This is probably Apopka' best park - there's a large, modern, shaded, fenced playv area with things…read morefor younger and older kids. There's a lake with a dock, and plenty of green space and covered pavilion areas. There is also another park space across the street with another kid's play area. That one is an oldet style, but still nice and well-kept. There are tons of pavilions and grilling areas with nearby parking. You can really have your own space here. Overall, very nice park with all the bells and whistles.

My son and I came across this beautiful little gem of a park while looking through the map on the…read morelake Apopka wildlife Drive pamphlet. We decided to check it out. We were not disappointed! Boy, did we not expect to see what we saw! Peacocks! Just living their lives amongst this beautiful serene park. Just make sure to respect the wildlife here, as well as anywhere else. I did not approach the peacocks, I waited for the peacocks to approach me at a safe distance. This park is quiet, beautiful, relaxing, and fully equipped with playground equipment for all ages. It also has a volleyball court and nice pavilions that you can rent out and barbecue at. There are even campgrounds out here on the property. There are so many things that you can do here in this beautiful little oasis of a place. Come take advantage of all that you can see and do! Take my word for it. You will not be disappointed.

Was drawn to this park for all the boardwalk trails, but upon arrival we saw that the boardwalk was…read moreclosed and has been for some time. There were two different playground areas (one for younger children and one for older children). There were a a couple of micro trails that you could walk and plenty of parking. That was about it. There is a lot of potential here and I would love to come back one day when the boardwalk has been repaired and reopened.

Pets aren't allowed in a park that says pets allowed…read more Went on a rainy day and the worker said only service animals, google says pets allowed

Central Park is conveniently located next to the Winter Park Farmer's Market and also serves as the…read morelocation of a couple of Track Shack's Running Series presented by AdventHealth races. The Winter Park Road Race 2 mile/10k was the latest race to be held at Central Park. The park is clean and well maintained. The race day volunteers work hard to keep the area clean and litter free. Vendors set up on the park grounds and welcome participants while offering information, services, and various freebies and swag.

We went to the 47th annual Christmas in the Park in Winter Park. The Bach Festival Society did such…read morean amazing job! Absolutely beautiful music and the weather was perfect to sit outside and enjoy every minute! We took chairs, charcuterie nibbles and a bottle of wine with us. I always look forward to this every year!

We went to the preserve to see the firefly's. It is really a nice place to walk around and there is…read morea lot of people that work there to help you along. We walked out to the pier and saw the most beautiful sunset over the water. It was a little windy the afternoon we went so the fire flies were not out at the pier. As we were asking back we saw a lot of them in the woods. They were beautiful. This preserve has a lot of different events from 5k walks to live music.

I have been coming to Oakland Nature Preserve for years, and I can't recommend it enough! There is…read morea wonderful boardwalk that takes you out to a lake. The boardwalk is well-kept and they recently replaced it. It is an easy walk and full of Florida nature surrounding you. There is also an education building that has animals you can visit. The preserve also hosts events throughout the year that I definitely recommend you check out. Parking is free and there is lots to see here!

Shady Park is located in the historic Hannibal Square in Winter Park. Hannibal Square was founded…read morein 1881 as the African-American part of Winter Park. The residents provided the labor that built the town of Winter Park and they worked as domestic servants for wealthy families. The railroad tracks provided the dividing line in the town with whites living on the east side of the tracks and blacks on the west side. You can learn more about the history of this area at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center located across the street from the park. Shady Park is located next to a community center. There is a paved walkway, benches, and a gazebo. There is also a splash pad for kids to have wet fun. My favorite part of the park is Molecular dog. The sculpture was created by Miami artist Robert Chambers. Molecular dog is a five foot tall, eight foot long bronze sculpture of a dog. At first glance it looks like a blow up balloon sculpture but on closer examination it is the three molecule structure for propane. Chambers created the art work to highlight the qualities of propane that make it more environmentally friendly than gasoline. Liquefied petroleum gas is cleaner and cheaper than gasoline. It is also colorless and odorless. I really enjoyed learning about the history of this place and seeing the art sculpture. Although not as well known or trafficked as Central Park, Winter Park's larger and more well known park, this small park has it's charm.

Shady Park is a small park located on a side road and can be easily overlooked. It is pleasant…read moreenough, on this particular trip there was a large group of people enjoying a party under the gazebo. I am sure that this park serves the particular neighborhoods around it well. There are some great parks in the Orlando area and honestly this park gets overlooked and overshadowed (a bit of pun intended there) by those significantly larger parks. I would recommend that if you are in the area that this place wouldn't be the worst place to check out. I will say that our lord your Parks have more to offer and if you're looking for a destination type park, you would probably be better suited looking for one of them.

We love this hidden jewel for boating and jet skiing. I like the fact that this park is clean and…read morehas a beautiful beach to pull your boat/jet ski up to and a large sandy area for swimming. There is a sidewalk, picnic tables, a large grass parking area for trailers, and a wide grassy bank for setting up chairs, umbrellas, etc. Another BIG plus: bathrooms! And they flush!! The lake is not as large as some but there are usually less people than at many other Central Florida ski lakes so it makes it nice. It is great for skiing but you can also find a quiet spot for fishing because there is a small canal leading to another even less busy lake. They do have a fishing pier too. They just finished a renovation on the ramp (a double) so it is even nicer than before. The people who use the lake are often times more courteous than at many other, more popular lakes.

In the shadow of Orlando Executive Airport and just off an exit on 408 sits Colonel Joe Kittinger…read morePark. Most only know it as the fighter jet that you can see as you pass by on the highway, but today I decided to take a moment and check the park out. While the park offers little more than the aforementioned fighter jet, there is a playground for kids and a walkway. It also offers a good view of the small airport and any planes that might be flying in or out. All in all I am glad that I stopped here and saw beyond the jet and the view from the highway.

I think this is a very underrated and oftentimes forgotten park in the Orlando metro area. Sure, it…read moreisn't the biggest nor does it have a lot of parking. But you do get to look out over the water of Lake Underhill and see planes take off from the nearby Orlando Executive Airport. I personally think this is the perfect place to just relax and take your mind off of things as you plane spot and sit on the shore of the lake. You can also take the time to learn a little about Colonel Joe and his contributions. So please, don't overlook this park. It may be off the beaten path, but it is a very pleasant place to go to :)

Large playground with a good amount of variety in things to play with and explore. There is a…read morelittle kid structure and a bigger kid structure. It has a pirate ship theme which I thought was very cute. There is a section with instruments to play. There's a balance beam (haven't seen that at a playground nearby before). And there are two swings, one of which is a parent/child combo swing! So much fun for me too. Everything is fenced in, which is definitely a plus. It kept my child very entertained. My only comment is that, while there are shade canopies overhead, they don't do much to keep the sun out, so there aren't many shaded areas and things got hot and uncomfortable fast. It also made the play structure and slides a bit hot. We could have spent more time here but the sun was a killer. This is a better playground in fall and winter months.