Mitch Traphagen photo.
To paraphrase actor John Candy’s immortal words from the 1983 movie National Lampoon’s Vacation, “Park’s closed! Manatee outside should’ve told you!” But not for long. On Saturday, Nov. 1, the TECO Manatee Viewing Center opens for the season.
Although Tampa Bay area water temperatures have not yet cooled to the point of drawing manatees to the warm waters of the adjacent TECO Big Bend power plant, that soon will change, and manatees already appear to be on the move towards their winter home at the viewing center.
Manatees, of course, make up the focus of the center, but there is so much more to see, including a tidal walk through the mangroves offering a view of birds and other wildlife, a complete educational center about Tampa Bay’s ecosystem, and even a hurricane simulator in which you can experience the winds of one of nature’s most powerful phenomena.
The TECO Manatee Viewing Center is located at 6990 Dickman Road in Apollo Beach. It will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Nov. 1 to April 15. The center closes at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Easter. For more information, visit www.tampaelectric.com/company/mvc or call 813-228-4289. — Mitch Traphagen.
