This is one of my favorite national/state parks…read more Lots of armadillos. It goes without saying but watch out for snakes

This is the north beach parking area. You have to park and walk across the street to go to the…read morebeach but they have lights to notify drivers there are pedestrians. There are signs to pay for parking and it's really easy to do.

We wanted to walk on a quiet beach along the drive from St Augustine back up to Jacksonville. We…read morestopped at the North Beach of the Guana River Preserve. There is a parking lot on the west side of the road (the fee is $3.00, and there is a crosswalk over to the beach on the east side). This is the location where Ponce de Leon supposedly first identified Florida as a land mass and not just an island. There were a few people out on the beach, walking or looking for shells. It was a sunny day in January, with temps in the high 50's. I loved that it was not crowded or commercial. There are no services other than a parking lot and two (well-maintained porta potties). It was exactly what I wanted.

Small state park. $3.65 for all day parking access. Trails are available as well as fishing and…read moresome water sports. You can rent paddle boards and the water was super calm for trying your hand at it. Wildlife on trails. Saw an armadillo a few times, lots of lizards, birds, and lots of bugs. Great for bike riding too.

I love the trails here. Plenty of different distance options. First time I went I missed the 4…read moremile turn and did 6 by accident. Oops! It is all dirt trail. Some of the cut thrus are more worn than others. Some are a little bumpy to say the least. It's quite clean and well cared for. Bring some binocs and your Merlin bird app for some excellent birding to make the experience even better!

This was a really nice park and we will be back. After leaving a run down regional park we came…read morehere with our puppy to try a trail briefly. The trail was wide and peaceful.

It was shaded along the way. There were minimal tree roots, making it easy to push a stroller over…read more There are different marked paths along the way. We went to the beach at the end of the 1 mile hike and walked the beach, looking for shells, watching crabs scramble by, and enjoying the views. It is well maintained by maintenance crews, and there are several picnic benches at the beach. It was hot on the way back, but there was a restroom at the beginning of the trail and a pavilion with benches. There was plenty of parking, no crowds, and places to fish, kayak, paddle board, and boat.

Amy helped us by giving us an overview of the work the center does and answering our questions…read more She was incredibly friendly and informative! She clearly loves her work. The visitor's center is beautiful and interesting. Our eight year old was engaged by the exhibits and live animals. We did the yellow hike, which was perfect for a July morning. We saw tortoise and many different types of birds and enjoyed looking at crabs along the waterline. Really cool experience. I highly recommend!

Alejandro Garces Camp Tomahawk Park is a small but very cool park located at the end of a quiet…read moreside street on the southside of Jacksonville, Florida. It has a small but pleasant nature walk, a kayak launch, a children's playground, an open field, adequate parking, and more. There is a private residence on the grounds, so please be mindful of that. All in all, Alejandro Garces Camp Tomahawk Park is a wonderful park and a great place in particular for the residents of this quiet side street. We need parks like this in our communities. This is a wonderful place to come in respite. I would definitely recommend a visit here, especially if you are in the neighborhood or anywhere in the general area. I will give it five stars as an overall rating. Go check it out for yourself, I am confident that you will not be disappointed.

I had an unusual experience here only the second time I have been I am new to the area. I brought…read moremy kids to the playground and a strange woman struck up a conversation and would not leave us alone asking me all sorts of questions and often repeating herself. She continued on by playing with my children but did not have a child with her. A boyfriend was standing and waiting outside of the vehicle just smoking cigarettes. It gave me an uneasy feeling that either she was on drugs or they were involved in trafficking. I have since not gone back. It is a nice park otherwise and it's unfortunate some people have to ruin a good thing. I would just be mindful when you come here with your kids.

The sunrise eco kayak tour is fantastic! I had a friend visiting who loves birding, and our guide…read moreHayden had all of the local ecological knowledge to share. The sunrise tour was stunning -- truly the most beautiful time to be on the water as the birds and critters wake up. We're planning to book another tour to do the bioluminescence paddle at night as well. This sunrise tour is going on my list of best things to do in Jax -- it's truly NE FL at its best. Everything was super easy to book and Hayden had our gear ready and waiting to go, so we were able to get right on the water and see the full sunrise over the river.

The night time bioluminescent kayak tour with Hayden was FANTASTIC!!! Not only was he incredibly…read moreknowledgeable with tons of facts and information, he also made us laugh and feel very comfortable throughout the experience. It was very peaceful out on the water and seeing the bioluminescent creatures was exciting. Would definitely recommend!!

Great time today, park not crowded, weather a bit cool and not to much activity or sightings of…read morereptiles with the cooler temps, well worth the time spent, almost total silence except for a few of the birds in the area. All the employees are so friendly and helpful with any and all questions, each and everyone one them went out of their way to make your time spent them memorable. I highly recommend a visit there to learn about our ecosystem and how everything works together and how we have to treasure our little blue planet

Gateway to the Okefenokee Swamp through Folkston Ga is the best. Easy access, loads of parking…read more(for cars and trailers). Wildlife experience like no other. From gators to otters, small birds to eagles. Never ending plant and tree life that provide ample shade in spots for boats and kayaks alike. A great experience.

I do need to say up front that I have never kayaked in my entire life, so my review is from the…read moreperspective of an absolute novice. I've always wanted to try it, but it's one of those hobbies that seem to have a couple of barriers. Like, friends have invited me, but I didn't have a kayak to join them. Or I've looked at some of the tour groups, but I never wanted to be that first-timer that kind of holds up the rest of the group, y'know? When I found out my friend Kelly was going on this tour and she had only been kayaking once before, I figured that whatever happened, there'd be at least one other person in the same predicament. I am so glad I went!! The tour was PHENOMENAL. The tour guides bring everything you need - kayak, paddles, and life jackets, so you just have to drive yourself to the location and bring some water & snacks. There was some instruction before we all got in the water, but it's definitely one of those things where you just need to do it for a while before "getting" it. (I'm still not 100% that I got it, but I was way better at the end than at the beginning.) It was a smallish group, about 7 or 8 of us, and we were the only kayakers I saw the entire time we were on the creek. I only ran into two people (fortunately, the people I knew!), and only got stuck on a log once. But I got unstuck and learned to watch out for logs. The tour guides gave some follow-up instruction when I needed it (turning is hard), and the other folks in the group were super-nice and not once did I feel like I was THAT person slowing anyone down. You just kinda paddle forward, and sometimes run into logs if you need to stop. It gets easier after that. I saw 30 million turtles sunning themselves on the side of the creek, a baby snake merrily swimming along, some swallow-tailed kites, an orchid native to NE Florida, and someone tried to point out a baby alligator, but I did not see it. The weather was perfect and the setting was gorgeous. It was so blissfully quiet, as well. A lot of St. Augustine is about getting stuck in traffic, and that gets old real quick. Coming out to this quiet little pocket of uninterrupted nature was exactly what my brain and my soul needed. Two thumbs up, five stars, A++, highly recommend, would (and will!) go again!

Went for a two-hour kayak tour in a cove off the St. Johns River yesterday and had a wonderful…read moretime. Highly recommend it.