We arrived early, and it wasn't too busy at all, but by the time we finished around noon, the area…read morehad become quite crowded. I can only imagine how difficult parking must be during peak season. Thankfully, parking is free, and so are all of the park's facilities. We visited on a Sunday and were greeted by a friendly park employee who was incredibly knowledgeable about the area. She provided us with a laminated trail map, which was a huge help and allowed us to enjoy the experience without constantly checking our phones. The kayak trails were absolutely amazing! The water was crystal clear, making it easy to see fish and other wildlife below. We visited in mid-June and were pleasantly surprised that we didn't encounter any mosquitoes or no-see-ums. It took us about two hours to paddle all of the kayak trails, including a relaxing beach break along the way. There are four main trails to explore, with Trail 3 offering two different exit routes, making it worth paddling twice for two unique experiences. Trail 4 was the most challenging, with several low-hanging branches that required a little extra maneuvering. Overall, this was easily one of the best kayak trail systems we've explored, and we'll definitely be back!

Excellent park to explore by canoe. Ted Sperling Park is famous on mangrove tunnels. The best way…read moreto explore the part is kayak or paddle board. Prefer to visit the park during high tide. Even with low tide, I was able to maneuver the kayak. I would not recommend use the canoe to explore due to shallow depths on certain locations. The park has 4 major tunnel and over 10 brunch tunnels. Tunnel is label 1 to 4. The tunnel 1 and 2 is one way in and out. I was renting the kayak at the locate vendor Surfit. They provide me a map of the mangrove tunnel to explore. They also provide a dry bag for my personal staff. I would said paddle board has a height condition due to mangrove brunch. Many paddle boarder has to kneel or sit through the tunnel. On the non major tunnels, the space is narrow. Some time you do not have room to paddle. Just use the mangrove to push through. I enjoy the most is when I follow the flow direction. Easy paddling. I also like to see a lot of bird in the tunnel. The nature is beautiful. Love the tunnel due to shading from wind. In the tunnel is also blocking the sun and pleasant. I would suggest visit the park in the morning.

Beer Can Island, also known as Hooked Spit Island & Greer Island is located at the northern tip of…read moreLongboat Key, and is visible from the Longboat Pass drawbridge & Coquina Beach's most southern side. Beer Can Island is right across from Coquina beach and is located on Longboat pass which is a busy channel for boaters coming in and out so it's a good spot to see a lot of boats going by. This popular white sand beach has crystal clear blue waters on sunny days, was formed by tidal currents, and offers a beautiful undeveloped shoreline which is a popular stop for boaters. Over time, mother nature has eroded portions of the beach uprooting many of the Australian pine trees that once stood on the shore. The huge tree trunks and roots give the beach a real exotic feel and create an amazing landscape of fallen and weathered wood. A lot of people come to Beer Can Island by boat. There are no formal docking spots, but the shallow sandy water makes it a great spot to drop anchor and come ashore for a fun sunny day! If you're not coming by boat, you can take North Shore Road until you see signs for the beach, park, and walk north along the beach. You'll know when you're getting close by the driftwood becoming more and more plentiful on the shore. I saw a beached huge 10 foot lemon head shark and got some shark teeth from here! Although Beer Can Island is more secluded than some of the other area beaches, it does get busier on the weekends with all the boaters anchored up! All of the trees close to shore make this the perfect place to bring your hammock and lounge out! We saw a number of people who had strung their hammocks across two trees! Note, since this is a secluded island, there are no bathrooms or showers here.

Cool hangout spot! Kinda reserved from all the people at the other beaches. If you like hammocking,…read morethere are good spots for that too. Just keep two things in mind: - A lot of people like to come here to get drunk and high since it is reserved. Hence the name. Can sometimes get annoying and a little trashy. Kinda why I don't really come here anymore much. But recently local police have been cracking down a little on it. - The water on the side with the channel can be a little rough and unpredictable, so just be a little careful. Could possibly cause small rip currents.

My family has kept our boats here for a long time. We are happy here and the guys are always so…read moregreat to us! To the people complaining about lack of availability or customer service- Educate yourself on the process to store a boat in FL. Individuals often own the slips. It's not the marina's responsibility to teach you this, or find a spot for you..... you have to find one yourself and either purchase or rent. It's all on their website too.

This is Deb Macchi. My husband and I visited this marina a couple months ago. We currently have our…read moreboat at Hidden Harbor Marina and have been very happy there. Phillippi, however, is literally within walking distance for us, so we decided to check it out. Prior to going, I attempted to contact them via phone multiple times to no avail. We finally went over to the office. We stood there for a few minutes before anyone even acknowledged our presence. A young guy then took us for a tour around the facility. There was one space open, and we told him we were interested in it. He informed us he would have to contact the owner and "let us know" within the week. Over two weeks later I called, and he nonchalantly said that the owner had decided he was going to utilize it himself. No apology for not calling us, nothing--as if not following up was standard operating procedure. And I suspect that may be the case. During our initial visit I asked about the procedure for reserving a time to have the boat put in the water. I was told to simply call "a couple of hours" before I needed it. I was concerned with this procedure because when we have company or when it is a holiday, I would like to have the reservation taken care of ahead of time to make sure everything goes smoothly, and also so I am not trying to get through to someone the day I need the boat. He simply said they had no procedure for doing that. He was aware that Hidden Harbor has an online reservation system (easy as pie) and could have cared less that what he described was a far cry from that. I wanted to suggest that they go to Walmart and buy a notebook and hand write reservations, but it was clear they couldn't give a hoot. Keep in mind also, when considering this place, they do not have a floating dock. Have fun trying to get in your boat at low tide. Its also not as clean or organized as Hidden Harbor. All in all, this seemed like a bush-league operation (and not cheaper than Hidden Harbor). We'll be staying where we are and with a renewed sense of appreciation!

I love walking to this park from my house. It's fairly small and focused right on the water front…read more There are a couple of sandy coves right on the bay. Sometimes people fishing. There's also a big grassy area with some benches. Some people walk their dogs and other people relaxing. A fairy nice spot that is a good place to relax. It's not very big so don't expect too much. Boat park is right there too

This is a super cute park. It has a few benches and chances are you'll see a pelican or two. ( they…read moreflew away before I could take the photo ) I like that you can walk on the sand and touch the water here also, or just casually tan or have a picnic on a blanket. Very nice atmosphere.

My father in law has been a member of the freedom boat club for 7 years and loves it. It's such a…read moreconvenient way to get to boat and we never have issues getting days and times we want. This new dock area is fantastic. It's super easy to get in and out of and the people are great! We had a fantastic experience each time we have gone.

******DONT DO IT!!!***** UPDATE BELOW!! My husband and I…read morehave been a members for 2 months with Freedom Boat Club. We Initially decided to try out the boat club in hopes it would be something fun for my family to do. After trying out the "boat life" for 2 months, we decided this just wasn't for us. I explained this to "Rafa" and the rest of the team who have contacted us. We were told Freedom Boat Club will not give us back the 6k entry fee we had to pay. I was told "Unfortunately, we do not offer a prorated refund of our entry fee, unless under extenuating circumstances such as a death of a member." Meaning...if a member or members husband or wife die, he or she can get a refund on their entry fee during their time with Freedom Boat Club, but someone who was honest about their experience and who has only been a member for 2 months does not get a refund at all???? Am I not understanding how that is fair across the board. I understand Freedom Boat Club has policies to follow, but I don't understand why Freedom Boat Club thinks it's ok to keep 6k from a member that has only been there for 2 months. I just can't seem to understand how a business or franchise thinks that's ok. I don't know if it's because a commission has been paid out or if there are other reasons, but this is not ok. This seems like Freedom Boat Club is being very SELECTIVE with their members and not being fair across the board. This is not a way to keep members/customers or gain new members. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND BEING A MEMBER AT THIS BOAT CLUB SEE ATTACHED PICTURE. So you can be a member and if you die, you will probably get a refund, but if your only a member for 2 months and you're honest about the experience, you don't get a refund??? How is that ok? Like I said...FREEDOM BOAT CLUB SEEMS TO BE VERY SELECTIVE WITH THEIR MEMBERS.

We had a fabulous experience!! Make sure you book a day in advance so you get the full 4 hours of…read morepaddle time!! The routes were easy to understand and the worker was super nice! Super fun would highly recommend

Renting the kayak was simple. We got a text the morning of our rental date with instructions on…read morewhere to meet. When we arrived, our kayak was already on the shore and we got a short orientation of the area before we launched. Really great for bird watching or just getting away from the busy parts of the island. Highly recommend this place. Will for sure do it again when we come back.

First off when we arrived the worker said we were closed. We were all very worried and…read moredisappointed. It turns out it was just a joke but was not delivered well. Kayaking through the mangroves was very pleasant but unpleasant for some when left alone in the tunnels with scary tree crabs . Our Irish guide was great. Saw lots of birds and one small turtle. Stopped on a deserted island that was very hot.

We did the guided tour this morning and had a great time. Our guide took his time and let the…read moregroup enjoy the experience. He pointed out area wildlife and shared key facts. Great morning!

You know when you are planning a trip to Anna Maria Island and you see the manatee pictures? Then…read moreyou show your kids and they ask umpteen million times... when are we going to see a manatee? Often they will come past you when you are in the ocean but this is one of those places that you are ALMOST guaranteed to see one. We stopped here on our "day out of the sun" and there were two playing in here. It was 90+ degrees so there weren't going to be many since the ocean waters are plenty warm enough, but during the winter I'm told there are TONS. It isn't easy to capture pictures but I was able to capture some anad you can see where we stood. It is 100% free and the kids shouting in joy seeing it was so worth it!!! It is just a couple miles off island in a neighborhood and super easy to find with ample parking.

It's not a real park, per se. there is only a single bench. It's more like a boat slip for the…read morehouses near by.