Gasparilla Island/Boca Grande is a hidden gem and one of my new favorite places to visit in…read moreFlorida. You can get to both of these places through the same toll, and is just a smaller, quaint, and quieter side of the gulf shores in Florida. Very beautiful pristine and crystal clear waters from all ends of the island. $6 for Tolls and $3 for Parking Arrive anytime between 9am-3pm to check out most of the shops within the area. It is a more small and private island where many of the residents shops close early. (Island Time) This place has two light houses. One in the middle of Gasparilla and then the other at the very bottom of Boca Grande. This place is going to have beautiful sunset views from most places on the island as well!

Love this beach so much . Good place to see the sunset with your love one or friends !! Great warm…read moreweather during February . Warm ocean water, too . Wish can stay this place forever .

This historic 9000-acre park opened in 1931. It's considered an old growth forest and full of bald…read morecypress trees. There are a wide variety of endemic wildlife and plants. The main feature of this wonderful park was the boardwalk that goes through the swamp forest. Some really old trees that are possibly 1000 years old, is located in this park. There are nine trails, a campground, a playground, and a picnic area. There's a 3-mile loop trail for biking and driving. Also, a museum and concession built by the Civilian Conservation Corps; they constructed many buildings, bridges, and blazed trails in Florida State Parks. We were staying nearby and decided to explore this park. I enjoyed the historic land and old trees. The boardwalk was pleasant to stroll on; I saw quite a few memorial plaques. Generations of people walking on the same paths decades ago. It's a peaceful place and I'm glad they didn't turn it into farmland back in the 1930s.

This park is wonderful, plenty of trails, a cute store and just peaceful nature where you can see…read moreall kinds of birds, sometimes deer or gators and it's just a great place to visit.

I was in town visiting. A day pass is valid for a week between $20-25 per vehicle. There are…read moredifferent beach lots. I visited the first lot. There was parking available, accessible restrooms, trash and recycling bins next to beach ramp. The water was a bit chilly but gorgeous! It was easy to walk on the sand, not many shells. I highly recommend a visit to this beach.

Excellent place to relax and have a nice day in 6he sun. Highly recommend. You will not be…read moredisappointed.

Kiwanis Park is a great local park in Winter Haven, Florida. It's in a neighborhood area across the…read morestreet from a lake and a great walking trail. We were staying at an airbnb nearby so we walked there one morning. There are swings, slides, climbing structures, and it is also accessible for kids with disabilities. There's a little shade from the shade structures but there are not many trees. A small pavilion is another option for some shade and rest. The water fountains could use some work. Kiwanis Park is a nice way for kids to burn off some energy with a great view of a lake!

This park is loaded with challenging equipment and two age appropriate areas of play. There is a…read morebathroom, picnic tables, pavilion and a dock. The play equipment is well maintained. The dock is safe and goes out a good distance into the water. No swimming is allowed. While we were playing a collection of homeless people started to migrate to the pavilion. The pavilion loaded up with their belongings as they set up camp. I'm not sure if this is normal but since we are not from the neighborhood we will not be returning.

Large lake that has clearly been set up for scuba training. There is a large parking lot and a…read morelarge concrete pad with many picnic tables that classes can use to set up gear, brief their dives, etc. The path from the pad to the lake has been cleared and is easy to traverse in full gear. They recently put up "sails" over the picnic tables to keep most of the sun off, which is really helpful. Every time I go, I can see some new improvement to the facilities. The lake itself is laid out with many lines and markers to facilitate underwater navigation. They have set up some "fun" things to see, such as mounting bicycles or creating a "gnome garden," sinking a boat with skeletons on board, etc. There are platforms that can be used for skills. The lake is good for Open Water and for Advanced classes. The bottom is fairly silty and it's easy to kick up a "storm" of silt and screw up visibility. The viz is between 10 and 20 feet (on a good day), and mostly greenish, so make sure you're sticking together. There are two port-a-potties and a small changing room...and that's it. Bring lots of water and snacks in a cooler. Waivers and reservations are done online. If you're a scuba instructor, register with the management of the lake (free) to get an instructor ID number. Use that number when you make reservations for your classes. Instructors are free, students pay $20 plus $1.20 in tax. Well worth it. When I have the time and students are willing to make the drive (it's 2 hours from my home and scuba shop), I prefer to do training here because I can take my time and not worry about the tides at Blue Heron Bridge.

So, sue me! My teeny tiny town Of Avon Park in Central Florida is lousy with lakes. You can't throw…read morea stick without hitting a lake. Of course, the stick would clunk a gator on the snout first! I finally got around to visiting this particular lake. Do your homework- If you are not from the area and looking for a place to swim & picnic, this isn't it! This lake has a lot of private homes surrounding it, but it has a big reputation for SCUBA divers. There is a divers parking lot with a few picnic tables where they lay out their gear. Local organizations hold diving classes here. There is also an adjacent boat ramp, but there is NO public swimming! Pro Tip- If you are traveling with little munchkins and looking for swimming & picnicking, I recommend Donaldson Park in downtown Avon Park. It's just minutes away. Nice beach. Divers love this place because the water is so clear and it's up to 50ft deep. If SCUBA is your thing, this is a four star stop.

Tiger creek was a beautiful hiking area provide extremely well marked trial blazes and ever…read morechanging ecosystems along it's hike as well as amazing demonstrations of succession (post prescribed burn growth) in some areas. Trails can be taken in chunks or as one long loop of about 10-13 miles. I'd be sure to pick a cloudy cool day these trails would be very warm otherwise

One of the most beautiful preserves in Central Florida. Tiger Creek sits high on the ridge. Trails…read morecover rolling hills of Sandhills, Oak Hammocks and bay heads. Long and short trails provide views of rare native plants, swaths of wild flowers, and small grassy lakes. I love it here and try to make it once or twice a month to see the seasons unfold. Eagles and swallow tailed kites nest here. Both bears and panthers have been found here. Tiger Creek has a range of hikes to offer. The trails are well marked ( travel from blaze to blaze and ignore the unmarked fire access roads). It's charms are subtle but well worth a visit.

Well maintained, regional park slightly out of the way but still close to Tampa that emits Old…read moreFlorida vibes. Arrive before 10 am if you want to swim in the spring for the first session. We arrived slightly late and instead did the trail and had some delicious BBQ from Mr. Blake. The redish-brick tanning of the river / stream is quite lovely. Bring suncsreen, bug spray and plenty of water. We went in June and enjoyed a serene 2 hour visit.

Came to Lithia Springs a couple times this week one for their nature hike which was very clear of…read moredebris easy to walk through. Also we learned that they open at 8am & the spring doesn't open until 9am so when we went today, we were the first to go in. The water was very clear and calm. We saw some fish swimming around the spring and a couple ducks that were hanging out in the water. It was so peaceful until it started getting packed then we decided to leave. But not bad for being local.

We last visited these gardens, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (who also designed Central Park…read morein Manhattan), in early 2024. This time, more flowers were in bloom, and we saw a different variety of birds on the premises. The tower is, of course, the centerpiece of the gardens. We had the pleasure of listening to it sing at least 5 times during our visit. We briefly visited the children's garden, and recommend this if you have youngsters in tow. After we were done in the gardens, we had a nice lunch in the on-site café. Portions are large, so you may want to consider sharing.

These gardens are so beautiful and peaceful. I love walking…read morethrough every path available while smelling nature The food at the restaurant is good and fresh Everything is nice and clean

Searching for True Love & Forgiveness? Talk to GOD and get a…read moreDOG! #ReflectDogs Love & Forgiveness Well if you're into agility items, cute buildings, shaded seating areas and interesting structures this dog park was made for you!! They even have the mandatory fire hydrant. There is a nice big double-gated entry with a huge tree and nice bench in it. Put dog park has a couple poop bag dispensers as well as trash cans and a water feature. You can park right next to the dog park. The ground covering is mostly sand and grass. But beware there seem to be quite a few biological landmines?

It's a lovely park that's safe. My son loves it. It's a great place to be outside for a bitread more

The Hamrick Butterfly Garden opened on June 30 of 2020 and it is the most recent addition to the…read morefive block Flagler Park that runs along the center of Main Street. The garden was created through a partnership between Okeechobee Main Street, Waste Management, Inc and the University of Florida's Okeechobee Extension Office's Florida Yards and Neighborhood Program. The garden is designed in four sections with red, white, blue, and yellow butterfly attracting flowering plants. The low maintenance plants were chosen by the Florida Master Gardeners and volunteers from Riverwoods Nature Center. They are drought tolerant and designed to exist on rainfall and not need further watering. Park benches made from 100 percent recycled materials were then added to the garden. The garden was built with donations from local businesses and the city is also selling personalized bricks that will be installed in the walkway. Installed in the garden are 8 large artist designed butterflies and 2 smaller student butterflies that were painted by Okeechobee High School students with the Grand Oaks assisted living center residents. I love how the real butterflies attracted by the plants mingle in and out of the butterfly sculptures. I saw several Monarch Butterflies circling around. You can get food, coffee, or ice cream from one of the restaurants lining Park Street and enjoy it in this tranquil oasis of nature.