Q: Where can we view manatees the last week in April? Are they somewhere in Daytona? We are driving from New York to Pompano Beach. Last year, the hotel clerk said to try Daytona, so we'd like to stop on the way down so the children can catch a glimpse, even if it is a short detour.

A: It's always hard to say where wildlife will be because they're ... well, wild! Manatees have minds of their own. Even though Florida's so-called manatee season ends in May, once the temperatures start going up again, manatees are harder to find. If I say zig, and you go zig, Murphy's law says the manatees will zag.

The best time to see manatees in most places in Florida is in the cooler months. That's because the ocean gets too cold for these mammals, and they come to Florida's springs and rivers to get warm -- usually from late November to early March. When the weather warms up, though, most manatees go back out to the ocean. That's when you'll find them near seagrass beds around Florida's barrier islands and around oceanfront docks.

It's possible that there are manatees in Daytona Beach. If you want a really sure bet, try any power plant open to the public. In North Palm Beach (take the 45th St. exit off I-95 as you head south toward Pompano Beach), a Florida Power & Light power plant's warm-water discharge attracts manatees most of the year. But it's not very scenic. You can also go to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park on the other side of the state, where manatees live year-round in natural surroundings -- probably the best place to see manatees because an underwater observation station allows you to see manatees close-up. Also, some large aquariums may have manatees in tanks, like the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota.

Next time you come to Florida, perhaps you can come between November and March, when manatees are more plentiful.

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