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!

Several easy hiking trails make this a handy place to take a stroll. The terrain isn't very scenic…read morebut there is an observation tower that affords good views of the surrounding area. Unisex restrooms available at the parking lot. Free parking and admission.

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!

One of my favorite places to visit. From natural trails, tree canopies, various elevation, changes,…read moreand steps to a view of the bay and Sandi beaches. This is a must see if you are an outdoor person and love hiking or you'd like to just explore some of the plant life in history or you wanna launch a kayak or maybe wind sail this is a fantastic park.

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.

I saw a video on IG a few months back that stated this beach would make you feel like you were on a…read moreisland, so I had to check out Bean Point Beach. It was an hour plus drive south from my friends house in Gulfport to Anna Maria Island. Bean Point is the north point of the island. Be cautious if you park in a neighborhood as they will ticket you $75 if your car is touching the road. We find out the hard way:( We walked a few blocks and found a public beach access. When I saw the beach I couldn't believe my eyes. The water was a gorgeous color of blue/green! It was hard to belive this was Florida lol. We walked for a while and I found some pretty shells to take home from my adventure. This part of the beach wasn't too crowded which I loved. A few people were fishing and others were sitting and relaxing. While a few tourists were in the water. Brrrr it was too cold for me. I only let it hit my feet lol. I highly recommend checking out Bean Point Beach so you can see this lovely water and beach for yourself!

We checked all the beaches in Anna Maria Island, so of course we had to come to Bean Point. It…read morefeels like a more private beach, surrounded by vacation rentals, but it is still open to the public. Parking is not easy to find, and on weekends it is probably even harder. We came on a Thursday late afternoon, and it was already a bit difficult. There are no bathrooms or restaurants here, just you, the sand, and the ocean. It's quiet, peaceful, and not crowded at all. It feels romantic but also nice for families who want a calm beach day. It's definitely worth visiting, but it's less accessible than Coquina Beach or Manatee Public Beach.

I would have loved if we could have gone inside the museum... that's what the 1 star knocked off is…read morefor. But the rest of the grounds and displays were great! The beachfront walking trail and the story of deSoto's history from Spain described in full detail... I was not excited to hear how some of the horses had to be killed and eaten for survival purposes ... But back in the day, almost 500 years ago, I guess emergency survival food and water kits weren't readily available. Good idea to keep in your car, along with some TP. I would love to kayak around here. The water and the view were beautiful! There is a long route and a short route for walking, you also will learn about the different types of mangroves and other Florida native plants/trees. Definitely worth another visit, hopefully when the museum is open again, but my understanding is there's no one even answering the phones (even at the number on the sandwich board as you enter the park) so you'll never know when they will reopen.

Tony and I stopped today at DeSota Memorial Landing Park at Palma Sola FL just before crossing over…read moreto Anna Maria Island. The park is free to enjoy and hike around! If in the area you should definitely check it out!

Nathan Benderson Park is beautiful, well maintained, and while there are few trees for shade,…read moreoffers great trails for walking, running, or biking. There is also a shaded playground for children, some tables and seating area, restrooms, and good parking. The water and park is also used for international rowing competitions. The trails continue around the lakes over to the Aquarium and UTC Mall. I was there at sunrise for my walking and it was beautiful.

Watched July 3rd, 2026 fireworks here at Nathan Benderson Park. We parked by Foxtail Coffee for…read morefree, and walked over. They also had fees to park in parking lots starting at $30, but you still had to walk. The walk wasn't bad at all and luckily the rain finished and it wasn't as hot. We stayed at the part of the park before the bridge. It was a nice set up with a walking trail, grass, a few picnic tables, inside restrooms and a playground. Two or three food trucks. The other side of the park had more stuff along with the VIP area. Liked this side of the park since we could comfortably place our chairs down in the grass and be close enough to the bathrooms. The music was streamed from the other side. I didn't like it because it was orchestra and classical music the whole time. The fireworks were ok and you saw it on the distance not too far. But the music made it sleepy for me. This is just my reminder for next year. At least we had good parking, weather, seats, & clean restrooms. Line for them wasn't too bad.

The name is in reference to the winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus. Although I…read morecouldn't penetrate deeper that a couple of hundred yards beyond the entrance and posted signs, this 14+ acre preserve is another good place to go to explore. While walking the unpaved walking trails you'll be likely to see Res Shoulder Hawks, Barred Owls, you'll hear sing birds but don't just look up, keep one eye down as there's a good chance of crossing paths with some turtles. The bulletin of atomic scientists say that we're 90 seconds to midnight, the clock is meant to spark conversion of global catastrophe, the clock has never reached midnight but it's getting closer. Earth experienced it's hottest year, fires, floods, oil spills, viruses, mineral mining machines, resource scarcity and pollution, economic models, wars and now AI is threatening civilization in countless ways. We really don't want to get to midnight and we probably won't know it when we do. Admittedly I'm a doomer and I'm prepared but the search for safe spots is always ongoing and I like to map out new areas in the wooded places and areas that I can get to in a jiffy and set-up for the waiting while the industrial organism unwinds.

This was such a great experience that I wasn't really expecting. This layout a former military…read morebase and a lot of of the cannons are still intact. I just kept walking around this place thinking how cool would be that they maybe need to film a Michael Bay film here or even a zombie movie. I'm not sure if they're old prison cells or just storage but the doors are removed, but you can walk in. They've done a great job as far as keeping the structural integrity in place as well as preserving history. They have a gift shop with some snacks and ice cream in it and I also snagged a really cool hat and T-shirt combo for just 25 bucks. I took a lot of cool pictures and videos and was sending them to my elderly mother and she loved all of it. Great overall experience

We went to dog park by Bay Pier at De Soto…read more The signs are clear. The ground around the bathrooms are little untidy. The beach is clean.

Went to a donation based event in the park to see Christmas lights. Great way to see Santa and the…read moreGrinch for a reasonable amount of money (or free). It's been hard to find pictures with Santa for a reasonable amount in the area and now I know to come back here next year! Only thing I struggled with was walking to the entrance after I parked. Bring a flashlight!

Wonderful local park - great for a short hike, an educational trip regarding native plants or a…read moreplace to sit quietly and enjoy nature.

This was an easy jaunt from Tampa for the weekend. The "glampsites" are located in the Hillsborough…read moreState Park among all the regular camp sites. The accommodations are beyond comfortable- a/c, fan, fridge, coffee maker, outlets to charge devices, and a comfortable bed. We basically had the comforts of a hotel room while being on a camping trip. The esthetics and convenient set up ensures we'll definitely be back!

We went to Promised Land for our long awaited glamping experience only to be told that our…read morereservation had been cancelled. we were told that Timberline sent notification of such in an April email. Funny thing is.... we never received this email but lo and behold when we contacted them they were able to find our email and phone number. hmmmmm! Their irresponsible attitude leaves us bewildered. We will never have anything to do with Timberline again!,,