One of our favorite spots to look for manatees is the Spring branch or Spring Bayou, off Tarpon…read moreSprings (FL) Bayou. We try to get here before 10am (Jan 2026), which seems to be when the manatees like to "frolic" here. There's not a lot of parking, maybe 25 spaces, and there's more one street up at the tennis courts. We never see any street parking in this neighborhood. We look for manatees near the south end of the bayou, near Bath St north of S Spring Blvd. We saw several individuals and maybe a pair, occasionally surfacing their backs or peeking out for a gulp of air. It was a chilly morning, so we didn't stay long. There's a nice path around the bayou, a park, and on weekdays, a cute $5 museum, too.

There's a lot of street parking around. They were setting up for an art fair. There were a ton of…read moremanatees everyone was observing

Revisiting this park after a few years, while in the area again. Sad to see the many tree stumps,…read moreremnants of trees that didn't survive the hurricane a couple years ago. For that reason there's less shade in the park, but otherwise it is well maintained and restored as much as possible. There is the historic spring, that was once a paid attraction in the area, but now the park is totally free. Usually there is an abundance of fishes near the circular spring. We enjoy walking along the trail. There's an observation tower that gives a nice view of the area, plus seveal decks to admire the Gulf. To the right side of the entrance there's a other trail, longer and more for bicycles, that takes you along the paved road to another observation deck. As walker I prefer the other trail, more natural, better shades, and less hot than walking on asphalt. There is a butterfly garden, and a little free library as well, near the parking lot.

What an incredible park. No fee. Plenty of parking. Great trails, boardwalks and a magnificent…read moretower about four stores high. There is a spring and plenty of wildlife. We were fascinated by numerous jumping fish launching themselves out of the water over and over again. They do close a few minutes after sunset so it is difficult to watch this from the tower and get back to the car before they close for the night. A park ranger was coming out to clear people out before the sunset. Not sure this is a daily occurrence but was on the Sunday night we were there. Park is pretty clean. Trash cans are emptied. Need some more signs showing where the trails are located. When you park by the main bathroom there is nothing telling you where to go for trails. Cute butterfly garden that could use a tiny bit of care and surprisingly had no live butterflies around it. The spring has several signs around it that explain it's history and made this more interesting. Look for the female silhouette in the bottom of the spring. There is a sign that helps you see it. Numerous picnic areas. They are rolling out a new reservation system but it was down for a week. The Pinellas Trail connects right to the park and several spots had bike racks. Only thing that was frustrating was numerous visitors not following signs for "no dogs" especially in the tower where leashes get in the way on small walkways. The sign right on the boardwalk leading to the tower clearly indicates no dogs so why do you feel entitled to walk your dogs up and down the tower? Hopefully no dogs peeing through wood slats down on people below. Definitely be back to this park when in the Sponge Docks area. The beauty is so evident here... There are some sections that smell like sulfur probably due to decaying swamp material but this is nature!

LOVE LOVE LOVE! What a beautiful place! So serene, very…read morevery Zen place. Gorgeous old wild Florida scenery. Absolutely Magical. A must visit. Beautiful open tropical green spaces, Picnic areas with BBQ's & Shelters, lots of shady areas & small green forestry areas. A lovely playground area for the kids, very nice restrooms, trails, fishing piers, lookout towers, wildfire all over, gorgeous views of the mangroves. A nature lovers paradise. Photo ops in every direction. Birds everywhere, perfectly preserved natural habitats, the sounds of nature all around, trickling water sounds in the distance. No signs of civilization. Not another human in sight. You would not think that this kind of hidden, almost untouched, natural treasure exist so close to the city, but it does. And it's very well maintained. While I was there a single gardener came briefly, checked things out, weed wacked around the edge of a sidewalk & left. As it already looked perfectly manicured when he showed up. I was there for a long time & there was no one else there except the brief visit from the landscaper & one other gentleman I had a brief but lovely conversation with. When I first got there, I ran into this one single gentleman that was bow hunting. He had a great big bow & arrows. I asked him if he had seen any of the Flamingos & he said "not today" I took that as a good sign to keep exploring as I must be close! haha. Later on, as I was leaving that same gentleman went back to his truck put his bow away & got out his fishing pole & gear. I thanked him for his time again & wished him luck fishing. He then wished me luck on my hunt for the wild flamingos & quickly, silently, vanished back into the woods. New Port Richey is a gorgeous place that has it all. It's quickly becoming my favorite playground on Florida's iconic Nature Coast. Highest Recommendations.

Well groomed park with inlet all around. If you love birds this place is your park. Newer play area…read moreand lots of piers. A great find to visit and Im sure nice to live by.

TP Springs Splash Park is huge and secure. Lots of wqter activities for the kiddos for free. Ther…read moreis even a park and dog park next door. Bathrooms are clean. Parking lot is big but gets packed if it is used for sponge docks events with the trolley. Overall a nice park

Beautiful medium sized splash pad for kids! A must have in any hot city and our kids loved it on a…read morehot day! Buckets dumping water, slides and interactive half pipes kept our son entertained and not wanting to leave. The park was also clean and looked well maintained. Will visit again!!

How many memories can be at one park? The causeway out the the island beach is stunning! I have…read moredone birthdays, holiday picnics, family gatherings, beach days, kayaking, hiking and more at this park! I've been visiting Fred Howard Park since the 90's! This was a mother's day visit- parking was going fast, and the beach was packed. My mom and daughter and I just wanted to walk the island, get some toes wet and in the sand. We enjoyed the water immensely. So much wildlife to see throughout the park. My daughter's first birthday was held in one of the pavilions. Easter picnics with ham-kabobs. Taking the little kids out kayaking the inlet- endless possibilities to explore. Enjoy the park adventure!

This would be nice in the winter or anytime that it's not too hot to put my hammock up on the trees…read moreand just hang out. It's nice to have trees on the beach for once. This is where you can take those pics. They also have picnic tables. As for swimming, I would say no. So much seaweed and not enough water. I believe it's a combination of the tide and the lack of rain too. The parking here is $6 and you can pay through park mobile. They say no dogs and there are tons of signs. My pup and I stayed in our car while my husband went to check the water. It was a good reminder why we don't go to this beach. Unfortunately, this was the day of the craziness in Clearwater with the teen takeover with all the chaos.

This is a great little park if you are looking for something quiet. As much as I love some of the…read moreother local parks, they are normally so crowded that it's hard to enjoy yourself. This one is kind of hidden and it seems like the only people who know it is there are the ones whose kids have games on the fields. The playground is small, but it's clean and shaded. The ground is mulch. There are 3 slides, quite a few swings, including baby swings, picnic tables, a nice small pond to look at, and it's fenced in. There are monkey bars and a sliding bar as well. I definitely recommend going here. My daughter is 2 and keeps herself busy. She is always so upset when it's time to go home. Lol

I have been coming to this park for the past 4 years and the kids play area was in horrible shape…read more To my surprised over the summer some renovations was done and a brand new plastic playground set was placed. It's more connected with multiple areas to play as oppose to the disjointed old metal dina-eye-sour that was here. They also added more swings as well as a joint toddler and adult swing combo which allows a parent to swing with their toddler that may be to scared to swing on their own. The trees have a canopy that provides shade but I wish these were cut back just a tad bit and a reflective overhang was placed to provide shade. In the peak of the Florida heat I'm sure the plastic will get very hot. The "rock climbing" wall is a nice addition. With so many different little nooks to explore I wish there was a water fountain placed within the play area that the little kiddos could reach to stay hydrated. Parents either have to bring their own (I always do) or drag/beg their kid to leave the play area and exit to the bathrooms where the water fountains are.

Great great venue for kids. Playground, small trail, bathrooms and parking available.read more

Hosted a baby shower here, and it couldn't have been a better experience! The park was super clean,…read moreincluding the restrooms, which is always a plus when you're hosting an event. There was plenty of space for everyone to spread out, and the lake view made the perfect backdrop for photos. The atmosphere was peaceful, family-friendly, and absolutely beautiful. We had a wonderful time -- highly recommend this park for any gathering or celebration!

Want to touch some slimy sting rays? Or feed them? How about petting a shark? Or feed a sea turtle?…read moreMaybe a baby alligator? How about hold an alligator or a snake? Our family is local and told us about this place, it's a small family owned business which we like to support. Such a great experience for our kids. They enjoyed themselves. You have to buy tickets to feed the animals, all prices were reasonable, they offered annual passes as well as kids tickets, and senior tickets, and kids 0-2 are free. If you are in the area and have a few hours you want to kill definitely go check this place out. Also right down the road about 10 mins is sunset beach.

I'm not sure how I haven't been to the Tarpon Springs Aquarium before?! It's family owned and…read moreincredible!! I would highly recommend for all ages. The amount of touch and feeding encounters is so amazing. We did the fish, sting ray and farm animal feedings. The staff were all friendly. They have homeschool days posted. I can't wait to return and do the shark and baby gator feedings.

A hidden gem! Very clean, good trails, lots of water views. And monkey-ear trees! Dogs allowed on…read moreleash.

Discovered this nature/wildlife area while I was biking the Pinellas trail, and such a beautiful…read morefind! No shortage of gorgeous views!