Free activities and experiences inspire visitors to discover and learn about Florida manatees
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (June 26, 2023) — Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center® is now offering a mix of indoor and outdoor summer activities that celebrate Florida’s favorite marine mammal and encourage fun family time. This summer, visitors can enjoy educational programming, arts & crafts, interactive simulations, outdoor games and new exhibits.
“At Manatee Lagoon, our goal is to create an interactive, entertaining and educational environment to inspire people to preserve and protect Florida’s ecosystems,” said Zack Greenberg, leader at Manatee Lagoon. “There’s something for everyone, and rain or shine, visitors can expect to have fun while learning about manatees in the wild and what they can do to help protect them.”
This summer, the facility offers visitors a variety of exhibits and programs that are either brand new or back by popular demand, including:
- PLAY, STRETCH & ENJOY THE FRESH AIR: Upon arrival at Manatee Lagoon, visitors will discover new outdoor games like Cornhole, Tic-Tac-Toe and Connect 4 for the entire family. Adults can work on the mind, body and spirit every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:45 p.m. and Saturday at 8 a.m. with yoga classes led by certified instructors, taking place outside against the calming backdrop of Lake Worth Lagoon for a low cost of $5 per person, per class.
- LEARN SOMETHING NEW: Manatee Tales Story Time returns this summer to immerse our youngest minds in learning all about the Florida manatee. Every Saturday at 11:30 a.m., a Manatee Master will read a marine-themed book in Manatee Lagoon’s classroom. After story time, children can play with giant puzzles and enjoy a free popsicle. For an interactive experience, the all-new Manatee Rescue Adventure is ahigh-definition, self-guided simulation that gives visitors of all ages a look into the exciting process of rescuing a distressed manatee. After spending some time outside playing games or enjoying the views of Lake Worth Lagoon, these are great ways to cool off and learn.
- LOG ON FOR INFO-TAINMENT AT HOME: Manatee Lagoon’s “Wild About Wildlife” Virtual Summer Camp creates a virtual adventure for children to hear stories of amazing animals and learn how they can help conserve wildlife in their own lives. The program is filled with animal observations, experiments, games, crafts and educational lessons hosted by educators from Manatee Lagoon, Loggerhead Marinelife Center and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. The next free virtual summer camp will take place July 10-14 and is geared toward children ages 6-9; however, other ages are welcome to register and participate. To register, visit visitmanateelagoon.com/virtual-summer-camp.
Next month, new and returning Manatee Lagoon visitors will find two new sustainably made sculptures in honor of Plastic Free July. The sculptures are made from trash collected during the Harbor Branch and Boys and Girls Club’s beach cleanups. Plastic Free July is a one-month challenge for all of us to reduce single-use plastics in our everyday lives. It is completely free and voluntary to participate. Register at plasticfree.ecochallenge.org/.
Now in its seventh year of manatee education and environmental conservation, Manatee Lagoon is a popular community destination, making it the ideal place for people to learn about these beloved marine mammals. To learn more about Manatee Lagoon’s summer programming, please visit visitmanateelagoon.com.
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About Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center®
Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center® is a free Palm Beach County educational attraction with a dedicated area to view manatees up close. The 16,000-square-foot center features engaging, hands-on exhibits for visitors to learn all about the unique creatures as well as the natural wonders of the surrounding Lake Worth Lagoon. During the colder winter months, the facility’s observation deck is the ideal spot to view manatees basking in the clean, warm-water outflows from Florida Power & Light Company’s adjacent Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center. Manatee Lagoon also offers digital resources and educational virtual content for manatee fans near and far on its website: VisitManateeLagoon.com.
The center is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except for major holidays, until March 31, 2023, which marks the end of manatee season. April 1 through Nov. 14, 2023, the center will observe the same hours, with the exception of Mondays, when the center will be closed.
About Florida Power & Light Company
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to more than 5.8 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S and in 2022 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the seventh time in the last eight years. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large electric providers, according to J.D. Power’s 2021 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM and 2021 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM. The company was also recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2022 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” and recognized on Fortune’s 2021 list of companies that “Change the World.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.