Tampa - TECO Manatee Viewing Center

Manatees love warm water. And by a stroke of POWERful luck, Tampa Electric can provide it to them! Our Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach circulates water from Tampa Bay for cooling, then sends the water flowing clean and warm back into the bay. In the winter months the manatees leave colder waters to return to this warm and welcoming refuge.

Because of this uniquely unusual migration, we’ve built the Manatee Viewing Center so everyone could have a chance to see manatees gather. Our discharge canal is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary that provides critical protection from the cold for these unique, gentle animals.

Open daily from November 1 - April 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trails close at 4 p.m. We are closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Easter.

Tampa Electric is proud to offer free parking and admission to all who visit!