Lovely paved path around two lakes in downtown Orlando, just south of the 408 off Mills. Great for…read morean after lunch stroll. Well maintained

Greenwood Urban Wetlands is a 19 acre nature park in Orlando. It lies on the west side of Greenwood…read moreCemetery which was established in 1880 and is where many of Orlando's notables and pioneers lie at rest. The wetlands were created in 1991 between the Lake Davis and Lake Como neighborhoods as a stormwater treatment facility to handle the water run off. While the main purpose of the park is to clean the reclaimed water, a welcome byproduct of that is that it attracts a lot of wildlife. Wetland parks are some of my favorite kind of parks because they attract a variety of wildlife including wading birds, migrating birds, lizards, turtles, and alligators. At the entrance to the park is a community garden and Little Library. My favorite part of the park is the 0.7-mile loop trail surrounding Lake Greenwood that takes approximately 13 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking and walking. Along the way you will pass cypress trees, cross two bridges, and see a variety of birds enjoying the lake. Animals that have been spotted here include blue jays, ducks, barn owls, and red wing blackbirds. During my visit I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret along with ducks. The scenery during my walk was stunning. I saw a number of people reading, playing with their kids, and exercising. This is an ideal place to practice your photography, bird, watch, and have a picnic. This is such a wonderful natural resource for the city of Orlando and I loved my visit.

Small (about an acre) park located on the edge of the downtown area, it offers little as a…read moredestination type park, but would be a nice thing for the neighborhood and its residents. All in all a good place, but you might be better going to one of the larger parks in the area.

4 Stars for a great little playground that is just the right size! (But no bathrooms nearby!)…read more Got to hang with my nephews here and I really enjoyed the different options for little ones. Some of the bigger playgrounds in the city seem geared to a slightly older crowd, so the 2.5 and under kids get left behind (or trampled!). This park has bucket swings, fun things to climb and slide from, and most importantly SHADE. You can't let the little ones go too wild without you, since there are some opportunities for them to fall off a jungle gym, but the ground is fairly soft. The truth is, you're there to play with them anyway! Sure, the park could use a bathroom nearby (it only has houses around it), but other than that, it's a winner!

A sweet, well-maintained park with nice amenities for the local community…read more Located near Boone High, this park offers a quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of Orange Ave just a few blocks down. They have a small community pool, playground, workout equipment, picnic pavilions, and a lot of walking paths. There's tons of parking and, best of all, there's so many beautiful trees. It's the perfect park for settling down with a book because the trees provide so much shade; even at peak sun hours, the canopy keeps things from getting unbearable. I wish they would fix up the water fountain feature, but it looks like it's been out of order for awhile. I love this little neighborhood park and will definitely be back again.

Wadeview Park is located next to Boone High School and while not w huge park by any means, Wadeview…read morePark is a nice enough place if you are in this neighborhood and want to chill for awhile. It has several pavilions if you are looking for a place to kick back and eat your lunch (or any meal for that matter). This is a nice addition to its neighborhood and as the SODO grows and expands, people can look just east of SODO for a nice little park.

This small park is located within the Bella Vista Community off of Econlockhatchee road in the…read moreeastern part of Orlando. There really is not too much to this park, however I am sure that it suits this neighborhood fine. It is really not a place to head towards, in fact it is for the residents of this neighborhood. However, if you are visiting or if you live in this neighborhood, I'm sure you can appreciate it. It is definitely geared more towards children and it pretty much only has a small children's playgrounds as the whole park. Well I would not recommend it if you are looking for a place to walk or get some exercise or have a picnic, it is a good place for kids to play if they live with in this neighborhood.

This is a small but pleasant park on U.S. Highway 1 in Titusville, Florida. The one thing that…read morestood out to me here is that the squirrels had seemingly no fear of humans and openly approached me. One even came and sniffed at my shoes much like a dog would. Anyway, they have picnic tables that have a roof above it. I guess a pavilion, but almost all of them are single picnic tables, so let's call them personal pavilions. They also have a children's playground.

Overlooking Kennedy Space Center across the Indian River, William J Manzo Memorial Park is a small,…read moretreesy, county park with tables, picnic shelters, & restrooms. The Indian River offers great views of many launch pads & the Vehicle Assembly Building, as well as playful dolphins & other wildlife. Both pads of Launch Complex 39 are easily visible from Manzo Park, which is why I've been here to watch three launches. Public bathrooms are available when the park is open, though often I have found toilet paper to be lacking. This was again the case on my last visit, though soap & paper towels were sufficient. The ladies' restroom has 2 stalls and one sink. Note, the facilities don't have A/C or heat. Maybe 5 years ago, hubs & I were driving through Titusville, after a launch we were there to see had been scrubbed that day, and we passed this park. I remembered the view, but had never visited not related to a launch. So we stopped. Though we were there less than an hour, I had never seen so many dolphins at one time! They were clearly frolicking & I thoroughly enjoyed watching. My first visit to this park was on Friday, May 14 2010 for STS-132, which was originally scheduled to be the last launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis (now resting at KSCVC). My sister & I underestimated traffic and ended up on US 1 very close to launch time. Spotting this park, she quickly pulled onto a residential side street to park, & we briskly walked over to the park, with mere minutes to spare. Our view of 39-A was as perfect as possible from Titusville! What an amazing view... And the SOUND! So about a year later, on Friday, July 8, 2011, I knew I had to see the final Space Shuttle launch in-person. Announced a few months after the launch I'd witnessed in 2010, this was actually Atlantis' last flight, as well as the final mission of the space shuttle program. Again launching from LC 39-A, STS-135 would be the last launch of humans from US soil for nearly 9 years. Astronaut Doug Hurley was on this flight, though no one knew then that he would help usher in the next generation of human-rated launch vehicles, built by a company in the private sector. The last Saturday in May 2020, we ended up parking near Manzo Park to watch #LaunchAmerica, SpaceX's first attempt at a crewed launch. OK, second attempt, since Wednesday's launch was scrubbed due to lightning in the vicinity. BUT, this was the first launch of humans from US soil since the Space Shuttle program had ended. My daughter rode with me, and my friend followed in her own car to maintain social distancing. We found a spot for $10 each to park with easy exiting & camera surveillance, right across US 1 from Manzo Park. About 20 minutes before launch, we donned our PPE & walked the half block to watch. The park was packed with excited spectators, and we were not disappointed that day... another great view of a flawless launch! Even though this was a smallish Falcon 9 rocket, the sound was just as amazing as it rolled across the water in waves. William J Manzo Memorial Park is obviously one of my favorite vantage points for watching a launch from Titusville. And this park is also a quiet respite on non-launch days in any season. Of course, I'll be back.

Borwin Manor Park is a very small park with no real parking. Please don't mistake it, this is a…read morecharming little park, but if you are looking for a park more like Lake Eola Park, this is definitely not it.

This little park is at the corners of Winter Park and Orlando boarders at the end of Orange Ave…read morethat is lined with trees. A truly lovely area. Cute little circle of benches in the shade surrounded by greenery and the Orwin Manor Westminster Association holds events here as well. I do appreciate the Orwin Manor wall that blocks the main traffic signal from the park so you can relax and enjoy nature instead of being very distracted by the traffic next to the park. This small area is very well maintained by the city too. Much appreciated.

In the shadow of Orlando Executive Airport and just off an exit on 408 sits Colonel Joe Kittinger…read morePark. Most only know it as the fighter jet that you can see as you pass by on the highway, but today I decided to take a moment and check the park out. While the park offers little more than the aforementioned fighter jet, there is a playground for kids and a walkway. It also offers a good view of the small airport and any planes that might be flying in or out. All in all I am glad that I stopped here and saw beyond the jet and the view from the highway.

I think this is a very underrated and oftentimes forgotten park in the Orlando metro area. Sure, it…read moreisn't the biggest nor does it have a lot of parking. But you do get to look out over the water of Lake Underhill and see planes take off from the nearby Orlando Executive Airport. I personally think this is the perfect place to just relax and take your mind off of things as you plane spot and sit on the shore of the lake. You can also take the time to learn a little about Colonel Joe and his contributions. So please, don't overlook this park. It may be off the beaten path, but it is a very pleasant place to go to :)

A friend and I decided to try a new park for a walking adventure…read more Unfortunately, it looks like the walking paths that she remembered were under construction as it was nothing more than a muddy pathway and unwalkable. Otherwise, it seems like a nice park with plenty of parking, some covered pavilions, tennis course and fields for sports. It also does have a little bit of a nice lake view so that could be awesome for relaxing and/or bird watching. I have not had the opportunity to interact with any staff or make any reservations, if needed, so I can't speak to that.

What a beautiful sprawling location with so much to offer! I saw kids playing soccer, a beach…read morevolleyball net, several bday parties, a small group of men fishing and not one party even slightly infringing on the other. As with many public parks the bathroom upkeep much a bit to be desired but it's really nothing a consistent cleaning crew couldn't handle. Mostly just spiderwebs.