If you’re looking for a family-friendly vacation spot, Homosassa, Florida, might just be the perfect destination. This charming small town offers a range of activities that are sure to keep everyone entertained, from food and fun, to sand and sun.
1. Hop on a glass-bottom boat tour.
If you’ve never been on a glass-bottom boat, you’re in for a real treat. Look through a window into a blue-green underwater world, where you’ll see manatees, turtles, and fish in their natural environment without disturbing them.
2. Attend a show at the Homosassa Playhouse Theater.
The Homosassa Playhouse Theater is a great place to take the family for an evening of entertainment. The theater hosts live performances of plays, musicals and special community events such as the annual Christmas celebration, which features festive music, dance performances and visits from Santa Claus himself.
3. Visit Mertailor’s Mermaid Aquarium Encounter.
If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing real mermaids, this is the place for you. Mertailor’s Mermaid Aquarium Encounter offers a unique experience where visitors can watch professional mermaid actors swim in beautiful aquariums full of native sea life.
The aquarium even has an interactive touch tank where kids (and adults) can get up close and personal with some of their favorite creatures!
4. Soak in the sunshine at Pine Island Park.
Pine Island Park is a quiet and serene bay beach about 40 minutes from Homosassa. The white sands and mild waves are ideal for sunbathing and swimming, while anglers enjoy casting a line into crystalline waters.
Amenities include showers, restrooms, picnic tables, and barbecue grills. There are no lifeguards on duty so use caution when swimming.
5. Try Homosassa’s best fish tacos at Wild Sassa.
Wild Sassa is a “scratch kitchen food trailer” parked along the Homosassa River. Regulars frequent this stop for shrimp, mahi, tuna, steak and snapper tacos, plus grilled sandwiches and a local grass fed burger.
6. Swim with manatees in Crystal River.
Book one of the many affordable outfitters in Homosassa, Florida. There are several companies that offer manatee tours, and they all have similar pricing. Expect to pay around $45-$65 per person for a 2-3 hour excursion on a pontoon boat (or similar vessel) with an experienced guide.
During summer months, swimsuits will do just fine. But should you visit during fall and winter, you’ll be provided with wetsuits so you can swim as comfortably as a manatee in the chilly water.
7. Have lunch at Crump’s Landing waterfront restaurant.
Who doesn’t love a good tiki bar? At Crump’s, you can enjoy seafood-forward fare under their large thatched roof patio. For a more cozy setting, opt for one of the individually covered tiki tables that sit on white sands overlooking the waterfront. It’s something out of Gilligan’s Island!
Crump’s offers casual bar food of seafood, burgers, chicken sandwiches, vegetarian options, and quintessential Florida desserts like Key lime pie and pineapple upside-down cake.
8. Visit Buccaneer Bay Waterpark for an exciting day of fun for all ages!
When the Florida sun gets too hot to handle, Buccaneer Bay Waterpark is the place to go! A short 40 minute drive from Homosassa, it’s the closest waterpark in the area. What’s more, it’s a combination of natural and man made features.
Built around a natural spring, visitors can enjoy swimming holes and stomach-dropping waterslides alike. When your fingers start to turn to prunes, relax on the beach area, watch the ever-present peacocks, or grab some food at the concessions.
9. Hike at Hog Pond Loop.
Get your heart pumping on a 5.8 mile hike at Hog Pond Loop! Visitors may encounter deer, hogs, otters, and certainly see (and hear) many of the area’s native bird species. Hog Pond runs through exposed and shade-covered Florida scrub scrub land, so pack plenty of water and a wide brimmed hat.
10. “Fly” over clear waters on an airboat ride.
Airboating offers a feeling like no other. Combining sight-seeing with exhilarating thrills, an airboat tour will take you through intracoastal waterways and across marshes at incredible speed. Check out local operators Homosassa Airboat Ventures, PT Airboat Adventures and Ozello Boats.
If you’re looking for something fun to do with your family, we hope this list has inspired some ideas! Whether you want to learn more about wildlife or explore nature, there are plenty of options in Homosassa.
