Very nice spot for an early morning excursion to see if we could find manatees! It was hot hot hot…read more but the hike to the observation tower was short and full of fun things to see!! We found a pond full of birds, two lizards on a bench, fish jumping out of the water and the tower itself is very tall and quite a sight! We had the best time and it is a very nice trail. We saw walkers, runners and bikers so good for all sorts of activities! Plenty of parking, quiet and serene. Get out there early or late in the evenings to avoid the heat bring plenty of water, wear sunscreen and stay on the path and you'll have a great time!

Several easy hiking trails make this a handy place to take a stroll. The terrain isn't very scenic…read morebut there is an observation tower that affords good views of the surrounding area. Unisex restrooms available at the parking lot. Free parking and admission.

Wow, this is not the beach, the Riverwalk is something to be seen. There's tons of seating along…read morethe riverwalk. Everything from metal benches facing the water to these really cool cement lounge chairs that are actually comfortable to sit in as well. Along the river walk there are really cool our installations as well as a playground for families. My two favorite things to see while walking on the river walk where the dolphins swimming in the water. Yes actual dolphins in the water that you could see so cool. The other thing which might not be exciting to some people, but I thought it was cool was being able to see a train that goes across the river and the bridge that lifts some of the tracks up so that boats can go by. From the hotel we stayed at we could have walked about 15 minutes to the downtown area where there's some restaurants and shops to go to.

A 2 mile long Riverwalk along the Manatee River. We walked past a skate park, over train tracks,…read moresplash water park, playgrounds, an amphitheater & some art installations. This is an expansion of Rossi Park between the Green and DeSoto bridges. There were clean shady seating & lots of signage about the Riverwalk. There were cameras & we felt very safe.

This was our first time here and there is so much more to explore! We drove all the way to the…read morepoint and parked in the lot. There are portable bathrooms there and a lot of small beaches. We walked and stopped and enjoyed the water! We brought the bike and scooter and stroller but didn't get a chance to use them this time although there are plenty of good sidewalks to use! We will be back!

One of my favorite places to visit. From natural trails, tree canopies, various elevation, changes,…read moreand steps to a view of the bay and Sandi beaches. This is a must see if you are an outdoor person and love hiking or you'd like to just explore some of the plant life in history or you wanna launch a kayak or maybe wind sail this is a fantastic park.

We were visiting the Bradenton area for a week and saw the Palma Sola Botanical Gardens and knew we…read morehad to go! When we travel to different cities with our Rv we try and find local botanical gardens. This garden is so nice and love all the plants and trees they have! The Plumeria section was beautiful and healthy. My wife FaceTimed her mom to show her (she is on a Plumeria group in Jacksonville that grows them and enters them in awards). She even said "wow"! We definitely recommend you visit this garden. Just some advice; wear insect repellent! There was a section in the gardens that was taken over by mosquitoes! I never get bit but today OH MY GOSH I had at least 10 on me and any given time. Once we left that section all was well and no more issues.

Went to a donation based event in the park to see Christmas lights. Great way to see Santa and the…read moreGrinch for a reasonable amount of money (or free). It's been hard to find pictures with Santa for a reasonable amount in the area and now I know to come back here next year! Only thing I struggled with was walking to the entrance after I parked. Bring a flashlight!

Sutton Park features a nice playground area and is often used for Movies in the Park and community…read morecelebrations like the Fourth of July. It's a wonderful place to gather, connect, and feel part of the community.

I can't believe no one has reviewed this nice little park. They put on a wonderful 4th of July…read moreparty with live music, games and street vendors. The beer tent section was well managed by a local rotary club. Any other day of the week this park seems like it would be a nice, quite place to bring the kiddos for some fun outdoors.

Bright as the day is, but a new addition to a new addition to Bradenton! My heart breaks slightly…read morefor the older houses and undeveloped land that used to be here, but progress shines brightly on Bradenton, and this park is a wonderful example of that! There's doggy poo bags, and I'm not sure why, but across the street is another unlabeled park with a smaller playground in the shade and it's absolutely strange. They have astroturf and fake mounds, I cannot fathom why. It's only lacking a hole and some golfers... Either way, untapped park that I've never noticed before!

What a great park that we literally stumbled onto when we came out of Robinson Preserve. A great…read moretrail right off of the southern end of the bike trail. At first we thought it was leading us into the housing development but we're surprised when it took us up to the split where no bikes were allowed. Great bridges and piers for viewing the rookery and the the bayou this trail delivered. Plenty of fish, osprey, bald eagles and wood packers and occasional snake.

One of my favorite places to visit. I have seen all types of creatures at the preserve.read more

This archaeological site in Manatee county is in need of some love. The signs are faded, hard to…read moreread, or vague. There are 2 parking spots, but I guess that's ok, it doesn't seem to be heavily visited. The mound is literally in front of several people's homes, which means something, I'm sure. One picnic table, an In need of repair earthen stairway that leads to the top of the mound and 3 signs of any significance. Seems maybe there could be more.

Madira Bickell Mounds is a nice place off the beaten path to have a picnic. It is nestled in a…read moreresidential area which unfortunately has been built upon an archeologically rich area. What remains is the small area and the preserved mound used by Native Americans. The park itself is very small, and the mound is overgrown by vegetation and is hard to see. There are some signs that provide information about the historical significance of the mounds. This is not a major stop of a state park. It is very small and is best suited for anyone who does have an interest in the historical aspects of the park.

A really beautiful national monument, with a one of a kind shell surfaced trail and…read morerecently-updated boardwalk through mangroves and gumbo limbo trees along the shore. There's a small fort/Indian village recreation (apparently being renovated when we visited), a nice visitors center (closed right now because of covid), and some beautiful open park grounds. The park has several information signs. They also have these somewhat creepy wood cutouts with printed pictures of actors depicting members of the DeSoto landing party and Indians who are probably accurately shown as not seeming too happy about things. Because it's on the bay, it's nice and breezy, and the trails wind under the shade of the coastal hammock. The trails are also dog friendly. This is a really well maintained, very nice park.

I would have loved if we could have gone inside the museum... that's what the 1 star knocked off is…read morefor. But the rest of the grounds and displays were great! The beachfront walking trail and the story of deSoto's history from Spain described in full detail... I was not excited to hear how some of the horses had to be killed and eaten for survival purposes ... But back in the day, almost 500 years ago, I guess emergency survival food and water kits weren't readily available. Good idea to keep in your car, along with some TP. I would love to kayak around here. The water and the view were beautiful! There is a long route and a short route for walking, you also will learn about the different types of mangroves and other Florida native plants/trees. Definitely worth another visit, hopefully when the museum is open again, but my understanding is there's no one even answering the phones (even at the number on the sandwich board as you enter the park) so you'll never know when they will reopen.

You get what you pay for, and this place is free, although they do accept donations. So don't be a…read morecheapskate and give some dollars if you go. It's mainly outdoors and walking ‍ is required. They have a map and scavenger map for fun. There is no guided tour but that makes it better because you can roam as you like. Seeing all the historical items is always cool and really makes you thank God we weren't born back then lol (no ac). My spawn and I really enjoyed all the old time items and it was cool having to explain what things were. Please go and enjoy yourself.

Such a fun place to visit if you are in the area. I highly recommend taking a self-guided walking…read moretour of the main building and outbuildings.