Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park near Homosassa Springs, Florida, is known for manatee viewing, its floating observatory, and displays of native Florida wildlife. The springs were important long before becoming a tourist destination, first to Native Americans and later to displaced Seminole and Miccosukee communities after disease and colonial warfare devastated earlier inhabitants. Tourism began by the early 1900s and expanded through the 1920s and 1940s, with swimming areas and an underwater observatory. After mid-20th-century commercial development added animal exhibits and entertainment, the property eventually passed into public ownership and became a state park, preserving both its natural appeal and its unusual ties to film and television animal training.