Exploring Florida: TECO Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, FL
Today we visit and take you on a short tour of the TECO Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, FL.
Manatees gather here in huge numbers during the winter to enjoy the warm water that flows from the power plant. This place is a nice free attraction near Tampa that's well worth a visit.
Open November 1 to April 15.
Price: Free (with free parking too)
Donations accepted
Manatee Viewing Center - Apollo Beach, Florida
This video This video was filmed at the renowned Manatee Viewing Center located adjacent to Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida. In 1986 people started seeing manatees in large numbers in the power station's discharge canal, where saltwater – taken from Tampa Bay to cool Unit 4 – flowed, clean and warm, back to the bay. When Tampa Bay reached 68 degrees or colder, the mammals would seek out this new refuge. The Manatee Viewing Center was soon born. Today, Big Bend's discharge canal is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary that provides critical protection from the cold for these unique, gentle animals. There is a reason why this free attraction is rated 4.5/5 stars on Trip Advisor, because if you’re in the Tampa Bay area then well worth the drive to come here. Furthermore, we visited in early January and were told that in a few more weeks’ time there would be at least double the number of manatees in the water! Not shown in the video are all the other marine life you see there such as stingrays and sharks, both of which we saw frequently jumping out of the water. I had no idea stingrays could jump like that. Anyways, if you enjoyed this video then please give it a thumbs up and feel free to post a comment below and say what you think!
Music: Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain
Manatee Viewing Center Apollo Beach Florida
A tour of the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach Florida.
MANATEE Viewing Center | APOLLO BEACH, FL
We saw 100s of Manatees! You would never think they would gather at a power plant, but it was a perfect way to see them.
Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center is open annually from Nov. 1 through April 15 It's an environmental education facility with free admission.
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Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center
This is a tour of Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, FL
Viewing center website
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Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center 2019-2020 Season
Each winter, Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center – along the clean, warm water discharge canal of Big Bend Power Station – provides lifesaving protection from the cold for hundreds of Florida manatees. The center, open annually from Nov. 1 through April 15, is an environmental education facility with free admission. In this video, see what makes the manatee a remarkable and beloved creature … and what makes the Manatee Viewing Center a unique slice of natural Florida.
What's your favorite part of the Manatee Viewing Center?
#ManateeViewingCenter
Manatee Viewing Center - Tampa Electric - Apollo Beach, FL 33572
This is a brief video that shows the Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center located at 6990 Dickman Road, Apollo Beach, Florida 33572. For more information call (813) 228-4289
Manatee Viewing Center Apollo Beach FL
Camera used was the Nikon COOLPIX L820...price it at
The Manatee Viewing Center is at the Tampa Electric Company (TECO) in Apollo Beach, FL.
The water is heated by the generators and then discharged into the inlet area attracting the cold-blooded Manatees that seek warmer waters in the winter.
It is open to the public between November 1st and April 15th.
Manatee Viewing Center
6990 Dickman Rd
Apollo Beach, FL 33572
CREDITS
Video by Craig Currie from PhotoNews247.com
Music Track WORLD MAP Rock | Bright from YouTube's Audio Library
Filmed on location in Apollo Beach, FL.
Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center Apollo Beach, FL January 2003 footage
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (
TECO Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach
We visited the manatee viewing center at Tampa electric company in Apollo Beach to see the manatees hanging out in the warm water. Oh, and stingrays too! This is completely free to do however it is only open seasonally (winter months). Enjoy!
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Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach near Tampa Florida
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Apollo Beach Florida Manatee Viewing Center Educational Center.AVI
A small tour of the educational center at the Apollo Beach power plant manatee viewing center.
Apollo Beach, Florida - Manatee Viewing Center at Tampa Electric HD (2016)
Big Bend Power Station is a major coal-fired power plant, located across Tampa Bay from Tampa, Florida on nearly 1,500 acres (6 km2) in southeastern Hillsborough County, close to Apollo Beach. It is owned and operated by TECO Energy. Three similar units (each 445.5 MWe nameplate capacity) were launched in the early 1970s, followed by a newer 486-MWe unit 4 in 1985.
During the winter months, warm-water outfalls from the station draw dozens of West Indian manatees, an endangered species, to the immediate vicinity of the plant. In 1986, TECO set aside a manatee viewing area which is accessible to the public.
Welcome to Florida: Manatee Viewing Center now open through April in Apollo Beach
The TECO Manatee Viewing Center has been a staple in the Tampa Bay area for over 30 years.
Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center
Big Bend's discharge canal is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary that provides critical protection from the cold for these unique, gentle animals.
Manatee Viewing Center
Manatees are some of my favorite people and I love to watch them in action. Even more so if it’s FREE! The Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, FL at the Big Bend Power Station provides educational information about manatees and dolphins. A few manatees have been “radio-tagged” and swim around the dock, but it’s worth the effort to visit this place, ‘cause it’s FREE!
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Manatee Viewing Center - Tampa Bay, Florida
When the water temperature in Tampa Bay drops below 68 degrees the Manatees head for Tampa Electric Company's Big Bend Power Station near Apollo Beach. They take advantage of the warm water discharge coming from the plant. The company has opened a Manatee Viewing Center so the public can see and learn more about this gentle endangered species. The center is open from November 1 through April 15 from 10-to-5 daily. There is no charge and the facility is handicapped accessible. To learn more and get directions visit the centers web site at
Manatee Viewing Center Apollo Beach Florida 2015
Dozens of Manatees gather in the warm water runoff from the TECO electric plant in Apollo Beach Florida January 2015
Manatee Viewing Center - Apollo Beach, FL
Warm water near Manatee Viewing Center at Big Bend Power Plant in Apollo Beach, FL attracts Manatees during the cold season. One manatee that was tagged was visible at season end in early April.
Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center 2016
We took a trip to the Tampa Electric (TECO) Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach during a recent trip to Florida. The manatees flock to the water outside of a power plant to enjoy the water water discharged from the plant. Although it was warm the day we were there, the waters were filled with more manatees than we could count. We arrived early on a Saturday before the center opened and were able to get a spot in the main parking lot, but within 15 minutes of opening, the main parking lot was full. Fortunately for the late arrivals, there is parking in an overflow lot down the road and you can either walk from or you can take a free shuttle. The center also has a nice educational center that is kid friendly. The center is easy to find off of I-75 and definitely worth a stop on a winter morning. Viewing here is better than the Blue Spring State Park north of Orlando because the TECO Center has a nice platform for visitors overlooking the water with no trees or vegetation blocking the view like in the more natural setup at Blue Spring.