This little area close to Kennedy Space Center, is well known to locals as a great viewing platform to view manatees. There has now been a Manatee Observation Deck built here to see them with ease, or there is also Bairs Cove boat ramp that you can sometime see them (this is across the bridge and along Courtenay Pkwy – you’ll see a slip road on your right).
You stand a chance of seeing them year-round (this shot was taken Christmas day, 2 years ago and a couple of them popped up), but the most favorable time is spring/fall.
Please do bring insect repellant – the summer months especially can be brutal at times, lol!
The canal separates the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon, with the draw bridge connecting the land for vehicles to cross.
It is quite a historic area and gets its name from when Spanish settlers slid their boats over the ground covered with mulberry bark. In 1852 the government paid to have the original canal dug (this had been used as a mail run from New Smyrna to Miami and boats were moored either side whilst the mail was transferred from one side to the other. It soon became apparent that the canal wasn’t deep or wide enough and larger boats had to be “hauled over” on rollers. In 1885 a new canal was built less than ½ mile from the original and was deeper and wider than the original. The bridge that connected the land wasn’t completed until 1933 and it was replaced in 1964 with a taller bridge to accommodate larger vessels, and no longer require man power to operate.
This is a neat place to stop & stay a short time, maybe combined with a visit to black point wildlife drive or the beach😊
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