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 the American manatee at close hand.
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute - Tampa Electric - Apollo Beach (2015) CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
It is just another channel besides a thermal power plant.
Manatees gather together around the warm industrial wastewater from November through April.
Giant geothermal pond
It is an hour's drive from the Manatee Viewing Center to Warm Mineral Springs.
Right after I opened my car door, I felt a strong sulfur smell.
The rate for walk-ins is $20.00 (as of this writing).
A circular pond is located in the grass field.
Many people in swimsuits were enjoying sunbathing.
The pond is too big to call 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 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 floater.
Summary
Warm Mineral Springs, North Port, Florida, U.S.
My rating
Type: Walk-in
Rule: Clothing required
Chemical use: No
Water temp: Up to 86 degrees F
Related Hot Springs
It is 30 minutes drive from Warm Mineral Springs.
There is a drinking water fountain on the street corner.
The information board says, "well exceeds the maximum contaminant levels for radioactivity."
I turned on the faucet, and cold water gushed with a sulfur smell.
