This historic 9000-acre park opened in 1931. It's considered an old growth forest and full of bald…read morecypress trees. There are a wide variety of endemic wildlife and plants. The main feature of this wonderful park was the boardwalk that goes through the swamp forest. Some really old trees that are possibly 1000 years old, is located in this park. There are nine trails, a campground, a playground, and a picnic area. There's a 3-mile loop trail for biking and driving. Also, a museum and concession built by the Civilian Conservation Corps; they constructed many buildings, bridges, and blazed trails in Florida State Parks. We were staying nearby and decided to explore this park. I enjoyed the historic land and old trees. The boardwalk was pleasant to stroll on; I saw quite a few memorial plaques. Generations of people walking on the same paths decades ago. It's a peaceful place and I'm glad they didn't turn it into farmland back in the 1930s.

This park is wonderful, plenty of trails, a cute store and just peaceful nature where you can see…read moreall kinds of birds, sometimes deer or gators and it's just a great place to visit.

I really wanted to love Lakes Park Children's Garden because honestly... the park itself is…read moreBEAUTIFUL. The location is great, it's gated, and at first glance it feels like the perfect spot to take kids, especially if you're just trying to kill time like we were before a flight. But I'm going to be real, the safety concerns completely changed the experience for me. It gets VERY crowded, and there's a big mix of people coming in and out. There were tons of kids, which is expected, but a lot of them were not supervised and were honestly pretty rough/mean. It didn't feel like a calm, safe environment where you can just let your kids play without constantly hovering. Also... the slides were SO hot. Like, borderline unusable hot. That alone was frustrating. The biggest issue for me though was the bathrooms. They are far from the main play area, and as a mom, there was no way I felt comfortable letting my kids go alone. When I did go, the bathrooms were extremely dirty, and I noticed syringes in a nearby area which was honestly alarming. That completely shifted my level of comfort. It also gave off the vibe that it's a place where people hang out who aren't necessarily there for the park, if that makes sense. I will say again, the park itself is beautiful and has so much potential. But just because it's gated doesn't mean it's actually safe. If you go, just be VERY vigilant, especially if you have more than one child. This is not a "sit back and relax" kind of park in my opinion.

All Children's Park is a brand new playground along the Caloosahatchee River in Centennial Park in…read moredowntown Fort Myers. The full name of the playground is the Lizbeth Benaquisto Inclusive Playground, in honor of the former state senator who pushed the legislation that set aside state funds for the playground."We were very particular there was going to be a playground that was successful for kids with very unique abilities," Benaquisto said at a January 2021 council meeting. "They have never had a safe place to play." The playground has swings, slides, and numerous climbing structures. I love all of the uniquely Florida touches like the puffer fish, manatee, and the Model T car in honor of Henry Ford who had a winter home in the city along with Thomas Edison. This is one of the nicest playgrounds I have ever seen and the kids playing on it we're having a ball. Best of all it is ADA accessible so children of all abilities can enjoy it. The new playground is a fantastic addition to Centennial Park.

Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda has that easygoing, waterfront charm that makes you want to…read morelinger, even if you miss the big show at sunset. I arrived too early for the evening colors, which is a bummer, but the park still delivers plenty to enjoy. There are picnic tables, shaded spots, and enough open space for families to spread out and make a day of it. The fishing crowd was out in full force, and the boat launch gives you direct access to Charlotte Harbor, which adds a nice sense of motion and purpose to the shoreline. The only real disappointment is the boardwalk. It is completely closed and visibly buckled, likely from hurricane damage, and it leaves a quiet gap where a scenic stroll should be. Even so, the park holds its own as a relaxed, functional waterfront stop with a lot of local life happening around it. [Review 1591 of 2025 - 2171 in Florida - 25141 overall]

Small relaxing beach with facilities and things for kids to do. Beautiful views of Charlotte Harbor.read more

We had a great time walking the preserve. There is a parking lot with a handicapped porta potty on…read moresite that was clean. My sister and I planned to walk a few miles so we brought a backpack cooler with drinks and lunch. We walked a total of 6.5 miles. Most the of the trails did have some shade. There were numerous benches to sit throughout the preserve. We did end up coming to a dead end and had to crawl under the Bob wire fence but was totally worth it as the trail was trees lined and absolutely beautiful. We did see some cattle that moved out of our way. Lots of birds and some baby gators. It was a very nice hike and was worth it. We seen two other people on horses on the trails but besides that very peaceful.

I'm so glad that Walton Ranch Preserve is opened to the public…read more Great walking place and what is even more exciting it is a wonderful biking area. You can bike for miles on well kept dirt roads,best time to go is the dry season,after rain the Preserve could flood. I loved biking through the Cattle fields.Beautiful and timeless experience. Lots of cows few babys too.So beautiful and peaceful. Walton Ranch Preserve is not well known even by the locals,it only went public a few years ago. So this place is never too busy.Planty of free parking. Only has a porter potty,no real restrooms. Bring planty of water and plan your trip ahead. Not all the trails are well marked,so best if you make a map before heading out for your first hiking trip. As far as biking the best way to go is north from the parking lot kinda towards the Myakka State Forest although it is a long way from there. I think the farthest we went was about 8 miles. Beautiful,beautiful unspoiled Florida. For that 8 miles it was flat,hard packed dirt road,easy to ride even with a bicycle without any gears. No motorized vehicles. Safe with the kids. Minimal traffic. My only wish would be that I could take my dog on a leash here. Other than that it is fairytale like!

This large park is Wauchula's main recreation area, offering quite a lot of outdoor sporting…read moreactivity opportunities. The park has a playground, picnic tables, walking paths, tennis courts and a pickleball court. The tennis courts looked to be in pretty awesome condition and are surrounded by high fences with multiple entrances. The playground has some climbing and some slides. At the moment, it is completely exposed to the sun but I suspect that the four tall green posts may support some sort of cover during the regular season. There is parking available along 7th and 8th Avenues. [Review 16808 overall - 1532 in Florida - 321 of 2022.]

We had a great time! We have done airboat rides in the Everglades and they were okay but they were…read morevery short. We went fast for quite along time and saw a ton of alligators. Captain Dave explained many things about the gators, buzzards and eco system to us. My grandkids and my kids along with us had a wonderful time and can't wait to go again. Also, it was an hour ride! Worth the time and the money. Cathy S

This park was off the beaten track for me but it is well worth seeking out. I wasn't sure what to…read moreexpect when I had to to turn down a remote road past a ramshackle trailer. Fortunately the adventure turned out okay. Istokpoga Park is located on the north shore of the 28,000 acre Lake Istokpoga, the fifth largest lake in Florida. It is believed that Istokpoga is from the Seminole language and means a lake where someone was killed in the water. Legend has it that several Seminoles drowned in the lake while attempting to cross it. The lake is only four to six feet deep and it is fed by the Arbuckle and Josephine Creeks. Despite being shallow, the lake can be dangerous for boaters during windstorms when the waves can get high. The lake is well known for fishing. Lake Istokpoga is home to alligators and it attracts many species of birds including the endangered snail kite. It is also home to one of the largest number of Osprey nests in the United States. When I pulled into the park I was greeted by two sandhill cranes. They are a large species of crane but we don't have them as far south as I live. You only start seeing them north of Palm Beach. If you have ever met one of these characters you would know. YouTube is filled with videos of them squawking at their image in peoples windows. They do not care about you and often block the streets at my daughter's UCF campus. I love their don't give a flip attitudes. During my visit to the park I also spotted a limpkin. Istokpoga Park has amenities that include a double boat ramp, covered picnic tables, grills, bathrooms, nature trails, boardwalk, and fishing pier. This is a beautiful park perfect for bird watching, photography, fishing, and picnics.

My baby loves the playground, she doesn't walk yet but she can crawl up the stairs and go down the…read moreslide without getting stuck. I really like coming to this park it's very nice and quiet.

This park is great for adults and kids offering a skate park and basketball court for the community…read moreand 2 playgrounds for the little to run around its nicely shaded and for a bonus they have a splash pad! This was my second visit and both visits have been wonderful and we always meet super nice people. They do have bathrooms are the recreation center to change after the splash pad and 1 vending machine. Overall I think they take very good care of this park and it's definitely a family friendly fun place to visit.

This is such a picturesque park. We went over the holidays, and man... was it packed. The line…read moreto enter went out onto route 72. We waited about 15 minutes to get into the park. That being said, the park didn't feel crowded. We did do the canopy walk... that was a little crowded but moved right along. The swing bridge to cross over sides is always fun. The view from the top... so pretty! There weren't as many alligators the day we went, but still a sight to see. The hikes and drives through the trees is great too!

My grandkids wanted to see alligators while they were visiting, and a friend told us about this…read morepark. We saw numerous alligators, it was great! We went on New Year's Eve and it wasn't overly busy. We were able to park right on the other side of the bridge, and walk back onto the bridge where we could stand to look at the many alligators on the banks of the river. We drove through the park and stopped at a few places where we could park and get out and walk. The kids got to walk on the swinging bridge while this Oma sat on a bench that was conveniently close by. I hope to make visiting this park a tradition for many years to come.

Well maintained, regional park slightly out of the way but still close to Tampa that emits Old…read moreFlorida vibes. Arrive before 10 am if you want to swim in the spring for the first session. We arrived slightly late and instead did the trail and had some delicious BBQ from Mr. Blake. The redish-brick tanning of the river / stream is quite lovely. Bring suncsreen, bug spray and plenty of water. We went in June and enjoyed a serene 2 hour visit.

Came to Lithia Springs a couple times this week one for their nature hike which was very clear of…read moredebris easy to walk through. Also we learned that they open at 8am & the spring doesn't open until 9am so when we went today, we were the first to go in. The water was very clear and calm. We saw some fish swimming around the spring and a couple ducks that were hanging out in the water. It was so peaceful until it started getting packed then we decided to leave. But not bad for being local.