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The state's longest river at 310 miles, the St. Johns meanders north from below coastal Melbourne to Jacksonville and out into the Atlantic. Only a few rivers in the United Slates flow north, and this is one of the St. Johns' unique traits.

The stretch of river that slowly winds through St. Johns River Country is home to Blue Spring State Park, a winter haven for one of America's rarest, most endangered mammals--the winsome West Indian manatee.

Another unusual feature of the fabled St. Johns River is the fact that it has been designated an American Heritage River--one of only 14 in the country awarded this distinction-for both its historical and ecological significance.

The best way to enjoy these many charms is from the water. Houseboats and pontoons, canoes and kayaks, fishing boats and cruise-tour heats allow visitors easy river access to this gem of a hidden wilderness.

Located at the edge of Orange City on the St. Johns River, 2,192-acre Blue Spring State Park is the ideal place If get onto the river. There's camping, cabins for rent, and some excellent hiking trails.

Before you join a wildlife-spotting cruise, amble along the easy boardwalk trail that follows a tributary of the river known as Blue Spring Run. At its end. an observation platform gives you a chance to watch boaters paddle along the beautiful oak-shrouded banks while swimmers and snorkelers explore the spring below. (No scuba gear allowed here as it disturbs the manatees.) If you're lucky, and it's "manatee season" (November through March), the giant, gentle beasties will be present, nibbling on their favorite food--water hyacinths--in the 72-degree water.

That's the reason these Goodyear Blimp-shaped animals flock here from the ocean each winter--the warmth of the river and the springs. Considered the rarest aquatic mammal, manatees were almost hunted to extinction for their meat (and more recently brutalized by motorboaters who inadvertently ran over them) until the federal government and the slate passed laws If protect the harmless creatures who can grow to 15 feet and weigh over 2,000 pounds.

Manatees are on the endangered species list for good reason: At one time it was thought only 200 survived in the continental United States. That number. happily, has increased to over 1,000, but the bewhiskered behemoths are far from being out of the woods.

St. Johns River Cruises at Blue Spring State Park are a must for eco-tourists, wildlife enthusiasts, and lovers of natural scenic beauty. The canopied craft boasts a genial captain knowledgeable about the history and critters of the river. He points out sunning alligators, even calling them by favorite nicknames, while tortoises mass on logs like so many school kids in line for the water fountain.

You learn, as the boat floats quietly along at a demure 6 .h., that the area is home If the second largest population of nesting bald eagles in America. Indeed, they're settled in treetops If your right and left as are pairs of ospreys, while herons and egrets forage at the water's edge.

As everyone keeps a watchful eye out for a manatee mother and her calf who were spotted along the bank the day before, the captain talks about the Timucuan Indians who lived here hundreds of years ago. Their villages were situated along the life-giving water, and from the mounds they left behind artifacts are still being uncovered.

Spanish explorers also made their way tip the St. Johns and the redoubtable Ponce de Leon searched here for his elusive Fountain of Youth. British botanists explored, mapped, and drew the wonders of the area for the Crown as did American naturalist John James Audubon. Like the manatees and modern-day tourists, these adventurers flocked here to revel in the beauty and unique natural assets of the river.

Here and there, you pass a houseboat or anchored fishing craft two hugely popular ways to enjoy the river's bounty. A number of marinas along the St. Johns offer houseboat rentals for those who want to tuck up in a cove for an evening and count the stars while listening for the after-dark barking groan of a gator out for a night's prowl.

Fishing boats are also for hire, with or without guides, for what is considered the best bass fishing in the state. Blue gill, speckled perch, and sunfish (locally known as shellcrackers) are also found in abundance.

You may miss seeing that mother manatee and calf on this sparkling. impossibly blue-skied day, but the captain encourages yon to return when "the weather is crummy and cold. Then you're more likely to see manatees and gators snuggling close to the boat for warmth."

It seems a St. Johns River experience is always fine--good weather or bad.

Contact: St. Johns River Country Visitors Bureau. (800) 749-4350: .com: Blue Spring State Park, (386) 775-3663.