School Vacation Florida Exploration Program

Dates: March 28-April 2, 2026

Open to: Ages 14 years and up

Cost:: $2975

What will we do?   Citrus County and the Crystal River have become synonymous with manatees, and we will explore their winter homes along with other natural environments in the area.  Sea Star Explorations and the host facility will provide transportation for all off-site visits (including boats and buses) as well as transportation to and from the Orlando airport.  Some of everyday will be spent in the water and gear will be provided (snorkel, mask, fins, wetsuit). Besides snorkeling with the manatees in the Crystal River twice, you’ll also snorkel in the Devil’s Den and down the Rainbow River to learn about the cenotes and amazing springs of Florida first hand. The tuition includes all lodging, meals, entrance fees, snorkel gear (wetsuit, mask and snorkel) and staffing. It does not include the flights into and out of Orlando, food at the airport and souvenirs.

We’ll tour the 3 Sister’s State Park, the Ellie Schiller Wildlife Park and Crystal River Archaeological Park.  The accommodations are at the Plantation Inn Golf Resort on the Crystal River. Here guests will find a full-service resort with classic rooms, excellent dining, a lagoon-style pool, an Aveda spa, and a world-class, traditional golf course. Evenings can be spent in the hotel lounge, the pool/hot tub or relaxing with other students. Each evening, there will be an informative talk about the ecology of the area. On Tuesday morning, the group will head to Orlando and Discovery Cove where we spend the day with dolphins and snorkeling in various marine environments within the park. This is an all inclusive day of snorkeling with all gear and food provided. We end the trip with an overnight at SeaWorld. The next day, you are welcome to stay at the SeaWorld park to explore and we’ll get you to the airport as needed.