Did you know that one of Orlando's best outdoor recreational areas was once a thriving orange grove? Today, Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake is a 183 acre park where families, fishermen, campers, bird watchers, and nature lovers can enjoy a break outdoors that makes you feel a world away from the nearby tourist attractions. This property once contained more than 2,000 citrus trees before the City of Orlando purchased the land in the 1970s under Mayor Carl Langford. It officially opened as Turkey Lake Park in 1978 with the mission of conserving land in its natural state for residents as Orlando's tourism industry rapidly expanded. In 1981, many of the remaining orange trees were relocated to make room for a campground featuring RV sites and cabins. The park was renamed Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake in 2004 to honor former Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick for his commitment to preserving Orlando's natural spaces. Along with former Mayor Glenda E. Hood, he helped ensure the beauty of this park would be preserved for future generations. Today, the park is the City of Orlando's largest community park. Turkey Lake is considered one of Florida's top rated fishing lakes, making it a popular destination for anglers. Beyond the lake, there are miles of walking and biking trails, shaded picnic areas, playgrounds, fitness stations, sand volleyball courts, a seasonal swimming pool, boat rentals, a dedicated drone flying area, disc golf, and numerous pavilions for gatherings. The campground offers RV sites and cabins for overnight excursions surrounded by nature. Admission is a nominal $5 per vehicle or $2 for a single occupant, making it one of the best recreational values in Orlando. Come for a picnic, to swim, cast a line, visit the rescue animals, or hike the trails as I enjoyed doing. Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake is a reminder that Orlando offers more than just theme parks. I am so glad that the former mayors of Orlando had he foresight to preserve this slice of Florida's natural landscape where you never know what you might discover. read more

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This is a really nice park and would be actually a great place if it wasn't right next to the turnpike. It is a large multi-functional, family-friendly park. There are several facilities available including pavilions, grills, disc golf volleyball, playgrounds, swimming, fishing, and even a drone course. There's a bike path, a nature path and a small animal farm where you can see a turkey, chickens, and maybe a variety of other animals. There are cabins (assuming for rent) and a spot for small RVs and trailers. The park includes several restrooms which are very clean. The disc golf course is extensive and likely a bit difficult as it meanders through several wooded areas and even one hole across the water. The park has several pavilions varying in size. Most have parking nearby, however several will require you to hoof your goods a little distance. This is a great place for a family or larger gathering. Two dollar entry fee. Dogs allowed on leash and there are several pet sanitary stations. read more

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Well worth the $5 per car price of admittance, this vast public park boasts considerable and varied amenities. It is remarkably clean and well maintained for its size. There is ample parking throughout, and plenty of shade structures for the ever present sunny days. We came for the playground which boasts an aerial walkway, and numerous slides with steep angles that are sure to thrill your little ones. While the playground is older, the equipment is by one of the top manufactures of playgrounds in the country. All safety surfaces are new, and the nearby water fountain worked. My kids had a blast and made new friends. We will definitely be coming back to try family activities like fishing and boat rentals. read more

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There's time that life get so busy between family, work, school, etc, and we forget to take time for ourselves to relax, meditate, recharge from our daily routine. This park is a beautiful and relaxing place to connect to your inner self and peace, to relax and to gain back the energy lost during a busy day or week. By enjoying the nature that surrounds us, we can see and experience the beauty that it can bring to our life. Whether you need to escape from reality to relax, to bring mindfulness to your daily routine, to enjoy a walk for exercise, a picnic with friends and or family... This park can bring you the opportunity to reflect on your life and to recharge yourself to well deserved happiness to help you to continue your journey. read more

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Really nice park. There's a small per‑car entry fee, but once you're in, it's absolutely worth it--especially if you've got young kids who love playgrounds. For the older kids (and the dads), there's fishing off the docks and even a frisbee golf course. I personally loved all the wildlife: sandhill cranes, gopher tortoises, ospreys, red‑tailed hawks, mallards, and I'm pretty sure I spotted a bald eagle or two. read more

While I do enjoy visiting Turkey Lake Park, I have to say that I do not go as often simply due to the fee. I am a runner and I am not in love with the idea of having to pay to run on the trails as there are plenty of other parks in the immediate area that are free. Really, the only benefit to running here instead would be that there are plenty of trees and many areas of the trail are shaded, which I feel is sorely lacking at many of the other parks in West Orlando. That being said, the park itself is very expansive with multiple gazebos that can be rented, restrooms, a boat dock, a pool, and other amenities. It also offers the RV park, which actually does look very nice if you are coming in from out of town and looking for a spot to camp. I have also heard that it is an excellent lake to fish off of and that multiple people have caught huge fish here. read more

We were pleasantly surprised by this park today! As we walked the nature trail immediately we were greeted by an armadillo! The trails seem well cared for. We stumbled upon a few pens for the rescue animals that are cared for there. Many bird feeders and stations were nestled in between lots of activities for picnics etc. We saw cabin signs so I guess you can rent a cabin? Pretty cute place! read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Armadillo - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

What an amazing find. This park was only $5 and had so much to offer. My 3yr old was so in love with the little petting zoo, then we took a walk around the waterfront and he played on there different playgrounds. The park is huge and we can't wait to go back and use the bbq pavilions, and do some fishing. Very clean, highly recommended. read more

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It's a nice floridian sunny day to enjoy out Florida parks this is place to gather family friends or just walk and fish. read more

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This is a very large park. They have a small farm area with horses, pigs, goats, turkeys, Guinea Fowl, and rabbits. My brother loves to play disc golf, and they have a few courses, they also have competitions there. There's a lake with fishing, but I find it odd there aren't any wading birds around. Lots of song birds in the trees. Lots of areas for picnics. And playgrounds for the kids to play on. They charge $2 for one person, $5 for two or more to a car. Seems stupid. 2 people should be $4! read more

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A nice open park with three playgrounds for different ages, lots of pavilions you can rent for private parties and open grassy areas great for playing. It cost $2 for one person to enter. Not a bad price for a well kept park with nice playgrounds. My son loved all the slides. Only thing I wish they had were slides. read more

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We've been to this park a few times for various 5K events. Each time it actually goes pretty well. There is an entrance fee for each car. It's $2 for one person in a car or $4 for multiple people in one car. I highly suggest that you try to get a carpool going so that you can save some money when you arrive. The courses have been pretty easy as they do have a lot of paved areas throughout the park. In the most recent run we did the vast majority of the marathon itself was on paved roadways. the area itself is really beautiful and the park has a ton to offer. Be sure to check out the various buildings that they have located throughout the Park area and note that you can rent these for any events that you may want to host. Think about baby showers, birthday parties, wedding showers, or any other event that you may have that you want a natural theme or a great scenic view for. We do have several upcoming 5Ks and a couple of them are here at this park again. Looking forward to coming back to this park. Overall: A+ Nice park, scenic, great fun!! read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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I did not know that this park existed. My brother planned an event for his company of Dj's and needed a park that allowed music playing, pavilion space for a large group, that also included a large grill and seating. Approaching the gate, we noticed the cleanliness and clear signage of the rules of the park and cost of entrance, $4. The gate attendant, pleasant and informative, when we asked how to get to the intended pavilion. The parking is not marked so we prayed we would not get blocked. The pavilion was big, clean, over 7 tables and benches, large grill, running water, water fountain and electricity plugs, SCORE. I would only add, maybe, two large oscillating fans. The view of the lake was pretty. There are decks for fishing or picture taking. I hesitated to go to the restroom because park bathrooms are usually gross, surprisingly this one was not. It did not have an odor, there was not paper on the floor and it was not wet. It was very dimly lit, that should be fixed. Overall, a nice park and would return. read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Pretty view from Pavilion four. - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

This park has some of the best disc golf courses in Florida. With 3 courses ( T1 Original, T2 Terminator, The Woods) you have plenty of options. T2 is my favorite course and has 2-3 tees each hole at different distances. These courses loops you around the parking so you alway play the first 9 and end up right back to parking before continuing the back 9 holes. If disc golf isn't your thing they have multiple playgrounds on site, gazebos, a lake, cabins and walking trails. This is a great part to social distant and they even have a designated drone zone and a baseball field. Note it does cost to enter the park which is $2 per person or a max of $5 per car. read more

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This park is THE park. It's really got everything you can ask for and more when you go to a park. Yeah, there's an entree fee of $5 per car. But it gives you access to a place you could really stay all day if you're into it! This park has.. ~ a public pool, not quite my thing but it's cool that it's offered. ~ many gazebos and grills around the park so you can have a nice picnic and still be away from others ~ hiking/walking/biking paths ~ lakes where you can fish, rent boats, or just enjoy the view ~ a camping area! if you're out of town or road tripping I'm pretty sure you can park your RV here ~ playgrounds for the kids, ones of different sizes for different ages ~ a whole entire little area of farm animals!! pigs, goats, horses, a turkey, chickens, cats, a donkey.. etc. you can't pet them but you certainly can get close and enjoy! ~ a designated drone flying area ~ disc golf Truly a wonderful place to spend a day outdoors with a friend, loved one, or maybe your fur baby. :) read more

This park is great!! Its right behind the universal parks/resorts. Its $4/car. They have so many huts for you to put your stuff and have your picnics. We went to try fishing. We had no luck catching anything, but the weather was so nice! He breeze was amazing and I really wish I had a hammock to just chill and hang out. They offer camping spots and cabins which Id like to try out one day. Public bathrooms which is great since some parks dont offer those nearby the public areas. I did not see the pool, but that is a great amenity, i am sure. Overall, i thought it was an affordable way to spend the afternoon. Connecting with nature and enjoying great weather. Ill definitely come back again. read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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This is a small state park that has about 30 RV sites. We've been here about 4 times now and only once were we able to get a full hook up. We only come for a weekend so partial hook up is fine with us we just dump as we leave. The sites are nice and big compared to other campsites we've been to and it's a 5 mile trip to Universal. We have season passes for Universal so we come here when we we want to go there. Booking a campsite is a bit of a pain but once you get used to it it's not so bad. You have to go online to their website and book it as a reservation just like you would a party. They even ask questions that do not make sense for an RV campsite but just answer it anyway then you pick your dates and someone will call you to confirm and let you know what's available and if nothing is available they can check the following weekend etc. and take your CC Payment over the phone. Keep in mi d since this is a stare park they have events going on. Once there was a 5k run that I swear began at 5am and heard the DJ at 7am but that was only once. Last time we were there they had the Renaissance festival. So it would suggest to check out what events they have going on before you book. I might book next year just to be able to walk over to the renaissance festival. Plan on extra time when leaving though because the exit lane isn't wide enough for you to leave if someone is dumping and if there's 2 or 3 RVs leaving in front of you, you could potentially be sitting there 1/2 of an hour. read more

My company has once more done an event here for its employees and since we are a large one, it means they need enough space for us all. Liked that they had plenty of signs for where we could park but hated that they made me park a half mile away from where our stuff was happening. By the time I got there, it was only an hour left so I know people had left so there were spots closer they could have allowed me to park but no, they sent me to the other side which sucks with my bad knee. Lucky for me one of my coworkers helped me out when leaving and dropped me off at my car. read more

City owned and operated 187 acre park just southwest of downtown Orlando and close to Universal Studios as well as other attractions. The park sits on the edge of a beautiful lake and it's facilities include large day use areas for barbecuing, fishing, playscapes, massive swimming pool, disc golf (three courses), hiking, rescue animal pens with many animals, and 36 RV camping sites with several having full hookups. Boat rentals are available and there are 54 holes of the most challenging disc golf I've ever imagined. The RV sites have abundant space between each with level concrete pads and trees, birds and squirrels abound. All of the facilities are very well maintained, the staff is more than friendly and accomodative (Nicole & T were especially helpful) and the rates are very reasonable, day use for 4 people or more is $5 and RV camping sites $20/night with partial hookups and $25/night with full hookups This is a destination that you do not want to miss when you're in the Orlando area. We highly recommend this park, we stayed here five weeks in an RV and hope to be back. read more

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Didn't get a chance to go because Yelp got wrong information. The park closes at 5 pm til March. read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Yelp says the park closes at 7 pm. It closes at 5 pm til March. - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I've been to this park a few times already. They have a 5$ entrance fee. But the park is so big, it's absolutely worth it. You can bike, hike, fish, hang around.. pretty much anything. They have gazebos and bbq grills around as well. If you have the time to go for the day, it's definitely worth it. read more

I love this park. It's great for families, bikers, dog lovers, people who love to fish and people who love disc hockey. Facilities are always clean. Staff at the front is very nice. Out of the three parks in the area, this would be the one I would use for an event. They provide free bags for dog waste. It's also a park where I feel the most safe in. read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Outside of the children's farm. Sometimes they come to the side and you can see them as you walk the trail. - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Great spot to play disc golf and watch a sunset! The course has a lot of trees and there are not a lot of wide open shots but it ventures around the park and felt like we had the course to ourselves for the most part! read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - An Egret skimming the glassy lake right after launch... - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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so much fun. Took my godson here. Entrance fee is $2. We played on the 3 different lil play ground areas. Went out to the dock and looked at the water then got in the car and drove to find the animals. It was a tad creepy heading to the animal area because there was no one around. It kind of felt like we were not supposed to be back there. But a good time was had and I will definitely bring my godson back when I come to visit! read more

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The pool opens up THREE hours after the park opens, according to my experience today. 8 AM park, 11AM pool. The website does not list its rules or current pool hours. Call ahead and demand specific details. COVID-19 rules: No pool furniture = No shade for your stuff or a place to sit Pool is open for 40 minutes at a time, after which the pool is cleared for 20 minutes. read more

This park is awesome. It has so much to offer- playground, swimming pool, walking paths, fishing pier, volleyball court, picnic tables and more. The campsites are shaded with lots of trees and very quiet even though it appeared to be about 80% full. No view of the lake but a walking path to get there. The sites are level. The grounds needed mowing and weeding and ants are everywhere even in the bathrooms. Hot showers though! Close to Disney World and Camping World stadium. read more

Bill Frederick Park is large, expansive and offers room do support any function or party. We visited on a Saturday and although the parking lots were bustling, the park still had the space to accommodate. My family easily found an open shelter to enjoy a bagged lunch under the Florida sun. After lunch, I decided to try my hand at fishing. The pier was clean and inviting. I appreciated the obvious care and conservation to the natural habitat. The lake appeared relatively cleaned and managed. I noticed the grounds crew routinely surveilling the property ensure trash cans were emptied and trash was picked up. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at the park. I think you will too. read more

Great park day! The sun is shining the wind is blowing...well then, let's go on some slides! I took my children along with my neighbors kids to the park and to the little animal area, what a great time they had. Their was a $4 fee to enter, which isn't bad compare to going to a Disney park. :-). There are many different play area for every age. A smaller one for little kiddies, another for toddlers and the big kids playground. After about an hour or so we decided to take a look at the animals. You are not allowed to pet the animals but looking is completely fine. Wonderful day, will definitely return for a longer stay. Maybe take a kayak out! read more

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Disc golfing is the sole reason I go to Turkey Lake. Sure there are other reasons to come here like camping, fishing, the children's farm, or parties held at the pavilions by the lake. Only the disc golfing for me, please. There are two courses - easy and hard. The easy one is more open and uncovered. The hard one has more trees and cover. I have played on both courses. I prefer the hard course as it helps keep the sun off of me and is prettier. Though, I'm sure the trees on this course hate me by now... Today I was there and decided to record my walking by GPS. With two players it takes 3 hours to play (with some resting time) and 4.5 miles to walk through both courses back to back. Today's workout is complete. For one car it costs $4 to get in the park. You can rent a set of discs at the front entrance for an additional $4. A couple of friends of mine joined in on the fun and rented a set a month or so ago. The discs worked just fine. Just recently some of the nets have been moved around a bit to keep the courses interesting. The mid-point of each course is near the parking lot which happens to be next to the bathrooms. So if you wanted to play nine holes you could do so without having to walk the rest of the course to get to your car. I can't vouch for the rest of the park but for scenery and disc golfing, it is an excellent park. The farm also provides some passing entertainment.Today I saw the white horse rolling in the grass. Two visits ago I had the most pleasant experience of watching a brown female horse wee. Yeah... My friend and I were taking a picture of the horse and noticed the horse change stances. That's nature for ya! ---------- followmea.tumblr.com/ read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - A gorgeous day to spend outside and to throw things. (i.e. the disc golfs) - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

My friends and I decided to go play disc golf on one of the rare cold and beautiful sunny days that we get in Florida. I have never played disc golf before, but I really enjoyed it. The park was open until 5 p.m. The cost to get into the park is $4 per car, and you can rent discs for a nominal fee. If you already have discs, you won't have to pay anything but the entrance fee. The course was pretty well maintained. However, the course we tried today was a trial course and is not permanent (at least as of today's date). There are two permanent courses, which I have yet to play on. The park has a lot of other features that can make you forget that you're not in the suburbs. I spotted sign for the swimming area, picnic gazebo, and horseback riding area. If you have bikes, there is plenty of open space to ride. This was definitely a bargain in a town that usually charges a lot of money for park admission. I'll definitely be back. read more

Just stayed here for the weekend in our RV and it was awesome! The best part of this place is that it's a beautiful state park right by Universal and Disney. Drive to Universal took 12 min. We have a 30 ft travel trailer and had plenty of room at our site. They are all paved and well spread out. Nice and shady too so it's 98 degrees rather than 102 hahaha! One negative is no charcoal grills at campsites so we couldn't use the Baby Egg....tear There is lots to do here. Great paved bike/walking path. Beautiful lake, fishing, volleyball. Also they seem to be real into disc golf here if that's your thing.Would recommend it for a weekend for sure. read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Nice shady spots - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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Awesome trails and a great green area that you can take your dog and run them off leash if there's no one around. The five dollar entrance fee was well worth the joy that are dogs experience getting to run around and have fun. read more

This park is huge! You can do anything from go for walk, have a picnic, camp, take your dog for a walk... etc I truly enjoy going for a walk here by the lake, although if you bring your dog there's a $2.00 fee you have to pay. It surprises me that it is located in the middle of a very populated area/urban area ... yet again it's Florida :) read more

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake - Walking Luna and Ralph on a nice Sunny day! - Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Pros: lot of green space, bike paths (short but maintained), a nature trail, some people walking dogs, some shade, decent parking and not expensive. Cons: The website says there is a bike pump track (there isn't... disappointed I mad the drive with the bikes on the car), pool closed (I get that with COVID-19, but FYI), freeway/road noise everywhere, and the animal farm struck me as sad. I didn't see any staff tending to the animals so I was unable to ask questions. read more

Came to turkey lake park to see the animals. The pot belly pigs had no water. We then walked over to the horses and the donkey. It says do not touch animals for youre safety, but the animals ran right up to us and were very affectionate. The horse and the donkey that came to us were COVERED in sand spurs. The horse was so dirty that when you grazed you're hand over his back, your hand was just black. I have had horses and they shoukd be groomed way more often than to even get this dirty. Within about an hour and a half of my boyfriend and I being out in the hot heat, no one ever once cane over to check on these animals or fill up there water. Extremely disappointed.p read more

Very nice park. Animals had fresh food and water, plenty of shade, lots of picnic areas, nice trail

Mixed bag... The park is close to Universal. It has a fun little farm zoo. There is a pool. It it is not open very much. The park could be cleaner. It is dated. There is road noise over much of the park. Nice place for a day trip and that's about it. Weekend staff are poorly trained. Park is having computer problems so be careful if you book something.... read more

Took my wife, 2 sons (4 and 11), and our dog for a hike last weekend. We absolutely loved the park. A lot of parking and they had a great playground. Only two negatives were the nature trail or mulch trail as they called it was hard to find. We ended up walking along the bike path. The 2nd being that even though they are dog friendly, and I agree with the placement of their dog free zones (playground and picnic areas) one of the trails bring you around to the back side of the playground and then had a no dog sign. Not knowing this was the case until we got to this point we were forced to violate park rules and walk the dog through the playground to our car. (Walking back the other direction would have been almost 1.5 miles) read more

We stayed in the campground for 2 nights early April. The campground is well maintained, the pad was a just fit our rig. Pretty level, grass either side and plenty of shade. We stayed in Lot #1 which was close to the amenities. The bathrooms are a bit dirty, which is why I didn't give 5 stars. There is also a laundry facility, which we didn't use, that looks very clean. The park itself seems well organized, the gate staff are very friendly and helpful. We took a morning walk around the perimeter on the trail, beautiful trees, we took a look across the lake from the fishing pier, and also the little farm with goats, pigs, turkeys etc is a nice addition. I would say the only downside is the close proximity to the freeway. The traffic can be heard day and night and if you're a light sleeper can be a disturbance and also spoil the ambiance of the otherwise beautiful setting. read more

I don't like to bad-mouth any greenspace, but Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake was pretty disappointing. It's a big park and probably a very nice choice for a large gathering, with many picnic pavilions. But our visit was for photo ops (being the Instagram addict that I am), and Turkey Lake falls short in that department. The lake itself is big, but the views are of apartment complexes and the turnpike. The constant sound of the turnpike traffic takes away from the "getting away" experience. We followed signs for a fishing pier and wound up in a parking lot to nowhere, with only a staff access road to the pier. It all depends on what you are looking for, but this doesn't represent pristine Florida at its best. read more