On Friday, November 13, you can still paddle a kayak into Three Sisters Springs. By Sunday, November 15, you can't, and the water belongs to the manatees until spring. In that same short stretch, Citrus Avenue fills up twice, construction crews on the Three Sisters boardwalk are reported to step back for winter, and the monthly Saturday night gathering in Town Square takes a break. In Crystal River, November is when the calendar changes over. For anyone living in Meadowcrest, the dates are worth planning around.
This Saturday, Citrus Avenue becomes the venue
The 19th annual Stone Crab Jam takes over downtown on Saturday, November 7. The festival's own site lists the address as 610 N. Citrus Ave. and calls it an open-air, open-container street party with stone crabs, bayside beer, wine and mixed drinks, and four live bands. The Kings Bay Rotary Charitable Foundation presents it, and the organizers say the foundation gave more than $44,000 in 2024–25 to local charities, nonprofits, service organizations, food banks, schools and youth groups.
Here's what to know before you go:
- Hours: noon to 9 p.m., one day only. The City of Crystal River's calendar listing still shows a 10 p.m. finish and six bands on three stages. The organizer's current page is the better guide for timing on the day.
- Admission: $15 for adults at the gate, cash or card. Advance tickets online are $12.50 plus a small fee, and children 12 and under get in free.
- Parking: Free parking is listed at Crystal River High School, 3195 Crystal River High Drive, with a $2 shuttle to the festival. Some private property owners nearby also sell parking.
- Streets: City Council approved a road-closure request for the 2026 festival at its September 28 meeting, so expect downtown detours that Saturday even if you aren't going.
The City's page says Stone Crab Jam falls on the first Saturday in November every year. That's why the town's regular first-Saturday event steps aside this month, which comes up again below.
November 14 is the day the water changes hands
One week later, Saturday, November 14, has two things happening on it.
That evening, Crystal River Mainstreet runs Untapped from 5 to 8 p.m. It's a one-night tasting walk, and a ticket gets you a commemorative glass plus access to more than 15 stops along Citrus Avenue serving craft beer, cocktails, mocktails and light bites. The City's event page has the details and points to Main Street for tickets.
November 14 is also the last day of paddle season inside the springs. According to the City's Three Sisters Springs access guide, paddle craft may enter the springs only from April 1 through November 14. The next day, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's seven warm-water manatee sanctuaries in Kings Bay take effect for the season, which runs November 15 through March 31.
So if a morning paddle into Three Sisters has been on your list since summer, you have until the Friday before Untapped and that Saturday itself. After that, the springs are something you see from land.
Here's how Three Sisters works before and after the switch:
| Through November 14 | November 15 to March 31 | |
|---|---|---|
| Paddle craft into the springs | Allowed, per the City | Not allowed; sanctuaries in effect |
| Water entry from the boardwalk | Not permitted | Not permitted |
| Boardwalk land access | Daily 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., last admission 3:30 p.m. | Same posted hours |
| FWS Visitor Center and Nature Store | See FWS for current hours | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily |
| Ranger interpretive programs | Check the monthly schedule | Offered daily during manatee season |
The boardwalk is a separate, ticketed land visit. The City's shuttle page lists shuttle service from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. out of the Three Sisters Springs Center, stopping at the refuge boardwalk, the FWS Visitor Center, the NW 3rd parking lot, Town Square and Heritage Village. Ticket sales end at 3:30 p.m. The posted winter general admission is $20 for adults, $17.50 for seniors and $15 for military, and the City notes that prices may change. No parking is allowed on the refuge itself apart from a limited number of handicapped spaces for valid permit holders, and pets aren't allowed, though service animals are welcome.
Why the boardwalk is about to feel bigger again
If you've walked Three Sisters since summer, you've probably run into closed sections. The City's boardwalk page still says portions are under construction and temporarily inaccessible.
The construction is bigger than routine repairs. The Citrus County Chronicle reported that at the beginning of July, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started the first phase of a federally funded, roughly $10.7 million project to replace the entire elevated boardwalk around Three Sisters Springs and rebuild the eroding bulkhead that protects the spring basin. Most of the money is an $8.06 million award from the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund, plus $1.89 million from other federal recreation sources and earlier project funding. The Chronicle says the agency cited damage from storms, tides and erosion, along with wear from visitors climbing on the shoreline rocks.
The schedule matters most for locals. The Chronicle quoted Gerry Mulligan, president of the Crystal River Area Council and a member of the Friends of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, on how the rebuild was planned: "They'll keep two thirds of the boardwalk open, rebuild one third, then move to the next, and then move to the next. So that the viewing areas will remain open." According to the same report, phase one runs until manatee season starts in November. Work then pauses so the springs stay fully accessible through winter, and it picks up again after April 1, 2027, to finish the last two phases.
That puts the full boardwalk back in use during the months when cold snaps bring hundreds of manatees into the springs. The City's page describes that winter scene. The City's construction notice still carries no dates, so check its boardwalk page before a mid-November visit to confirm the pause has started.
The Chronicle also reports a second, separate project led by the Friends group. It adds observation platforms, an elevated nature walkway, a fishing dock and a manatee release chute. Some construction activity around the refuge may continue on its own timeline.
December moves the crowd into Town Square
The changeover keeps going into the holidays, and downtown stays busy.
On Friday, December 4, the City hosts its Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in Town Square from 5 to 9 p.m., with holiday vendors, children's activities, food, beer and wine, live music and Santa.
On Saturday, December 5, the Citrus County Chamber's 2026 Crystal River Christmas Parade steps off at 6 p.m. The Chamber's fact sheet puts the viewing route along US 19 and lists street and traffic closures. If you use US 19 that evening, leave extra time or plan around it.
These two December events and Stone Crab Jam explain a gap in the calendar. Saturday Night in Town Square moved from Fridays to Saturdays on August 1, 2026, and now runs on the first Saturday of each month, 5 to 9 p.m., with live music, vendors and specials from downtown businesses. The City's schedule lists October 31, 2026, as the last date of the year. It skips November and December, which would fall on Stone Crab Jam day and the parade, and returns Saturday, January 2, 2027.
Here's the run of dates to put on the fridge:
- Nov. 7: Stone Crab Jam, noon to 9 p.m., 610 N. Citrus Ave.
- Nov. 14: Untapped, 5 to 8 p.m., Citrus Avenue, and the last day for paddle craft in Three Sisters Springs.
- Nov. 15: Manatee sanctuaries take effect, and the FWS Visitor Center switches to winter hours.
- Dec. 4: Christmas Tree Lighting Festival, Town Square, 5 to 9 p.m.
- Dec. 5: Crystal River Christmas Parade, 6 p.m., US 19.
- Jan. 2, 2027: Saturday Night in Town Square returns.
Do you have family visiting this winter who want to see manatees, or a waterfront home in Crystal River where winter access to the water matters to you? RES Luxury Group can talk through how the manatee season calendar affects daily life on Kings Bay and around Meadowcrest. Contact us with your questions any time, and we'll be glad to help.
