Bright as the day is, but a new addition to a new addition to Bradenton! My heart breaks slightly…read morefor the older houses and undeveloped land that used to be here, but progress shines brightly on Bradenton, and this park is a wonderful example of that! There's doggy poo bags, and I'm not sure why, but across the street is another unlabeled park with a smaller playground in the shade and it's absolutely strange. They have astroturf and fake mounds, I cannot fathom why. It's only lacking a hole and some golfers... Either way, untapped park that I've never noticed before!

Really great walking or biking path right along the water. Plenty of places to park and watch the…read moregorgeous Florida sunsets, dip your toes into the water, you could even launch your boat or kayak from here. The biggest perk is dogs are allowed which is pretty hard to find a nice beach area for dogs in this area. Definitely a nice spot to get some exercise in and enjoy the sun with your pups!

This is the first intercoastal you will pass as you go to Anna Maria Island. One can hang out with…read moretheir dog and play fetch here. Sit by the water without walking to far from the car, launch a jet ski or a kayak, or just plain chill. It would be a 100% perfect spot if the traffic from the road wasn't there. It is still a good spot! You Can wade in the water here too, but depending on the time of the year there may be more seaweed. When you face the water, the view is nice and you could be looking at the view of the huge beach side mansions or the nice blue water. There is a bathroom on the causeway that is covered

lovely well maintained outdoor preserve Great way to take…read morein Nature & the natural Beauty of Florida I think the grounds keepers do a Great job !! Kudos to them and all their Hard work

Very nice spot for an early morning excursion to see if we could find manatees! It was hot hot hot…read more but the hike to the observation tower was short and full of fun things to see!! We found a pond full of birds, two lizards on a bench, fish jumping out of the water and the tower itself is very tall and quite a sight! We had the best time and it is a very nice trail. We saw walkers, runners and bikers so good for all sorts of activities! Plenty of parking, quiet and serene. Get out there early or late in the evenings to avoid the heat bring plenty of water, wear sunscreen and stay on the path and you'll have a great time!

Wow, this is not the beach, the Riverwalk is something to be seen. There's tons of seating along…read morethe riverwalk. Everything from metal benches facing the water to these really cool cement lounge chairs that are actually comfortable to sit in as well. Along the river walk there are really cool our installations as well as a playground for families. My two favorite things to see while walking on the river walk where the dolphins swimming in the water. Yes actual dolphins in the water that you could see so cool. The other thing which might not be exciting to some people, but I thought it was cool was being able to see a train that goes across the river and the bridge that lifts some of the tracks up so that boats can go by. From the hotel we stayed at we could have walked about 15 minutes to the downtown area where there's some restaurants and shops to go to.

A 2 mile long Riverwalk along the Manatee River. We walked past a skate park, over train tracks,…read moresplash water park, playgrounds, an amphitheater & some art installations. This is an expansion of Rossi Park between the Green and DeSoto bridges. There were clean shady seating & lots of signage about the Riverwalk. There were cameras & we felt very safe.

Emerson Point is one of those how-is-this-not-more-famous? kind of places. Whether you're into…read morehiking, biking, kayaking, or just soaking up the views, there's always something fun to do. The hiking trails are great, the kayak launches make it easy to get out on the water, and the observation tower is a must--climb to the top for an awesome bird's-eye view, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge showing off in the distance. There are plenty of picnic spots, plus a pavilion with nearby restrooms (always a win). One of our favorite things is walking out to the Portavant Temple Mound, where helpful signs bring the area's history to life. And if you're looking for photo ops, this place delivers--nature shots, family photos, you name it. We've had ours taken here more than once. No matter if you're exploring, relaxing, or snapping pictures, Emerson Point always has beauty waiting around the corner. There's even a welcome center near the pavilion to get you started. A perfect spot to wander, relax, and fall a little in love with Florida!

This was our first time here and there is so much more to explore! We drove all the way to the…read morepoint and parked in the lot. There are portable bathrooms there and a lot of small beaches. We walked and stopped and enjoyed the water! We brought the bike and scooter and stroller but didn't get a chance to use them this time although there are plenty of good sidewalks to use! We will be back!

Yesterday I went to the dog beach. I also stopped by North Beach for a bit, and the East Beach at…read moreFort De Soto. Being that it's pretty much at the tail end of Snowbird season there wasn't many people here. I liked all three beaches I actually saw zero dogs at the dog beach. Guess it was just bad luck. North Beach had some people spread out. I was only there for about 30 minutes. My favorite was the east beach which had next to nobody and was extremely quiet. Also had the barge which I took a picture of. At least the beaches were relatively clean and you could sit on the sand for a while and hang out. Very calming, peaceful, and serene.

This was our favorite pet friendly beach we went to during our vacation. The waves were less harsh,…read moreso our Border/Aussie had a lot more fun and was more brave while swimming (she is used to lakes and rivers, not big ocean waves). Our Aussie loved making new friends and everyone we encountered at this beach was incredibly friendly. Our dogs even made friends with another tri-color Aussie while we were there. There are lots of shells to find and collect for the humans and the sand is no where near as hot as Brohard Beach in Venice. We didn't have to put our dogs' boots on to protect their paws from the heat, so they got to free roam and have more fun. I think with the location and the calmer waters, this beach gets a lot more fun wildlife sightings- right before we got there a pod of dolphins and a manatee swam by. And while we were out in the water we had a baby sting ray swim past us. Brohard was also a lot busier than Fort Desoto, so it the laid-back atmosphere was nice. Fort Desoto has an enclosed dog park, but I don't think it had separate areas for big/small dogs like Brohard does. (I am not 100% sure on that since we did not use it, but it appeared to only be one large fenced-in area.) Fort Desoto also does not have a designated pet wash station like Brohard does, but we stayed until sunset and let the dogs air dry as best as they could and then rubbed their fur down with towels before they got in the car.

A current five that is probably descending into a three which won't make it a four. Why? My retired…read moreLAPD buddy has the inside track on new plans to cut 17th Street Dog Park in half and add T-ball for kiddos that probably won't use it and don't really need to either. I played college baseball and I started out in my backyard hitting balls off a Brooklyn Union Gas cone, by myself with a Louisville Slugger that was bigger than me. I could barely get it off my shoulder but I wanted a professional baseball bat so badly and Santa came thru. This park has lots of grass so the large breeds can really open up and tear arse up and down, left and right and back again. Because you see, with grass they gain traction and dogs are less likely to dig holes which could cause a leg break. But let's destroy the parks of largest the loves that some families have and live to dictate our pleasures by their lives by their noise machines that are far too young to be playing this type of game. Basketball no football no baseball no tennis no golf no volleyball no soccer yes. But annoying parents on these silly boards of the who knows who, the corrupted the selfish just to see little Johnny in a uniform with the helmet fifty times too big that little Johnny can't even see. Awwww, how cuuuuute.. They can point to first base if little Johnny makes contact because little Johnny has no idea which way to run and will likely disobey and run towards third base anyway and I suppose that's good for more laughs whilst I cringe and steam. It's so cute for these follies to play out every weekend for two hours to a nail biting, exciting and riveting zero zero tie -- for the entire season. Two hours a week to take half the park? Nice planning necks.

Only GOD loves you more than your DOG! #ReflectDogs Love &…read moreForgiveness If it had a water feature it would most certainly be a five-star Park! It has a very nice double-gated entry and it has multiple places to sit that are shaded by trees in groupings all over the park. There are a couple nice water stations as well as book bag dispensers and trash cans spaced all throughout the park. There is more than enough room for your dog to get a good run going no matter how big it is. It seems like a pretty mellow and calm crowd! There is a cool little Beach area in the back that has the agility items in it. You can park right outside of the dog park on a nice dirt lot.

its a lovely place to walk, although it needs better, more clear signage for its mile markers. It…read moreis 3.4 miles around the lake. But you dont know where the starting and ending points are. Shame there isnt more shade around the park. In hot days there is no escape from the sun.

One of our preferred locations to enjoy the thrilling spectacle of these incredible teams…read morecompeting! And of course you can't help but even see the wonders of a cat on a leash! let's GO Lake County rowing