Melbourne Military Memorial Park is located just off of a main road and is next to the Liberty Bell…read moreMemorial Museum in Melbourne, Florida. Overall, the sentiment of the park is admirable. But at least on my visit to this park, it seemed that there was quite a bit of homeless people sleeping or hanging out in the park and no other visitors. I parked in the museum parking lot and walked the park. The park was adequately maintained and I guess that it was an overall adequate experience. Melbourne Military Memorial Park could use a face-lift and maybe add a few amenities, but again, the sentiment of this park is admirable. I will give it four stars, though I was torn between giving it three and four stars. I opted to go up to four mainly because of the reason of this park.

A peaceful spot to honor veterans that's run down. This…read morememorial park is located at 1601 Oak St in Wells Park, Melbourne, Florida. It is right next to the Liberty Bell Memorial Museum. It is across the street from the Wells park to the east that has two large ponds and walkways. There's plenty of parking in the shared lots with the museum. The park features an entrance arch, sidewalks for easy walking, plenty of shade from mature trees, benches for resting, and memorials dedicated to different branches of the military (statues, plaques, and tributes honoring veterans). When I visited recently, I liked the peaceful setting and historical significance, but it seems really run down. Some displays had trash buildup from, it looks to me, homeless that have left belongings there. This really detracted from the respect it deserves for fallen service members and the historical significance. The sidewalks had a good design but were not well kept or clean. Maintenance could use attention especially at the entrance arch. Still, it's well-shaded, and meaningful for honoring our military history. Pair it with the nearby museum for a fuller experience. Overall, a nice, free spot worth stopping by if you're in the area--bring a bag to help pick up any litter if you see it. Enjoy!

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?

Terrific lakeside park with play areas for children, large and small dogs. I think dogs on the…read morenature trail require a leash. It's currently undergoing construction via a large donation from a local humanitarian and through the work of volunteers and help from a construction team. Unleash Day, the opening ceremony is December 12, 2021. Bathrooms are on a time lock and currently closed until the bathroom floor resurfacing dries. The nature trail is suitable for seniors with walkers, people requiring a wheelchair, and Mom's with strollers. The large loop is about 3 miles, smaller loop about 1/2 mile and goes around a lake. The roadside trail has older oak trees. Both loops go around a trail. The trail is posted no trespassing in neighborhood or nature preserve so stay on the trail. Beware of golf carts on the trail. It's good for bikes and skates, too. The play areas feature bridges, mini hills and culverts. A swing set is near the lake. Their are covered benches. We spotted a kingfisher, Mallard ducks, a Snowy Egret, an Osprey with a fish, and palm warblers.

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.

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.

This is a rather large sports park. They have multiple baseball fields, soccer, tennis, basketball…read moreand covered areas to sit in the shade or have a kids birthday. I never seen any wild animals here expect for crazy kids running around. There is a play area for kids. It looks like a pretty cool little fort with a few slides. Not much for a view here but the park is big! This park is an active pokemon nest and Changes up about every two weeks.

This is one of the nicest, well maintained parks I have ever been to…read more The 117 acre park includes two lighted youth softball fields, two Major and two Senior Little League lighted baseball fields, a t-ball field, and two story restroom / concession / meeting buildings. The 16 acres dedicated to youth soccer include two lighted stadium fields, restroom /concession / meeting building and parking. Other park facilities include two lighted outdoor basketball courts, two playgrounds areas, four lighted tennis courts, family and group pavilions, and an 18,000 sq. ft. Community Center with gymnasium, banquet kitchen, large meeting room with divider, 4 small meeting rooms, and two sets of restrooms (one with showers). The Community Center offers all types of classes for people of all ages.

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.

I've been coming to this park for a few months throughout the week and often times on weekends just…read moreto enjoy a stroll or an occasional easy run. It's centrally located easily accessible, and beautiful to boot. It's the kind of park where you can greet people with a hello or a good morning and see they're beautiful dogs on a Sunday morning stroll. There is also multiple little play areas in case you have kids and it's the kind of park. Do you want to spend time in because it always seems to be peaceful no matter what time in the morning midday or afternoon you stop by. There's plenty of places to sit and relax and I love so many things about this park. I hope you enjoy it too.

This is a nice overall park. I found the vibe to be relaxing and enjoyable and the atmosphere…read moredefinitely has a calming effect on the soul. There is definitely adequate parking and again, it definitely is a cool enough park. We as a community need parks. Places like this where we as a community can gather in respite. If you find yourself in the area, I would definitely recommend this particular park. Go check it out, I do not think that you will be disappointed.

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.

The Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program was established in 1990 to protect the natural…read morehabitats by acquiring sensitive lands for conservation, passive recreation and education. Shortly thereafter EEL acquired Malabar Scrub Sanctuary with the help of the State of Florida for the purpose of preserving scrub jays and other threatened species like gopher tortoises and the Eastern Indigo Snake. Malabar Scrub Sanctuary is a massive 577 acre sanctuary that protects habitats that include xeric dry hammock, scrub, scrubby flatwoods, pine flatwoods, sand pine scrub, ponds, sloughs, and depression marshes. The scrub forest with tiny trees found in Malabar Scrub Sanctuary is the perfect habitat for scrub-jays found only in Florida. Two million years ago they became a distinct species. They are listed as threatened by the Federal Endangered Species Act and Florida's Endangered and Threatened Species Rule. It is estimated that there are only 2,500-10,000 left in the wild. scrub-jays are a long tailed songbird 10 to 12 inches long with blue head, wings, and tail and a pale gray back and belly. Florida scrub-jays live in family units, with one serving as the sentinel that will alert the others. In order to keep the land hospitable for scrub-jays and the other threatened species, controlled burns must be done periodically in order to keep the land clear for the animals to thrive. Scrub-jays need sandy open spots to forage for food and watch out for predators. Hawks and other birds of prey occupy trees and are natural predators to the scrub-jays. Thinning tree densities and lowering vegetation height restores the landscape to optimal scrub ecosystem conditions. As you can imagine a natural area without any shade trees is hot, especially during the summer months. I only went for a short hike before I had to give up. Come in the winter months to enjoy the mountain bike, equestrian, and hiking trails that extend through the preserve for 12 miles. The Malabar Double Loop Trail for example is 5.3 miles. Restrooms can be found next door at Malabar Community Park.

Took me a while to find a nice paved walking trail! This…read morepath was great and long, really clean, bathroom stocked and opened, perfect for kids to ride bikes or scooters and smooth for long boarding.