Do you associate Florida with a beach or an amusement park?
Do not forget the hot spring with rotten egg odor.
Manatee Viewing Center
Tampa is the third largest city in the State of Florida.
At the Manatee Viewing Center, you can observe American manatee at close hand.
Photo by FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute - Tampa Electric - Apollo Beach (2015) / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
It is just another channel beside a thermal power plant.
Manatees gather together around the warm industrial waste water from November through April.
Huge Geothermal Pool
It is an hour's drive from the Manatee Viewing Center to Warm Mineral Springs.
Right after I opened my car door, I felt strong sulfur smell.
The rate for walk-ins is $20.
A circular pond is located in the grass field.
Many people in bathing suits were enjoying sunbathing.
The pond is too big to call it an outdoor bath; 80-yard diameter and more than 230-feet deep.
The water is tepid, always around 87 degrees F.
In December, it was rather comfortable due to the warm weather in Florida.
I saw small fish swimming and they pecked me weakly.
A circular rope is floating inside the pond.
Outside the rope, adults could reach the bottom, so that they were doing exercise walking in a clockwise way.
I swam inside the rope, but felt bottomless fear.
It may be better to rent a charged floaters.
Summary
Warm Mineral Springs, North Port, Florida, U.S.
Rating:
Tips
So strong sulfur smell.
- Walk-in: Yes (9:00 - 17:00)
- Lodging: No
Related Hot Springs
It is 30 minutes' drive from Warm Mineral Springs.
Radioactive Fountain of Youth, Punta Gorda, Florida, U.S.
There is a drinking water fountain at the street corner.
The signboard says "well exceeds the maximum contaminant levels for radioactivity."
I turned on the faucet, and cold water gushed out with sulfur smell.