Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center® is a FREE Palm Beach County educational attraction with a dedicated area for viewing manatees up close. The 16,000-square-foot center features engaging, hands-on exhibits for visitors to learn all about these threatened and unique creatures as well as the natural wonders of the surrounding Lake Worth Lagoon. On cold winter days, the facility’s observation deck is the ideal spot to view manatee herds basking in the warm-water outflows from Florida Power & Light Company’s adjacent Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center.
Florida manatee season runs from November 15 to March 31. Although there is no guarantee you will spot a manatee at Manatee Lagoon — because these amazing, wild creatures are operating on their own time, not ours — during manatee season, you might see dozens of manatees at one time congregating within plain view of the observation deck. Manatee Lagoon is an optimal location for seeing sea cows, although you should understand that they won’t always be there and there is no guarantee that they’ll be present.