Fewox Memorial Park is a neighborhood park located between SR 17 and Lake Reedy in Frostproof. It…read morewas named in honor of Gladys Fewox who was part of a ranching and farming family in the area. Her son and family own FX Bar Ranch and a road in Frostproof is named for Gladys. Fewox Memorial Park is completely fenced in which is great for children's safety. There is some basic playground equipment with things to climb, slide down and swings. There is also a large pavilion with picnic tables and a grill which can be rented. I think the nicest feature of the park is the large oak trees dripping in Spanish moss that add beauty and shade to the park. I love visiting rural Frostproof where you can enjoy nature and that small town, Old Florida vibe.

Kiwanis Park is a great local park in Winter Haven, Florida. It's in a neighborhood area across the…read morestreet from a lake and a great walking trail. We were staying at an airbnb nearby so we walked there one morning. There are swings, slides, climbing structures, and it is also accessible for kids with disabilities. There's a little shade from the shade structures but there are not many trees. A small pavilion is another option for some shade and rest. The water fountains could use some work. Kiwanis Park is a nice way for kids to burn off some energy with a great view of a lake!

This park is loaded with challenging equipment and two age appropriate areas of play. There is a…read morebathroom, picnic tables, pavilion and a dock. The play equipment is well maintained. The dock is safe and goes out a good distance into the water. No swimming is allowed. While we were playing a collection of homeless people started to migrate to the pavilion. The pavilion loaded up with their belongings as they set up camp. I'm not sure if this is normal but since we are not from the neighborhood we will not be returning.

Like others have stated this SP is remote, it's definitely a destination, not a place you'll…read morestumble upon unless you're lost of course. When we decided to visit the area over the Thanksgiving holiday the park was an option for camping but not the first option and that was mainly due to the accommodations when compared to the other options right outside the entrance to the park but that's another review. The admission is five bucks a car which is collected a few hundred yards from the main road - the ranger wasn't over friendly as he reach out for the payment using a six foot pole with a pail attached insisting on exact change then offered a map which he passed using the same method. These covid-19 protocols are really getting ridiculous I noticed he grabbed the bill without gloves how did he know I didn't just sneeze on it. The drive to the campgrounds, the park store, the marina, the observation tower, the pavilions pretty much everything is quite a drive, I think the loop is just over six miles at 15 m.p.h - I'm in no hurry the day is as beautiful as the drive. We drove through the campground to validate our decision to stay elsewhere, there's no doubt the value is here but living off the gray and black tanks for a week means super conservative measures since there are no sewer connections. I prefer not to carry a portable dump cart or moving the beast every few days requires a lot of effort especially when I'm supposed to be relaxing and having fun. Another park void of many visitors even on a holiday weekend, the campground seems nearly full but the park amenities aren't being utilized. I witnessed a number of park employees doing their daily chores, everything is so neat and tidy it's almost as if they've been assigned busy work to get their hours in. Like most business I'm sure the revenue had dropped off, fortunately for them the state subsidies them for now but I'm sure if this pandemic continues these places too will start shutting down or implement reduced hours. It's was an interesting drive - a nice place to walk and climb to the top of the observation tower. Honestly to me it's a been there done that type of place, pine trees and palms if your going walk the trails bring plenty of water and enjoy...

One of our favorite places to escape to for the weekend! Lots of wildlife, fishing and other…read moreamenities.

In March, 2011, Talbot Lewis donated a 42 acre parcel of land to the Green Horizon Land Trust. The…read moreparcel is adjacent to Orchid Springs at the edge of Winter Haven. For over 40 years Mr. Lewis collected and planted ornamental plants from throughout the state and placed them within a landscape he designed. He curated one of the largest collections of Chinese fan palms in the world. He also planted most of the other palms that grow in Central Florida. Green Horizon Land Trust opened the trails on February 23, 3013. They named this natural area the Michael V. Lewis Arboretum in honor of Talbot Lewis' son. Within the nature preserve is a 1.4 mile trail named in honor of Luther Parrott, past executive director of Green Horizons. The natural earth trail takes about 24 minutes to complete. At the trail head here is a map on a board built by the local Eagle Scouts. The trail was dry on the day I visited but during periods of rain it easily becomes muddy and flooded. The trees provide a nice shade canopy overhead and this is an easy nature walk for all ages and fitness levels.

Lakeland Highlands Scrub is a beautiful place to encounter native wildlife and plants. It holds…read moreremnants of Florida's ancient landscape. When sea levels were higher it was an island. There is a picnic shelter and portable toilet at the entrance and a boardwalk and gazebo over the lake. There are old phosphate pits nearby. There is access to the Se7en wetlands, a natural wastewater treatment area.

We've lived in the area almost four years and have only just heard of this place! Naturally, we ran…read moreright out to check it out. It's easy to find, free parking, no admission fees, etc. just park, and start walking. There's a great boardwalk over one of the lakes that connects some of the trails. If you keep going, it does connect to the Se7en Wetlands, as well. Check the map at the front entrance! I love a good nature trail, especially in Florida. This one is so quiet and peaceful! Not much wildlife, though; at least, not when we were there. We saw one pigeon. That was it. But it was still a nice walk. Note that these trails aren't paved and the farther in you go, the sandier it can get; like, thick, fluffy beach sand. Most of the trails are really well shaded, though! Also, leashed dogs are allowed but just know that if you connect to Se7en Wetlands, they are not allowed in that area. Very nice little hidden gem in South Lakeland!

I've been to this dog park twice and really love it. There are separate areas for big dogs (over 25…read morepounds) and small dogs, though the fence between them allows dogs to interact and run alongside each other. Both sides are equally spacious, offering plenty of room for pups to play and burn off energy. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and the fencing is secure--small dogs can't slip out through any gaps. There's a working water fountain on the small-dog side, a shaded bench for owners, and some fun obstacle features for the dogs to enjoy. Parking is plentiful, and the sunsets here are absolutely beautiful. The park is open dawn to dusk. Just remember to close the gates before and after you come in!!

Very large and beautiful park with lots of sports fields and a large playground. Some people come…read moreand leave their dog unleashed even their dogs should not be in public it ruins it for this great spot

Although this looks like an empty field in the middle of a neighborhood, there is a lot of history…read morehere. In the middle of the field is a mysterious granite obelisk. Upon closer inspection you see that it is a grave for five soldiers who died during a skirmish with the Seminole Indians. The monument reads "A group of United States Army soldiers led by Lt. Carlton engaged the Seminole Indians in what is known as the Willoughby Tillis battle in this vicinity on June 14-16, 1856. These five men who lost their lives in this engagement are buried here." The battle took place in this vicinity on June 14-16, 1856. The five men who lost their lives were Lt. Alderman Carlton, Lott Whidden, and William Parker killed June 14, 1856 and Robert F. Prine and George Howell killed June 16, 1856. Not exactly what you expect to find in your neighborhood park. The Seminoles are a Native American tribe that originally lived in Georgia. On May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act Forces, declaring that all Native Americans had to move west of the Mississippi onto reservations. The Maskókî, also known as Creek by white settlers resisted the move and traveled down to Florida to join with the descendants of other Native Americans who had lived in Florida for thousands of years. They thought of themselves as siminoli, meaning free people. White America called them Seminoles. Wars took place between the U.S. Government and the Seminoles as they tried to round up 5,000 Seminoles to oust them from Florida and send them on the Trail of Tears out to Oklahoma. They were successful in capturing and removing some Seminoles but ultimately a small band of 200 were able to head into the Everglades and evade capture. The government finally gave up and the Seminoles were the only Native American tribe never to sign a peace treaty with the US government. In their efforts to remove the Seminoles during the Second Seminole War, the US government set up a military road between Tampa and Fort Pierce. They set up forts along the trail including Fort Meade which became the town of Fort Meade. During the Third Seminole War, Willoughby Tillis and his wife Cecilia and seven children had heard of engagements between the Seminoles and white settlers so they moved from Tampa to be closer to Fort Meade. Travelers to the farm reported attacks by the Seminoles so the family moved within a mile of the fort and shared a house with Mr. Underhill who owned a pine log home and who was also seeking safety from his own primary residence. An account of what happened was given by son James Dallas Tillis and printed in a journal article. One Saturday morning, Cecilia Willoughby was out checking the cattle, and she saw the 30 to 50 Seminoles along the fence. They had planed to kill Mr. Willoughby and Mr. Underhill when they went out to tend the cattle in the morning but Mr. Willoughby had been up all night with the sick baby so Cecilia could rest, so instead she and the children went out in the morning. The family ran for safety in the house as they were fired upon. Luckily the cattle came between the Seminoles who were shooting and the family which gave them the time to escape. Mr. Underhill and Mr. Willoughby returned fire from the house. At one point one of the children who had been in the hay loft had to make a run for the house in a hail of bullets when the Seminoles tried to burn the barn. All of the families horses were shot and stabbed. The soldiers stationed at Fort Meade were alerted by a young boy who heard the shots and came to investigate. The seven soldiers were outnumbered but they charged the Seminoles anyway. Lt. Alderman Carlton, Lott Whidden, and William Parker were killed along with several Seminoles. Daniel Carlton in a fury to avenge his father's death rode to Fort Fraser where Cecilia Willoughby's brother was in command. He returned the next day with Captain Durrance and 50 soldiers. Durrance and his soldiers pursued the Seminoles and in the ensuing battle, 2 soldiers were killed along with 15 Seminoles including their leader and medicine man. Some of the remaining Seminoles were able to escape into the pine barrens. It is believed that this was the last engagement in the Third Seminole War. The bodies of the soldiers from the battle are buried underneath the obelisk. As long as they had not been touched by white soldiers, the Seminole would have taken their dead with them. It is believed the marker may be incorrect, because it was Florida Militia who participated at the battle, not members of the army. There is also a marker to the local veterans in the park along with a table and benches. You would not expect to find a graveyard in the middle of a park and the history here is fascinating and on the day I visited the beautiful azaleas were blooming.

Quiet, serene, honorable, mature trees, green grass, monuments, breeze, small walks. This park…read moreprovides a space to think, appreciate, and reflect. So many things happened to people over time; but the energy to create a space by the descendants is incredible.

This is not open!!! The walkway is closed off!!' Only picnic tables available. And they were…read moreworking in the bathrooms that left a chemical smell for the whole area Lots of parking at the top

This park was the site of a 460 acre open-pit phosphate mine until the early 1980s. The land was…read moredonated to the Polk County Parks and recreation Division in 1984. The park borders the Peace River floodplain. This park is south of Kissingen Spring, which was once one of Florida's major springs pumping more than 20 million gallons a day. It stopped flowing in 1950 as a result of the flow of the Peace River dropping due to the increase of phosphate mining in the area from mines like this one. The park has a peaceful one mile elevated boardwalk that winds through the shady floodplain forest out to the Peace River. Along the way interpretive signs give background information on the 1,800-square-mile Peace River basin. There is an additional 7.5 miles of multi use trails for hiking and horseback riding through wetlands and scrub in the reclaimed mine lands to the west. The parking lot is at the top of the hill and there is a restroom and picnic pavilion in the park. The park is known as a great place to bird watch. Birds that have been sighted here include limpkins, winter ducks, green-winged and blue-winged teal, hooded merganser, gray catbird, blue-headed vireo, American white pelican, and eastern meadowlark. Raptors that have been recorded here are the Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Swallow-tailed Kite. More than 25 wood-warblers have been found in the park like the Louisiana Waterthrush and the Chestnut-sided Warbler. Peace river Mosaic Park is open 7 AM to dusk. Admission is free. This is a great place to get your steps in and take in the natural beauty of Polk County.