Very friendly and helpful. I started stopping in a couple months ago. Frozen bait is priced well…read more Nothing arrogant here, just good people running a small business. It is also reflected in their customers...I sent my son on a mission to get some bionic chum and sardines. A gentleman before him purchased a ton just as my son arrived. As the customer left, he came back in and asked my son if he had ruined his fishing trip because of he bought so much and that he'd return some if needed. Lucky no we were looking for other things. My point being, good environment breeds that kind of interaction. They always remember me as I bring in my soft side to collect frozen bait. Will continue to shop here even though I now live in Hudson. 2 Gag using their chum and frozen sardine.

Aside from the extremely unhelpful and seemingly sexist man that worked at the shop the day my…read moregirlfriend and I visited, the shop contains a nice variety of bait and tackle considering its quaint size. We were visiting from out of town and were asking for some insight about public fishing locations in the area. We were fully aware of needing a license before hand and of the vast amounts of private lakes and ponds nearby. The gentleman at the front desk was less than ideal with his assistance in our search for a place to casually catch and release all while condescendingly stating the risks we would be taking if we were to fish without a license. When inquiring where we could purchase a license he said, "Up at Walmart," while pointing in no particular direction or following up with any specific directions. I understand that any good fisherman doesn't like to give up his/her great hidden fishing spots, but he didn't even lead us to a public park with a lake.

If you wish get away from the city for a few minutes without having to travel far Lake Park should…read morebe on your to do list. I attended a friend's Christmas holiday event at Lake Park and it was surprising to find out what I had overlooked the last time I was there. This park has a number of FUN-dementals to offer the average city slicker. The park currently offers canoeing (weather permitting). Which we will go back in Spring to try out. They have a BMX ramp/exhibit which has areas for practicing *BMX membership required for practice. They have 3 hiking trails that span out about 1.5- 3 miles. **You can ride bikes also. It has 2 lakes: Jackson & Starvation which allows fishing and camping is allowed for non profit organizations. The park does have a few shelters for rent and if they are not reserved on a particular day they are first come first serve. Along with all of the things mentioned above the park offers a gazebo for intimate affairs like marriages. A horse-show.**Select dates. It has a volleyball space and an archery ramp. There's so much more to see at this beautiful conservatory I want you to make plans for that trip sooner than later!!

This park has an outdoor archery range. If you are a bow hunter and you live in north Hillsborough…read moreCounty, this is a good place to keep your skills sharp.

Amazing and beautiful park to take a stroll around the lake. The restrooms are clean and parking is…read morevery easy. The hiking is very easy around the lake with the broad-walk around the lake. It is a great place for canoeing or kayaking where there are different boats. Lots of wildlife and gators to see around. There are different campgrounds too camp. Beautiful park to visit.

The was amazing I wish I could go there every day it is go for kayaking and fishing there byeread more

There is a $2 fee that you pay at a machine in the parking lot. Went here to fish and birdwatch but…read moredidnt catch anything since it was the wrong time of day. Saw plenty of other wildlife though such as gators, turtles, and several species of birds. There was very nice scenery of huge cypress trees and palmettos from the boardwalk and there were several places to fish from it without being in the way of walkers. At the fishing spots there were places to put your unusable fishing line so it doesn't accidentally blow into the river. The regular bathrooms were closed but they provided porta-potties which were stocked and of typical cleanliness for a park toilet. The trails were a bit confusing with many options leading to the same places.

I thought I had explored almost all of the Hillsborough County parks so I was quite surprised when…read moreI discovered that Trout Creek Conservation Park existed. I don't know how I missed this one. Once you pull off of Fletcher you continue to drive for way longer than I expected. It's nice that you can be so secluded when you're really not that far from residential and business areas. Unlike several of the other Hillsborough parks you have to pay (two dollars) to make use of this one. I'm assuming that's because it has a full bathroom available? No park is going to have a "nice" restroom and this one certainly didn't BUT it was fully stocked and you didn't have to touch anything to wash your hands. That's a big plus in my book. There are also several picnic pavilions and a launch for canoes. Canoes and gators are a "hell no" for me but you do you. The signage is minimal. Because I had done my homework I knew that there was a boardwalk somewhere here. If I didn't know that we would have easily missed it. The boardwalk isn't particularly long, but it gives you some very nice views of the river. The maps are honestly atrocious. It was hard to decipher where the heck the walking trails were. We eventually found a sign past one of the picnic pavilions that said "nature trail" and started exploring. We encountered several forks in the trail and because there were no signs indicating what was in each direction we were completely guessing at our route. Some of the path was pretty overgrown and also the densely packed tree roots you had to walk over could make tripping pretty easy. If I come back I'm just going to stick to walking on the bike route instead.

I have been visiting this park for years!…read more This is on my "Host Suggestions" list when we have guests in town and is a hit every time! We visited the park recently and were on the hunt for as many bird species we could identify. Found some birds we had never seen before and it was so much fun trying to hunt them down by their calls. I've never not seen a gator when visiting but you had to take your time and look closely. I can't say enough about this park. Just $2 to enter the park. There are picnic areas you can reserve, volleyball courts, playgrounds, trails, restrooms and an onsite nature center. You really cannot ask for much more. Definitely worth the visit!

One of the coolest parks in Tampa. You almost always get to see alligators. Beautiful boardwalk and…read morewalking trails. It costs $2 to park. The playground is also really nice and my son enjoys it. Dogs are allowed in this park as well. One star removed because the tower is now inaccessible.

I heard rumors that there was a park in the Turtle Lakes neighborhood but I had never seen signs or…read morecome across it. That all changed a couple mornings ago when I took a different route on my morning run. I came across a sign that said Turtle Lakes Park. I scanned the park and quickly stopped in my tracks. This was the park? This was all of the park? No wonder there isn't any signage directing you to the park...it is pretty unimpressive and not worth directing people to. Pasco County has some fabulous parks full of playgrounds, soccer fields, skateboarding ramps, dog areas and hiking. Turtle Lakes is not one of them. The park appears to be unkempt and relatively empty. There are a couple basketball nets that are in decent shape. Unfortunately, the court itself isn't in very good condition. It is full of cracks, gaps and rises and falls. The park also has a tennis court. The net on this court is sagging (probably an easy fix) and, just like the basketball court, has some rough spots on the court itself. The County website suggests that there is a picnic area but I walked most of the park and was unable to find it (although I did see some discarded lawn furniture lying around and thought maybe that was what the website was referring to). The most interesting aspect of the park is the large area of open space to the right and back of the tennis courts. I could see a pickup soccer match, football game or ultimate frisbee competition taking place here. The park also features a retention pond with, according to the county website, fishing access. All in all Turtle Lakes Park is pretty unimpressive as far as Pasco County parks go. I wouldn't waste my time with this one unless wide open spaces is all you are looking for.

Lake Dan Preserve is a cool enough place to spend a bit of time. It gives us a glimpse of untamed…read moreFlorida and reminds us that before tourism and theme parks forever changed the landscape of the Sunshine State, Florida was wild and untamed. I enjoy seeking out these places when I am traveling for business. It is great to find these hidden gems. One of the great things about traveling for work are these discoveries. I seek them out and am better for finding them. I encourage you to check this place out and seek out these hidden gems whether in your travels or even right there in your community.

Lake Dan Preserve is hidden in the back of a neighborhood with no signs on Tarpon Springs Rd…read moreindicating it's existence. If I lived nearby I'd keep it that way because this Hillsborough county park was an unexpected find that I thought was a beaut. At first glance, a small parking lot, playground and pavilion isn't much. However, once on the hiking trail a nice boardwalk with benches goes over a large lake. I used a trail guide from a QR code that led me to a Hillsborough park website to help me navigate because most signs in the park are colored posts and colors on trees indicating the path the hiker is on. I didn't see any signs indicating where paths went or their distance once at the park When I visited Lake Dan Preserve, I went straight (over the bridge/boardwalk) and took the second left (the red trail) and a few feet down is a picturesque lake that would make a great back drop for photos or an amazing place to relax by a small pond. Turn right and go down the yellow trail and you can hike into neighbouring Lake Francis Preserve. I choose to vear off and hike the connecting blue trail. The blue trail goes down a gravel road into several large open pastures. I must've said this is gorgeous 15 times. A short time later the trail turns as the back side of Trinity starts to come into view in the distance. As the path continues, it leads to Lake Dan and a fishing pier. It's basically a shorter version of the park's entrance bridge looking out a vibrant and large lake. Birds, fish and some cows mooing in the distance makes the pier a nice place to relax. Although, I can't imagine hiking that distance to find it crowded. When I visited Lake Dan my car was the only one in the parking lot and I didn't see another person inside the park. I plan on visiting this preserve again as I thought some it's views we're nice enough to be back drops in movie scenes. It's wide open spaces and lack of people inside made it's trails an excellent place to enjoy a peaceful hike.

Why is the handicap parking so far from the lake? Handicap…read morepeople can enjoy the lake because parking is so far away! Something needs to be done about it!

Nice park, sand boat ramps, bathrooms, dock, swim area. Lake is small but when not busy can be fun.read more