Welcome to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Web Gateway

Please note: For the health and welfare of all of our animals, particularly the endangered species, and our Park visitors, effective May 23, 2006, smoking will no longer be allowed withinEllie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. For those visitors desiring to smoke or use tobacco, an area has been provided outside the West Entrance of the park. Please feel free to ask a Park Ranger for the reasons behind this policy. Thank you for your cooperation.

For your convenience, use the following
links to access special feature pages:

Florida State Parks Twice Named "Nation's Best"

TALLAHASSEE- Florida State Parks was awarded twice the National Recreation and Parks Association’s Gold Medal Award, honoring Florida as the "Nation’s Best State Park Service." The Gold Medal, a second for Florida’s park system, was presented at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress and Exposition in San Antonio, Texas.

Department of Environmental Protection

Daily Educational Programs at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park

Wildlife Encounters: 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Manatee Programs: 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Alligator/Hippopotamus Program at 12:30 p.m.

Art Yerian's Personal Web Page

Art will submit his message in June or July, 2013

Spring 2013 Manager's Message

Spring has arrived in Florida, and there is so much to see and enjoy at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The azaleas are in bloom, and the birds are in their breeding plumage. Look up and you will find nests in the treetops, while flamingos, pelicans and Sandhill cranes are building nests and raising their young along the banks and islands. Roseate spoonbills and shorebirds are tending nests in their habitats.

Speaking of shorebirds, ours have a new aviary that is four to five times larger than the previous one. The new aviary, made possible through a donation from the Felburn Foundation, was completed late Spring. It will allow visitors to enter the aviary on a walkway for an up close, unobstructed view of these magnificent birds. The animals are welcoming the warmer weather with increased activity. Three Red wolves are enjoying their habitat. All these animals are endangered species. Homosassa Springs is one of a very few places where you can see endangered West Indian manatees, Whooping cranes, Florida Key deer, and Red wolves up close.

The park is home to four resident manatees as part of an inter-agency partnership for the rehabilitation and release of injured and orphaned manatees. Other manatees come to the park for rehabilitation before being released back to the wild.

Start your visit with a leisurely pontoon boat ride down Pepper Creek to the wildlife park. Along the way you may see ospreys nesting, limpkins, herons or egrets wading in the creek, wood ducks swimming along; not to mention turtles sunning on logs, fish and, maybe even an otter. Every day offers a different experience.

And that’s just the beginning. Our elevated boardwalk system provides a great view of the wildlife, including a cougar, bears, bobcats, deer, alligators, and a wide variety of wading birds, birds of prey, and songbirds. The park’s River otters are showing off to entertain our visitors.

The park's resident manatees make the first-magnitude spring their home, along with fresh and salt water fish that are free to come and go. The Fish Bowl, a floating underwater observatory, offers an unequalled, below-the-surface view of manatees and fish in the crystal clear spring environment. Three manatee programs, two Wildlife Encounters, and an alligator/hippopotamus program are presented throughout the day, giving visitors an opportunity to learn more about Florida's wildlife.

The recently completed Homosassa River Walk and Manatee Interpretation area includes a new boardwalk that wraps around the spring with a spacious glass-fronted interpretation area with handicapped seating up front.

A Reptile House and the Children's Education Center provide close-up viewing of native snakes and other reptiles. A picnic pavilion at the Visitor Center offers visitors the opportunity to comfortably enjoy a picnic lunch. The Wildside Café, our snack bar at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, offers indoor and outdoor patio dining area.

An Easter Egg Hunt, Earth Day, monthly bird walks, and summer camp programs are all scheduled in the upcoming months. Be sure to look at the complete listing of our Special Events for more information on this and other upcoming events.

This is a day you'll long remember, the ideal family outing. Leave your everyday worries behind you as you set out to explore the Real Florida at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and all our Florida State Parks.

Our dedicated employees and friendly volunteers are waiting to welcome you!

- Art Yerian, Park Manager

Food Concessions at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park
Provided through Remember When Restaurant at Visitor Center, (352) 628-3180
And Manatee Café at West Entrance on Fishbowl Drive

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Site
Designed by Park Volunteer Rolf Auermann and
hosted by Webmasters Internet Solutions, LLC

Nearby Accomodations
The Park is always receiving inquiries pertaining to nearby RV & Campground Park Accommodations