Manatee Lagoon is an unusual hybrid: a free environmental education centre run by Florida Power and Light, built next to the warm-water outflow of their Riviera Beach plant, which manatees treat as a winter shelter. From December to March hundreds of West Indian manatees gather in the lagoon below the centre's observation deck.
Inside there are well-done exhibits on manatee biology and the wider Indian River Lagoon ecosystem, plus a small theatre with educational films. The viewing deck is the real draw. Open Tuesday to Sunday; closed Mondays. About fifteen minutes north of downtown WPB via Flagler Drive.