The Manatee Lodge | Waterfront Escape in Homosassa

We had a great stay at the Manatee Lodge! The location is perfect for seeing the manatees during the winter months and the manatee themed decor made the stay even more special. We enjoyed fishing from the dock and taking out the kayaks into the springs. We had a manatee swim past the dock one afternoon while we were fishing. In the mornings, we heard and saw lots of ducks and other wildlife from the screened in back porch overlooking the canal. It was a very peaceful and relaxing stay. My son especially enjoyed the bunk beds and the game room downstairs. During our stay, we visited monkey island, swam with manatees at Paddletail Waterfront Adventures, and visited the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

We had an amazing time! The location is perfect for families with small children. Every morning we watched manatees from the dock, then jumped in the kayaks and paddled around enjoying the scenery, manatees, and quietness of the area. The house was perfect for our needs and being so close to the state park is a huge perk with little kids-that park is such a hidden gem. Homosassa in general is such a nice little town-we all could envision owning a second home there someday. We'll likely be back as my kids absolutely loved it.

One of the best values in Homosassa...Beautiful house and grounds. Super convenient with great river toys

Great getaway

Manatees literally were swimming up to the dock. Teenage boys caught 13 different varieties of fish and we barely saw them when we were home because they were downstairs in the game room. It’s the perfect family destination if you want that “Old Florida” experience. Everything is there for you both at the house and in the immediate area to have tremendous, slow paced and eclectic time to unplug. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience

The lodge is clean and comfortable and family friendly. The boathouse offers kayaks & paddle boards so we could enjoy the quiet, morning paddles together. We fished off the dock and kayaks and with Captain Rick Spratt. We enjoyed watching ducks, turtles, and manatees from the dock. We traveled to Three Sisters Springs, Rainbow River & Spring, Crystal River, and to Clearwater Beach.

Spent 13 nights at Tim's wonderful place. Took full advantage of the Kayaks, SUP's, snorkeling and fishing gear and spent hours out on the water. Met Manatee's every day and got to recognize a few regulars including mums and calfs. We swam with them most days in the springs and they were regular visitors to the canal. We also saw loads of osprey and even a bald eagle plus snakes, cormorant, otters and pelicans. Another highlight was seeing dolphins chasing mullet a couple of times in the river and springs. Homosassa Springs park was great, visited Crystal River and kayaked down Rainbow River where we saw alligators and otters. Inverness was worth the trip to walk round the lake and see the old town etc. The house was perfect and we spent hours in the shade on the netted balcony. Plenty of restaurants within a few minutes drive and I can recommend The Shed at mcrays, they even cooked the fish we caught of a fishing charter. It went down well with their margaritas. All in all if you like a nice quiet relaxing place with access to the water The Manatee Lodge was perfect. Tim's communication was great and couldn't have been more helpful

Spent 13 nights at Tim's wonderful place. Took full advantage of the Kayaks, SUP's, snorkeling and fishing gear and spent hours out on the water. Met Manatee's every day and got to recognize a few regulars including mums and calfs. We swam with them most days in the springs and they were regular visitors to the canal. We also saw loads of osprey and even a bald eagle plus snakes, cormorant, otters and pelicans. Another highlight was seeing dolphins chasing mullet a couple of times in the river and springs. Homosassa Springs park was great, visited Crystal River and kayaked down Rainbow River where we saw alligators and otters. Inverness was worth the trip to walk round the lake and see the old town etc. The house was perfect and we spent hours in the shade on the netted balcony. Plenty of restaurants within a few minutes drive and I can recommend The Shed at mcrays, they even cooked the fish we caught of a fishing charter. It went down well with their margaritas. All in all if you like a nice quiet relaxing place with access to the water The Manatee Lodge was perfect. Tim's communication was great and couldn't have been more helpful

We could not have chosen a better place to stay. If you are looking for an up close and personal experience with manatees, stay here. The house is very thoughtfully appointed with so much to do inside and out. The kayak and paddle boards made our whole trip. Even though we were late in the season, we still got to enjoy the manatees. Highly recommend.

The Manatee Lodge was perfect and was “as described” by Tim, listing all the amenities. We took advantage of kayaking, fishing, the fire pit with s’mores of course, grilling out burgers and dogs, and just sitting on the screened in porch staring at the canal and all the wildlife that cruised by. Even though we were told all the manatee had left, we were blessed by a “chubby” cruising by the back sea wall while fishing! We really enjoyed the kayaks and paddle boards and that there is a safe launch area beside the back garage. We will be back! Thanks Tim!

Excellent experience - met all expectations, great location and very comfortable

We spent 4 nights at the Manatee Lodge in January and were able to take a short paddle to see the manatees face to face! The lodge provided wetsuits and boats and plenty of space for our family of 3. We were also able to catch a few fish in the springs and even rented a boat to explore downriver. If we come back to Homosassa we would definitely book here again.