I love Payne Park…read more I do NOT like too many of the people that use it. Recently, the number of unsupervised kids that are riding their bikes, scooters, and electric do dads are inconsiderate with their use of the sidewalks, their total lack of attention to their surroundings and other people. These kids need more adult supervision and parents need to take more time teaching them manners. I also am taking exception to the growing number of pet owners that think THEIR dogs don't need to be properly trained, leashed, or picked up after. The 5 O'Clock group of owners that let their dogs off theie leads and let them just take over a section of the park is non-sense. Read the signs. That is not acceptable. On several occasions, while just walking I have been run up on by dogs showing their teeth. I stop, sayd nice doggy and then move on. But some day, if I do get bit by one of these unruly monsters, their entiled owners will owe me money they haven't even made yet. I would like to see more of a park police presence for a while to get the kids and dog owners back to being decent people. And to the people that are feeding the ducks and squirrels, STOP. Read the signs. You aren't doing the wildlife any favors by feeding them and you aren't doing the other people that use the park any favors either. Payne Park is beautiful; a great place to enjoy the out of doors and the wonderful weather in Sarasota. Kids and Pet owners don't have the right to ruin the experience for everyone else. Oh, and teenagers, we know you are smoking pot there. Move away from the popular walking areas. Your weed smell like skunk butt.

4 stars because the bathrooms are closed currently due to a leak . But other than that this is a…read moresuper cute place to go to and bring your toddler. This park has a variety of activities / slides , tjings to climb oh and there's a skate park on the other side. Plus the trails are nice walking here.

Love bird key park. It's on the smaller size but that's what makes it so nice! There's a walkable…read morearea into the water, wide sidewalk, greenery, water fountains, parking lot, and a shaded large picnic table. So perfect for anyone looking to park and walk the bridge or to enjoy the scenery without being overcrowded.

Every time we visit Sarasota, we love to turn off the Ringling Bridge and park at Bird Key Park and…read morewalk around looking at the water, the birds, the trees, and the Ringling Bridge. There is a nice paved walkway to the bridge. The tourists and locals love to walk down there and just hang out under the bridge. The views are great!! There are benches along the way to rest. The park is well taken care of and very popular with ealkets and runners and fishermen.. The parking is along the waterfront with a lot of parking spaces. You can walk your dogs as long as you clean up after them. We usually go there in the morning and again in the evening. Beautiful photo ops also.

I think this place is swell. Top notch organization on all fronts. i strongly recommend a visi…read more check with the website Before hand. They have so many free activities and some really amazing events!

Love this park even more. Decided to come here at night, and it was a good choice. There are lights…read moreat night so you can walk which was perfect so we can walk our pup. We also went by the lounge chairs closer to the bay. It was so comfy at night to sit here. We fell asleep since it was so relaxing. The park is so cute with whimsical birds as part of the playground. A huge grassy area for walking was nice and comfy too. We brought a snack to eat at the tables and our pup had his dinner too. This was def a great choice! Parking was street parking and it was free.

Nice place Kids enjoyed burning off the much needed food…read moreintake from Oleary's. Nice layout. Love that shade option. Keep up the great work. Will return when in the area! Respectfully, Bryan Oklahoma City

Nice park with a half a mile walking loop that is close to the marina, lots of nice boats. There's…read morea restaurant located on the premises that I didn't get to try. Enjoyed the swing bench and watching the water while exploring Sarasota. There's a lot of art featured here also. The huge parking lot is three hours max I believe.

This is a great big park near the Englewood History Museum. A playground is between them. A…read morehistorical marker discusses the former airport that was on the site and Tamiami Trail (road to Miami) history. I think group camping events use this area? Dogs are allowed only in the trail section. Some native plantings would be a great addition to the very very large grassy areas. But green space is always good. Park it!!!

We were driving back to our vacation rental and came across this park. We stopped so the kids could…read moreplay for a while! It was a nice playground with somewhat clean restrooms.

Nice park, grandson loved it, had some hiking trails also that were nearby and nice. Had enough…read morestuff to keep the grandson busy for an hour.

Park is simple and well kept with areas for toddlers and older children. Bathrooms are maintained…read moreand have seen workers cleaning them and maintaining the pavilion area.

Beautiful park in a rapidly shrinking green space in the once beautiful Sarasota, FL. Park staff…read moreare great, friendly, helpful and generally lovely. Once you're through the entrance, you can pretend Sarasota hasn't been invaded by cancerous northerners who have absolutely trashed the city and destroyed everything in their wake. You can appreciate what Sarasota once was, beautiful, natural, and covered in flora and fauna. God save Oscar Scherer!

To get into the park with one person, it is $4; decent price. The woman at the entry was friendly,…read moregave me a map and a suggestion as where to start hiking since it was windy and cold when I arrived. I definitely got my money's worth, walking a little over 13 miles of trails. Most of the trails are well marked, but I did find it hard to navigate some of the trails resulting in me making a couple circles before I found the correct direction... but, extra steps aren't a bad thing, right?! There is a big lake along one of the trails. I was hoping to see a lot of wildlife here, but it wasn't super active. I did see about four different types of birds. There are a good amount of restrooms available as well as areas to have a picnic. I think most of the trails are doable for all levels of fitness as I saw several benches to rest along the way; they are also marked on the trail maps. I only went to explore for the day, but there are many campsites, a nature center, playgrounds and a beach area that I spotted in my park travels.

Great area for bird watching!…read more We parked in the free lot, climbed some of the hill, and then crossed the street for a short walk to the water viewing wooden piers. We were able to see some great birds and the water was beautiful. Very peaceful area that we could've easily spent more time in. It was sweltering outside so make sure to bring a sun umbrella, hat, and water.

We visited Celery Fields on a recent Monday morning, with the hope of seeing and photographing…read more sandhill cranes, roseate spoonbills, and other birds. We were partially successful. There are 2 buildings adjacent to the main parking lot at Celery Fields. Each has a purple martin house, and both of these were very active when we were there. One of the buildings houses Audubon Society volunteers who can advise you where to see birds. There's a small garden outside of this building that's worth a visit. The other building, on the opposite side of the parking lot, has rest rooms. There's a crosswalk across Palmer Blvd. near the parking lot, leading to a boardwalk over a marshy area. A recent rain attracted quite a few birds when we were there in mid-March 2026. At the end of the boardwalk there's a gazebo for observing the birds. Another marshy area and gazebo is along Raymond Rd. Parking is available on the grass along the road. There was lots of bird activity. We saw many varieties, including herons, egrets, a caracara, a northern harrier, ibises, wood storks, gallinule, osprey, anhinga, and many others. There are lots of trails near the marshes, in addition to the boardwalks. Celery Fields is a great spot to go hikng and birding. Sunscreen is advisable because most of the areas are not shaded.