Discover the other side of Florida - Citrus County

In the fourth part of this series, Simon Calder continues his travels across the Sunshine State in search of manatees and The King

Calm, gentle and weighing half a ton. No, not me — the manatee. This magnificent mammal, also known as a sea cow, has been around for more than 60 million years

Florida has plenty of places where you can get close to them, but Citrus County is one of the best. Before the manatee experience, enjoy some of the county’s other attractions. Citrus County snuggles up against the Gulf Coast just over an hour north-west of Orlando and north of Tampa, and offers a wealth of surprises from nature to culture. To get there, hire a compact car for seven days from Tampa International Airport from £156. Book with Hertz.co.uk

Where to stay? Like other parts of Florida, Citrus County has plenty of vacation rentals; I stayed in the cheerful little town of Homosassa, in the Tree House — considerably more luxurious than it might sound.

4,000 miles from Scotland

The capital, Inverness, has some advantages over the original in the north of Scotland: it’s sunnier, warmer and has an Elvis connection.

In 1961, Hollywood came to town and brought the king of rock and roll. Elvis Presley spent six weeks in Citrus Country filming Follow That Dream. The climax of the movie was shot at the Old Court House — where Elvis was put on trial here for illegal squatting. He charmed the judge and calmed suspicious minds. Today, the Old Court House is the home of the Citrus County Historical Society.

Inverness

On your bike

During the filming, Elvis resided at the Port Paradise Hotel at Crystal River. At the time of the filming, an old railroad ran south from Inverness to Floral City. The tracks have gone, to be replaced by the Withlacoochee state trail — a great escape on a rented bike.

West of Inverness, Scotland is Loch Ness, with a mythical monster. And west of Inverness, Florida is Crystal River with some real marine giants. To see them, get up early and join a tour that leaves at dawn to explore King’s Bay, a network of waterways that comprises a National Wildlife Refuge. The reason the area is popular with manatees: a constant supply of warm water from the underground springs. And the reason for the early start: manatees are most active first thing in the morning, when they are feeding. They are strictly vegetarian, with voracious appetites. They eat 10 per cent of their body weight every day — that’s three bath tubs full of marine vegetation.

Float like a manatee

Crystal River, Inverness

Christopher Columbus apparently mistook manatees for mermaids. He evidently didn’t get close enough.

The trick is not actually to swim, but to drift on the surface with the “dead man’s float” — in other words, behaving like a manatee. The calmest, quietest people always get the best experience of close encounters with these vast, gentle giants.

Discover more at Visit Florida