Sorry locals, I'm telling your secrets…read more This is where the manatees can be seen on those rare cold days, because, I guess, the canal water is warmer. They look like big rocks and kinda smell. The other park amenities here are geared towards exercise.

Great park, beautiful fountain, nice dock area for seeing wildlife. Tried the kayak launch and dock…read morethis weekend. The kayak slide was too thin for my yak (36") but would work nice for smaller kayaks under 34" wide probably. Walk in launch was very nice. Water level is very low. I won't be using this launch in future as to get to main canal, you have to shimmy through a tunnel under the road, fill with spider webs (clean now that I went through lol). Beautiful park and ball field here.

Ais Trail Park is a great place for all ages and abilities to hike. This 18 acre parcel was the…read morelast undeveloped property along Turkey Creek in Palm Bay when it was purchased from the Sterner family in order to preserve it in its natural state. The park gives you access to the Ais Trail, a .6 mile loop, natural earth trail. The park and trail are named for the Ais people, a group of Native Americans that lived in eastern Florida. Their territory included coastal areas and islands from Cape Canaveral to the Indian River. The best account we have of these people comes from the journal of Jonathan Dickinson which recorded their appearance, diet, and customs. Dickinson and his party spent several weeks with them when they were shipwrecked in 1696. By 1760 the Ais were extinct as a result of enslavement, war, and disease. I really enjoyed my hike on the Ais Trail that traverses through scrubby flatwoods, sand scrub, hardwood hammock, mangrove shoreline, and a brackish creek ecosystem. Plants you will encounter will include Hickory and Loblolly Bay trees, American Beauty Berry, ferns, hog plums, wild olives, native rosemary, cabbage palms, saw palmettoes, slash and longleaf pines. The trail was mostly shaded and part of it was on a boardwalk where I met several large Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers. If you want a longer hike you can connect from the Ais Trail to Dewar Park via a boardwalk. In addition to the trail, the park also has a fishing pier on Turkey Creek, canoe and kayak launch, pavilion, and restroom. The park is open daily, 7am until sunset.

This is a small primitive park, but a nice walking path. Also a short boardwalk…read more I was told by a frequent visitor that he has seen a few bobcats.

This huge preserve is 35 square miles. Admission is free. The preserve was created when the state…read moreof Florida bought up large tracts of land in 1995 to preserve the watershed to the St. Sebastian River and the Indian River Lagoon. In addition to protecting the water the land also protects rare and endangered species of plants and animals. The preserve is made up of grassy forests and the long leaf pine that was common before the development of Florida. Here you will find the biological communities of cypress dome, scrubby flat woods, sand hills, and strand swamp. The preserve contains one of Florida's largest populations of scrub jays, a species listed as vulnerable. Many native plants and animals make their home here including over 50 protected species. Animals that can be found here include the red-cockaded woodpecker, Bachman's sparrow, Eastern indigo snakes, bald eagles, wild turkeys, river otters, bobcats, and tortoises. This preserve is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Travel in the preserve is along unpaved roads. There is a buffer road that runs along the C-54 canal. In November through March you can find manatees in the canal. There is a platform to view them at the end of the buffer road. The preserve is divided into quadrants by the Fellsmere Canal and by I-95. Each quadrant has long hiking trails. There are over 60 miles of hiking trails through 22,000 acres of wilderness. There is a visitor's center at the entrance that is staffed Friday through Sunday. You can hike, bike, or horseback ride the preserve. From this preserve you can canoe, boat, and fish the St. John's River. There are six primitive camp sites which can only be reached by hiking. Hiking trails include red, yellow, and blue and can be rough because they are also used by horses. Along some of the trails you can see the remains of homesteads from when the land was used for growing citrus, ranching, turpentining, and logging. The preserve contains a portion of the rails to trails path, a hiking and biking trail along the abandoned Trans Florida Central Rail incorporated in 1924. The surface of the trail hasn't been decided on yet and there are few signs marking it. As a sign in the park says this is the real Florida. Photographers, nature lovers, hikers, and equestrians will love exploring this vast open wilderness. Come see Florida the way Mother Nature intended.

I love this place but recently an employee decided to take the closed at sunset very seriously…read more Don't be a minute late from the time Google says the sun will set or she will lock you in the park. Ask me how I know...lol. You have been warned.

Maritime Hammock Sanctuary is along the Indian River Lagoon Preserve State Park. Trails connect the…read moretwo parks. This preserve protects 150 acres of natural coastal hammock, marshlands, and mangroves along the Indian River Lagoon. It is the largest intact maritime hammock in Brevard County. There is a 3.5 mile loop trail from the North Trail Head to the South Trailhead and back. The trail crosses two bridges, a boardwalk over wetland areas, and there is an observation deck over a marsh pond which is an excellent spot for bird watching. At the north trailhead you will find several grassy parking spaces. There used to be a plant nursery here but the non native plants have been removed. Along the hiking trail you will see wild coffee and marlberry in the understory along with white stopper, gumbo limbo, and oak trees covered in resurrection ferns. Animals that make their home here include raccoons, alligator, black racer, golden orb weaver spider, great egret, and osprey. Throughout the preserve are middens, a kind of ancient garbage dump left by the prehistoric Ais who used to live here. The midden are hilly areas marked by shells. Due to the extreme heat I could not make it through the entire hike but I enjoyed what I was able to complete. Most of the trail I was on was shaded. Note that during the rainy season, parts of the trail may be flooded. I recommend coming on a cool day and bringing water and bug spray.

A really nice walk located on south A1A. About 1 to 2 miles depending on chosen route. Some ponds…read morewith gators and birds. Nice vegetation including wild orchids at times, wild coffee and gumbo limbo trees. Pretty well marked. You shouldn't get lost. No dogs or bikes allowed.

I had an enjoyable visit to Riverwalk Park and Nature Center in Rockledge. This 6.37 acre community…read morepark is now a family friendly, nature centered destination that will inspire a love of the outdoors among its youngest visitors. It wasn't always that way. In 1999 the park was named Hoo-Hoo Park from a fraternal order of lumbermen called Hoo Hoo International that contributed to the building of the park's boardwalk. A Sheriff's Office sting operation arrested 32 men on sex charges. Over 300 people were charged with improper sexual activities during the 10 years the park was open. Brevard County closed the park and worked on rebranding it for the community with a new name, Riverwalk Family Park. They added a nature center and invested $275,000 in park improvements. Today this a destination anyone who loves nature would be happy to visit. I started out in the charming nature center where I met Tommy, Pringles, and Chips, the resident turtles who swam right up to the glass to say hi. The nature center has displays about the animals and plants that live near the Indian River, maps and information on other local nature parks, and it also offers nature programs. On the day I visited they had binoculars for use in the park and free water color painting set up. Behind the nature center is a 915 foot boardwalk that takes you to the Indian River Lagoon. Although it is shorter compared to other nature boardwalks in Brevard County, it is the perfect length for the same children who would enjoy the nature center. In 2016 Riverwalk Park received a $20,000 grant from the National Recreation and Park Association. They used the money to build a Nature Explore Classroom set between the trees of the nature preserve. The interactive play zones radiate around a central grassy area with an old tree stump as the focal point. Some of the areas are a water play area, plants and play, a deck for tree forts, and musical instruments. The park also has a picnic pavilion, restrooms, and a butterfly garden.

Excellent little boardwalk path. Fun to enjoy when no one else is there…read more I love the unique rock formations by the water, though I was surprised how short the walk is. Wish the boarded path would lead over the ravine and into a nice picnic/play area. I like how some of the plants along the walk are marked. Did not appreciate the cigarette butts by the water. This isn't the park's fault, but all it takes is one negligent person to destroy everything.

I was driving through Palm Bay when I spotted a pirate ship on the side of the road so I had to…read morestop and check it out. The pirate ship is actually part of a playground for kids in Arc Park. Children can climb the ship and slide down I pirate ship as they live out their buccaneer adventures. This park also has benches, picnic tables, and port--a-potties. In the back of the park is a pond where I watched native Florida wading birds. Local anglers fish the pond for bass and bluegill. A sign in the park identifies it as a haven for sandhill cranes. They are a large species of crane known to frequent the edges of bodies of water. According to the sign they are listed as a state threatened species. They don't live in South Florida but I have spotted them in Stuart and above. While I missed the sandhill cranes I did spot some egrets and herons by the pond. This is such a nice neighborhood park. The pirate themed playground sparks the imaginations, there is a large field for unstructured play, and the pavilion is a fun spot for a cookout. Parents do have to keep an eye on the kids because while the playground is fenced in, the pond has no barriers.

Good Park For Kids To Unwind…read more It's a smaller park but a good spot to let the kids unwind. A Little Rock climbing wall is fine for them, too bad it's not just a bit bigger and a bit more.

Peaceful place to take a scenic walk. Love watching the birds along the water ways. Sometimes, you…read moremight even see someone fishing. Note: no motorboats are allowed in this park.

I love a stormwater park. They help the environment by capturing and retaining stormwater runoff…read morepreventing flooding in the surrounding areas. The pond plants removes pollutants from the water leaving it clean. This particular Stormwater Treatment Area removes an estimated 80% of the total nitrogen and 56% of total phosphorous, along with 79% of sediments and suspended solids. Left untreated stormwater leads to algal blooms, muck deposits, fish kills, and other environmental problems. This retention area protects the Indian River Lagoon. These ponds also attract a variety of wildlife including Florida's beautiful wading birds. There are two parking areas on the south side of Englar Drive, located between Barber Street and Schumann Drive. The first parking lot has a path through the woods before emerging at the stormwater retention ponds. If you choose to go through the woods you will go through oak hammocks, pine flatwoods, scrub and herbaceous wetlands. This area of the park is a refuge to three threatened species. In this area of the park I encountered the largest pileated woodpecker I have ever seen taking out huge pieces of a tree. The other parking lot leads right to the pond for those who would prefer not to go through the woods. Here you will find a natural earth trail that goes over a bridge and winds around the retention ponds. Expect to see herons, egrets, and ibis. This is a very beautiful place to walk around. I saw a lot of people enjoying the trails with their leashed dogs. This was such a wonderful discovery. Shout out to my friend Jim B. who is an amazing photographer and who added it to Yelp so I could find it.

Interesting park in Sebastian…read more The nature trails have many different types of habitats. Look for water birds in the wetlands. Saw several egrets and a few cranes. The park also has oak trees and pines as well. Great an unexpected find in Sebastian.