If you're looking for an up close and personal experience with nature, this might just be the place…read moreyou've been looking for. Depending on when you visit you may experience total isolation from the outside world, I have to be honest it can be a little intimidating if you aren't a brave soul this is nothing like visiting a zoo. As beautiful as this place is being aware of your surroundings is of the utmost importance, the wildlife here has little fear of man and I'm not sure they understand that man is at the top of the food chain. The trails are well maintained but if you are the adventurous type and choose to get a little closer look it's likely you could be considered an intruder and some inhabitants may resort to the laws of self-preservation and become a little aggressive. I don't think exhibiting risky behavior exposes you to imminent danger of being attacked but walking up on a alligator or snake could be taken as a threatening act to some of those that call this home. Although alligators can be viewed and may seem harmless from a distance I don't recommend getting too close they are hunters and you may be considered prey and remember you are in their environment so who do you think the advantage goes to. There are plenty of great vantage points to get that perfect photo without risking your welfare so stay on the trails and follow the recommendations on the posted signs and you'll have a great day and remember keeping quite and still may present a very rewarding experience, nature is defined as "the material world, especially as surrounding humankind and existing independently of human activities" we all act differently when we are alone at our homes with no visitors around, the same applies here...

Fantastic slice of nature. If familiar, it's a cross between Paynes Prairie and Orlando Wetlands…read morepark. There are two parking areas We parked in the Myaka trail area. Started in a woodsy area surrounded by swamp. It led to an open area around the lake. Which is where we ran into three otters playing on the trail. We were attempting to head to the Audobon overlook but didn't want to disturb them. Well groomed path. Recommended for a cloudy or cooler day as there is little cover. There is another trail, the live oak trail, which we will explore on another trip. Worth the drive from Orlando

Hidden gem! We loved swimming and my boys enjoyed climbing the palm tree…read more We did a short trail and saw plants and bugs! We had a picnic at a table but moved to the sun because the boys were cold.

sure didn't look like the brochure. too many bugs, spring…read moredidn't look like the pictures. much smaller area. several outhouses in the parking lot no refunds once you pay even if it's 5 minutes later

There was a point in time where I used to call this place my favorite spring. I used to come here…read morefrequently a few years ago and only used to spend six dollars per person. A lot of things have changed and I think it's for the worse and not for the good. I usually don't write a review but I'm inclined to. Back then there used to be a trail bridge and you spent six dollars per person no reservations. This time around I had to spend basically $50 to get in with me and my fiancé. You could literally just drive down the street and get in for free. I think there is a lot of potential, but things need to change take down them Stupid logs, blocking the spring and bring back the trail!!!!Make it affordable for locals. It was my fiancé's first time. She really enjoyed it and recommended it to others but at that price point it's not convincing and I don't know if I'll be able to return back again.

It was a very beautiful place!! I will say the price was extremely steep. Monday- Friday it is $15…read morea person, so for a family of four to go you're looking at $60 but if you can swing it go for it! There are plenty of places to sit and beautiful nature that is so relaxing

Yesterday, my friend, Lydia and I drove to Kelly Springs State Park for fun in the sun and a day of…read morerelaxation. The park is about 40 minutes from where she lives off of colonial. You get to bring your own food and drinks. They also have a concession area where you can just your own food and drinks. At the state park, they have a concession booth and a restroom as well. The park is open from 8 AM to 6 PM and I have a recommend staying at the full day. It was so nice and relaxing plus parking was only three dollars. 10/10

Awesome park and campground. We had a blast…read more The only con is the staff for the campground were a bunch of power tripping weirdos. We had two encounters with the ranger / maintenance team and both of them were pretty rude. Even if the information is valid they need to work on delivery. The authoritarian regime at Kelly Park is the only con to this gorgeous place.

It's a small state park but very worth a visit. I went in September, fully expecting to see zero…read moremanatees, so I was thrilled to see three. The amount of manatees in winter looks crazy. I'm glad I was researching a few days in advance and saw a reservation system was implemented earlier this year. A tricky balance as always, but would have been a shame to get out here a be turned away for capacity. For a summer visit, it was fun to swim from one platform to the other, going with the current makes it easy, though many people choose to float on tubes or noodles. Not the warmest spring but it's consistent! The relatively narrow creek and dense trees make it reasonably shaded.

The Baseline: For a park/monument the site must be informative, have great attraction, and have a…read morepark rangers that are knowledgeable of one of the park we are visiting. Park: This was one of the cleanest and best organized state parks I have ever visited. The parking was easy and the access to the main attraction was easy to get to. The walkway trail along the spring was well taken care of and safe. There is no graffiti or vandalized buildings in the park. Thank you State of Florida and California you should take notes. Attraction: The Springs are the main attraction with options to swim, tube, snorkel, and scuba dive in the spring in the summer. When we visited that was all restricted because the manatees were here to nest in the winter. This was awesome and it was great to see these amazing creatures in their winter respite. This is a must if you are visiting the Orlando area in the winter. Cost: Six dollars to come into the park with up to 8 people in the vehicle. Great price for an unforgettable experience.

This playground is incredible! A community funded project, this playground is not to be missed - it…read morehas designs and features I haven't seen anywhere else! We love stopping to play here if we are in the Deland area. Freedom Playground has plenty of parking, bathrooms, pavilions with picnic tables, and playground equipment that can be used by a wide range of ages and body abilities. I love that the park has one main entrance gate to keep kids contained and also has the little kid area separate from the big kid area. There are accessibility features like wheelchair accessible ramps for the playground equipment and a ground level merry-go-round. There's plenty of slides, climbing and obstacles, a zip line, pirate ships, pretend play houses, and all the features you would want in a playground. I love the nods to Florida with multiple gators throughout! Freedom Park is a Florida gem!

From what I've read online, DeLand faced the exact same issue that so many municipalities around…read morethe country have faced and continue to face regarding what to do with their playgrounds. At one point in time it was a thing to build these large destination playgrounds made out of wood. While a nice idea on paper, eventually the upkeep proves to be problematic and expensive. Eventually the municipality is faced with the hard choice of costly renovations that will need to be redone in the not too distant future, demolishing the structure or trying to replace it with something more modern/contemporary. Either way it equals a lot of money that usually is nowhere to be found. Thankfully a few years ago DeLand along with residents, area companies, school children and a newly formed non-profit committee figured out how to replace the original wooden structure. Amazingly over 300K in private donations were raised along with DeLand kicking in the rest and what you have today is an amazing structure/facility. In my own area there have a been a few success stories with places like this: www.savekidscastle.org/ But there have also been a few mismanaged disasters with places like this: articles.mcall.com/2004-11-19/news/3571642_1_playground-jungle-gym-time-capsule What works here: * Lots of parking * Solidly clean bathrooms * Lots of shaded areas * Super safe recycled rubber ground which means no tracking mulch into the car * A very needed water fountain * Lots of different structures/play areas/misters that offer a ton of diversity What doesn't work: * At least when we were here the zipline was in sad shape. It needs to be raised up or just gotten rid of it because it was way too low to be enjoyable. I don't want to lay on the hyperbole but honestly aside one other park (Kids Castle in Doylestown, PA) this place is the nicest that I've ever seen and even though my kids are arguably a bit on the too old side to be enjoying a place like this, they still did. Great job DeLand! What an awesome place for the community!

BEAUTIFUL park, nice long boardwalk trail with many other groomed trails. Lots of little creatures…read morearound. I was pleasantly surprised it was so nice!!

Loved this Mount Dora gem. We came here at the end of March…read more It's more of a board walk than a park, but there is a small green area with gazebos, picnic tables and bbqs before entering the board walk. Besides the nature walk through the board walk where we saw LOTS of wildlife (woodpeckers, baby alligators, turtles, ospreys and more) and beautiful cypress trees, you can also rent kayaks. This place is dog friendly. There are even baggies for people to pick up after their pets. I recommend wearing closed shoes if you want to walk the full trail. The board walk ends in a dirt path which loops around, but is not ideal terrain for sandals. However, walking to the end of the boardwalk and back again is just as fun (that's what we did ;) ) The park hours are sunrise to sunset but the board walk opens at 7:30am. Honestly this is a must see.

We always come and visit this beautiful park when we are in Ormond beach. It is hands down the best…read morepark we have ever been to. So much fun, so many different places to play. I wish I had a park like this when I was a kid.

Awesome Playground! Cool Spot!…read more This is a great place with lots going in for kids to play with! So many different things to play with and it's all in a cool wooden theme! Really great place to be grateful for! I really liked the swing under a big tree in the far back corner! It needs some line to reduce the squeaking but it was a happy spot!

Had an awesome time bringing the dogs to the dog beach! It's a nice little strip of beach with…read moreshallow water under the fishing pier. Would recommend bringing some kind of shade covering for beach area but there's a covered picnic table area by the restrooms and hoses designated for the dogs to rinse off and community dog bowls for drinking in case you forget your own. Worthy to note- walking on The pier is not permitted for dogs after 10 am because apparently it gets too hot to walk on so there's alternate sand paths, you can definitely bring a wagon to help cart your stuff, an umbrella or shade to protect you from the sun might be needed since there's no natural shady areas, it's $11 to park all day with ability to go in & out throughout the day, and they have a hose to rinse down the dogs so WOULD RECOMMEND FOR A NICE DAY OUT IN NATURE, AT THE WATER WITH THE PUPS!!

Really enjoyed visiting Smyrna Dunes Park. The boardwalk through the dunes is beautiful, and the…read moreviews of the beach and water are incredible. Definitely a great place to walk, relax, and enjoy the Florida coast.