Haven't been here since i was a dude. Lol almost a decade ago this used to be way simpler n more on…read morethe wild west. Trash everywhere, people hiding in the bushes to hump, Do lines and some time fish. Used to come here with a past Lover to clean the beach or fish. No joke, its all we did. Lol No they have put even more funding into it. I understand why the banned the extra curricular activities. The Manatee sanctuary is literally right there across the water. Also locals don't respect the no wake zones n tourist want to ride the poor Manatees. Its wild as hell the huge foot print left by people n like angry parents. They took away our toys. Im actually glad. Look cleaner, healthier n its now heavy focus on family picnic not making them in the bushes ill stop lol joke aside, they opened up the property for picnics, can play a decent game of throw ball with yo kids. And cleaner trails. I did not see a grill anywhere n i must be blind cuz i cant see the bathrooms either. They added a watch tower in the middle. Keep on mind it is wheelchair accessible, so are the closer picnic areas. Cement goes away at the edge of the beach. Warning: Please bring a cooler, big sun hats, wear proper sun blocking and shoes that wont melt. The sand is paper white! It deflects the sun into you at almost full spectrum, ground gets dangerously hot. The trails are sketchy, bring water n maybe bring a buddy or protection. I did walked them almost all the way through but had to turn back cuz water. Its cute small trail. Gives nicer view of Teco facility n may see manatees. I seen Hares also n randomly snakes. No clue on gators. But it is Florida. Can see Down Town Tampa from Tower also! Ph yeah free parking! Update: yes theres bathroom!s

A lovely little beach for lounging, soaking up sun, and listening to the surf. There are many signs…read morethat discourage any swimming or wading. We were visiting in late January, so we weren't aiming to get into the water anyway, just enjoy the beach biome. This beach is quite close to the manatee viewing center and you're likely to see manatees here too as a result. I spotted a half dozen while here! Fair number of fishers here, as there are pipes to prop your rod in. Nice large parking area to accommodate visitors. Many picnic tables. An awesome (and accessible) viewing structure takes you up around fifty feet so you can look out with a 360 view! Bathrooms with running water available, no gender specified. (Love that!)

My baby loves the playground, she doesn't walk yet but she can crawl up the stairs and go down the…read moreslide without getting stuck. I really like coming to this park it's very nice and quiet.

This park is great for adults and kids offering a skate park and basketball court for the community…read moreand 2 playgrounds for the little to run around its nicely shaded and for a bonus they have a splash pad! This was my second visit and both visits have been wonderful and we always meet super nice people. They do have bathrooms are the recreation center to change after the splash pad and 1 vending machine. Overall I think they take very good care of this park and it's definitely a family friendly fun place to visit.

Cool place to take your kids. We went after eating at a local restaurant. Clean bathrooms and…read morefriendly staff. Maria actually offered us some info on youth basketball. It was filled with people. Young and older playing basketball. Kids playing in the playground.

This recreational center has grown immensely in the last 10years since I first moved down to south…read morecounty. They have a outdoor track, and now added a baseball field & soccer fields. This recreation center has been the only place where kids could come and have a playground or any sort of organized activities. They have the only remaining Tiny Tot program for 3/4 kids since Apollo Beach discontinued it some years ago. The playground has been expanded and combined to a single mulched area now fenced to keep out the stray dogs of the past and the modern new indoor gym for basketball leagues also. Many programs offered range from preschool to senior level. They offer basketball leagues for seniors, teens, youth, and yoga available as well as weight room and after school camps.

This is a lovely park at the end of Bayshore drive. There is a small splash pad that can entertain…read morebabies and older kids with benches surrounding the splash zone. The splash pad doesn't have a lot of shade in the summer, so be mindful of that if you're planning on sitting and watching your kids. The playground is large and has some shade covering over it. The bathrooms are close to the park area. The pavilions are available to rent for parties. Parking can be tricky because the lot is small compared to the amount of people who come here, but there's a smaller lot on the other side of the playground and there is street parking. The pier seems to be under construction after the hurricanes, but usually you can spot some dolphins from there.

Ballast Point Park is located South of Bayshore off inter bay and has a fantastic shaded kids…read moreplayground with a younger and older kids area, 3 slides, and even a splash pad play area. There's a fantastic seafood restaurant, fishing pier, and pretty water views too! During the winter months when the sun sets early at 530-6, the park really should have lights for the playground at least until 8pm. There's not enough parking spots for this park and parking on side of road has signs that say no parking which is ridiculous because everyone parks on the side of the road anyways. If you're in the south Tampa area and looking for pretty water views, casual seafood, or a fun kids playground, definitely visit Ballast Point Park!

Nice wide trails that two people can walk side by side. Dog friendly so bring your canine, but…read moredon't forget a leash. Not much shade and very sandy so make sure to bring some water. My favorite part is the pine tree area near the pond. The pine tree needles lay on the ground and when the wind blows the sound is melodic blowing through the pine trees. There is one picnic table to sit on for a picnic, but try and ignore the graffiti. There is an area that's preserved and protected for Burrowing owls. I wish I could have seen one or two, but no luck this time. There is traffic noise and watch for what looks like a homeless individual who had ridden a bike in.

Beautiful preserve. Great for natures walks and photos! Follow me on TikTok: MariaSocialsCoread more

The moneys been put in the box at the booth, it's five bucks and The Honor System is used - thena…read moreseries of slow winding snake turns up the next half mile past the canoe launch and into the parking lot & picnic area where there's also a little playground set up for screaming kids. Last week we explored to the East, logic dictates we head West because there's more land, more trails and a brisk twenty minutes in, past the equestrian area and I had wished I brought my compass . So I looked to the sun, it was my nearing 9:45AM so I made a quick little sundial and determined my bearings, keeping the rays at my right shoulder, a tall pine in the distance for extra measure. So quickly the terrain can change from soft and slow white sand to fast packed non-silty soil to brown and boggy muddy to green and lush all within a stones throw in any direction. Know this friends - you'll be given no help from signage - only arrows , there are numbers from 15 to 3 - yet, not telling ya anything at all - no maps at the gate, nobody in the booth at the gate - nobody official looking around, so be aware of that if you want to see beyond the next turn. Getting turned around is easier than going straight towards the trails end. I assumed that the 15 I saw, then the 7 I saw then the 3&4 means I'd be on a cylindrical circumnavigation - looping back to the pavement that takes you in and separated the two very different sides of the park. We came up on Dude Lake and here in this primitive shallow shored lake - along with birds, turtles are sounds unique to my ears, movements in the brush that have the dogs diving into and thrashing within - only to pop out from the other side dumbfounded and disappointed. There are things that are unseen underneath - human penetration is virtually impossible without damaging the plants, vines and thick green entanglements. I believe these are small creatures, whatever they are but emit the most beautiful sounds, whatever they are.

Nice area to go camping. The rangers explained where to go and bathroom has easy access to find.read more

I love North Shore Park so much. Amazing vibes everytime. Right on the water, fun volleyball flop…read moresystem, lots of new people to meet. An amazing outdoor spot for exercises, picnics, volleyball, walking, skating, rollerblading, dolphin viewing, hammocking, slacklining, tennis, you name it! The host Reggae Rise up every year which is always a great time. They have plenty of other events they host year round here as well like tacos and tequila fest, music festivals, and so much more! I just love it here :)

This park is blocks away from our home and the go to spot for our neighborhood walk. There's quite…read morea few amenities here, the bayfront walkway, volleyball nets, outdoor gym, restrooms facilities, and community pool. The views on the walk here are stunning. On most days you can see Tampa and the view of the St. Pete Pier is beautiful. We are at the park pretty regularly, but it's also a place we take our visitors for walks.

Found myself out this way recently and went for a walk. Nice little hike through the preserve…read more Didn't have a problem with the parking. Not a bad stop. Others complained about the parking and I'm not sure why if you scan the code and do what you're supposed to it works so if there was a problem in the past it's been fixed.

Parking scan code does not work and they will send you a $45 parking ticket. I would not go to this…read morebeach until they get this resolved.