours Ranking #8 in Crystal River State Parks
Gorgeous Scenery and Animals
Crystal River Preserve State Park is a remnant of the Florida coastline that has changed little since Europeans arrived over 500 years ago. The park preserves more than 27,000 acres of diverse natural communities such as scrub, pinewoods, hardwood forests, salt marshes and mangrove islands. Much of the property is still untouched, allowing visitors a glimpse at what this area of Florida looked like centuries ago. Given the natural community diversity, the preserve is an ideal location for birding and wildlife viewing. The preserve offers several miles of hiking and biking trails and two designated kayak launches. From Labor Day to Memorial Day (September-May) Eco-heritage boat trips leave from the park headquarters. The 1.5-hour boat tour gives visitors the opportunity to see coastal marsh and learn how it and the associated marine estuary provided for the ancient river dwellers that once lived here. The 24-passenger vessel “Monroe” runs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., weather permitting. The cost is $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for children under 12 years of age, children 6 years of age and under are free. Boat tickets can be purchased one hour prior to departure, forms of payment accepted are cash or check.
Address
3266 N Sailboat Ave, Crystal River, FL 34428-6205
Mobile
Website
http://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Crystal-River-Preserve
Current local date and time now
Monday, May 13, 2024, 8:17
User Ratings
4.5 based on (155 reviews)
Reviews
-
5Ducksoop 5:00 PM Feb 24, 2020
Great boat ride, great experience
This was an attraction my parents brought my brother and me to see in the 1960s and I'm happy to say it is still as great as I remember. There's a wonderful 1960s "old Florida" vibe to the park. The water is still crystal clear, the grounds are beautiful, and I think the glass bottom boats might even be the same ones we cruised on when I was a child (they have been well maintained but they did look awfully familiar). There were people on paddle boards and canoes all about on the river, and there's a hiking trail we didn't explore. The food in the little cafe was reasonably priced and pretty tasty, and it looks like they are in the middle of building an ice cream shop next to it. The river cruise lasted about 45 minutes and Captain Joe was informative and entertaining. He also did a stellar job handling some obnoxious kids whose parents were apparently blind and deaf because they didn't notice their children were behaving like they'd been raised by wolves and were spoiling the experience for everyone. But Captain Joe came to the rescue and gently but firmly got them to stop yelling, kicking the boat, bumping into other passengers with their horseplay, and to stop trying to throw things overboard. He was never rude or mean but he got his message across and managed to get them to behave long enough for the passengers to enjoy the rest of the cruise. It goes without saying that Captain Joe was an absolute hero to everyone aboard, with the possible exception of the little heathens and their clueless parents. All in all, this is a great place to enjoy nature and a great boat ride.
-
5dml240 5:00 PM Jan 12, 2023
This Eco Tours would be great for adults and children.
We enjoyed the echo, boat tour with Captain Scott, and narrator Miss Mary. Lots of birds to see including bald eagles, pelicans, and cormorants. The guide was very knowledgeable and shared lots of information on the history of Crystal River. Enjoyed the beautiful boat ride. Binoculars were also supplied which was a great extra.
