LOVE LOVE LOVE! What a beautiful place! So serene, very…read morevery Zen place. Gorgeous old wild Florida scenery. Absolutely Magical. A must visit. Beautiful open tropical green spaces, Picnic areas with BBQ's & Shelters, lots of shady areas & small green forestry areas. A lovely playground area for the kids, very nice restrooms, trails, fishing piers, lookout towers, wildfire all over, gorgeous views of the mangroves. A nature lovers paradise. Photo ops in every direction. Birds everywhere, perfectly preserved natural habitats, the sounds of nature all around, trickling water sounds in the distance. No signs of civilization. Not another human in sight. You would not think that this kind of hidden, almost untouched, natural treasure exist so close to the city, but it does. And it's very well maintained. While I was there a single gardener came briefly, checked things out, weed wacked around the edge of a sidewalk & left. As it already looked perfectly manicured when he showed up. I was there for a long time & there was no one else there except the brief visit from the landscaper & one other gentleman I had a brief but lovely conversation with. When I first got there, I ran into this one single gentleman that was bow hunting. He had a great big bow & arrows. I asked him if he had seen any of the Flamingos & he said "not today" I took that as a good sign to keep exploring as I must be close! haha. Later on, as I was leaving that same gentleman went back to his truck put his bow away & got out his fishing pole & gear. I thanked him for his time again & wished him luck fishing. He then wished me luck on my hunt for the wild flamingos & quickly, silently, vanished back into the woods. New Port Richey is a gorgeous place that has it all. It's quickly becoming my favorite playground on Florida's iconic Nature Coast. Highest Recommendations.

Well groomed park with inlet all around. If you love birds this place is your park. Newer play area…read moreand lots of piers. A great find to visit and Im sure nice to live by.

This is an incredible park for walking in nature. There are so many ospreys and birds and the trail…read moregoes all the way to a deserted beach. I saw ospreys on their nests, fishing and enjoying the day! There is a tall wooden tower at the beach where you can experience a truly amazing view! It's a little shaky but I made it. So can you! It was relaxing and fun plus the other people here were willing to show me the way! Life is good!

We love the outdoors and exploring new places. The park is still recovering from a fire, but it…read morewas still beautiful and we did see wildlife, which is always a joy. Saw a few birds, tortoise tracks, a dolphin, fish and different types of birds. The trails were easy to spot and navigate, but not recommended for someone with disabilities due to uneven and sandy trails.

A hidden gem! Very clean, good trails, lots of water views. And monkey-ear trees! Dogs allowed on…read moreleash.

Discovered this nature/wildlife area while I was biking the Pinellas trail, and such a beautiful…read morefind! No shortage of gorgeous views!

Yelp needs to update the key photos for this park. We came here anticipating it to be an awesome…read morewooden playground (hard to find) with mulch and dirt and an adventurous outdoorsy vibe, which is what the pictures reflect. My young boys and I were disappointed to find it had been Renovated for some time now with toxic Turf and plastic/metal playgrounds. Playground felt much smaller this way than when it had been wooden with plank beams running throughout. It is also incredibly packed, but I think that's also because there is a sports complex here and I'm assuming many younger kids are here playing on the playground while older ones play sports. The upside is that it's still a public playground and an outdoor activity for kids. There are bathrooms in the playground area so that's a convenience.

Park is newly renovated and completely fenced in. There is ample parking. I love that it has a good…read moreamount of benches and picnic tables surrounding the park but inside the fenced in area. Lots of options for lunch or just to eat a snack. There is also a bathroom, which is really convenient as you don't have to leave the play area or walk very far. It can get pretty busy on the weekends but is quieter during the week. They have multiple swing options, a small playground for younger kids, a larger playground for older kids, and various climbing/play structures. It is completely turf but is surrounded by a concrete walkway- so pretty wheelchair and stroller friendly. It is pretty shaded as well so you aren't being blasted by the sun. I would say this park is more suited to 2+. There are multiple climbing components that are pretty challenging and just require more coordination/strength.

I only come here for the 4th of July fireworks, and it's a dope place to be…read more Fireworks last 30 minutes and it's seriously consistent, with a great finale to end everything. I had a GREAT front row seat during the whole thing. You can either park on the Causeway or in the park I, chose the park. I believe the Causeway is a little bit overrated due to lack of shade , unless you plan on hanging out on the tailgate of your SUV or inside your Camper/Van. You need to make sure you get there early, I was there at 4:30pm and the fireworks starts at 9:00pm. There are things around to entertain you while you wait, I'm an extrovert so, I pretty much talked/met with a lot of people, it was very fun! All-In-All I'll be back next year with the same plan I had today! Totally worth it when it was only Free-hundred dollars!

This would be nice in the winter or anytime that it's not too hot to put my hammock up on the trees…read moreand just hang out. It's nice to have trees on the beach for once. This is where you can take those pics. They also have picnic tables. As for swimming, I would say no. So much seaweed and not enough water. I believe it's a combination of the tide and the lack of rain too. The parking here is $6 and you can pay through park mobile. They say no dogs and there are tons of signs. My pup and I stayed in our car while my husband went to check the water. It was a good reminder why we don't go to this beach. Unfortunately, this was the day of the craziness in Clearwater with the teen takeover with all the chaos.

I honestly haven't been to Sims park in AGES. So when I went to go release some painted rocks to…read morethe wild, I was really amazed at how far it's come. The old play ground has been demolished and moved, and is now AMAZING with state of the art flooring and play spaces. They were putting down brand new sod yestereday, and adding new water lines to keep it alive. The large screens that were up were showing up coming events, and that was pretty dang awesome! The Shaded spots were plentiful, the covered benches were nice. And now across Orange lake, they have some pretty walk ways and seating areas too. New Port Richey city services has really done a great job making Sims Park a jewel in the city's crown.

It was ok. I mean they usually have these events and everything but I miss the Christmas one, the…read moreHalloween one etc. I had to cut off 3 stars because they are not there anymore. Hate the heat.

One of our favorite spots to look for manatees is the Spring branch or Spring Bayou, off Tarpon…read moreSprings (FL) Bayou. We try to get here before 10am (Jan 2026), which seems to be when the manatees like to "frolic" here. There's not a lot of parking, maybe 25 spaces, and there's more one street up at the tennis courts. We never see any street parking in this neighborhood. We look for manatees near the south end of the bayou, near Bath St north of S Spring Blvd. We saw several individuals and maybe a pair, occasionally surfacing their backs or peeking out for a gulp of air. It was a chilly morning, so we didn't stay long. There's a nice path around the bayou, a park, and on weekdays, a cute $5 museum, too.

There's a lot of street parking around. They were setting up for an art fair. There were a ton of…read moremanatees everyone was observing

This is our favorite place to walk the dogs and enjoy some stunning scenery. Quiet and peaceful…read moreand we only see a couple other people when we are there. Its like having the whole world to yourself! The river is mesmerizing to watch and if you are lucky you will see a couple dolphins playing like we did on our 1st visit. They close at sunset so don't get stuck in the park. Early is the best (coolest) option. See you soon!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!…read more "Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." I'm 1000% totally with Yelper Tara B. on this one. Excellent Review Tara B! I voted you up doll. xoxo Tara B. is spot on. This park is a beautiful natural wonder that needs to remain a naturalistic un commercialized space. The Indian mound here alone is sacred & should be respected & preserved till the end of time. The entire park is so beautiful, you can feel it's a very special place when you see the giant American eagles nest soon as you get to the docks by the water. Yes, you can still partially see the creepy power plant from the docks, but barely, as it's way way in the distance separated by a large land mass/Key. I think you must be far enough away from that creepy toxic thing on this side of the Key that the animals feel safe here as there is so much wildlife in and around this park area. The American eagles nest is clearly the most important clue, as the manatee sightings area is just a few feet from it at the end of the docks. American Eagles & Manatees! Right here, together! WOW. WOW. WOW. No wonder the Indians loved it here. A natural wonder, with an abundance of natural resources. A natural paradise. The docks are also very nice here. The best place to drop your watercraft in for the day & explore the area. There is a nice big parking lot for your trucks/trailers etc., 30 mins max loading & unloading. it's a very busy boating area. There is also a very nice beach area here that does have swimming. However, there is a sign posted that says the water is tested weekly for "bacteria" thou. (Mercury/Toxins testing not included) Nope, just more fancy word salad stuff.. just FYI. Anyhoo, There are tons of places to fish, I saw lots of people fishing, taking naps, reading, hiking around the lake, having picnics with their families under the shelter etc., There is also a large children's playground, lots of large old Florida shady oaks draped in moss, yuge open green spaces, very mature tropical plants & large mature palm trees throughout the park. It looks and feels very ancient & historic even thou the infrastructure is new. Docks, shelters, bathrooms etc., a magnificent park. A magnificent place. A natural wonder indeed. It's obviously very popular as it was busy the whole time we were there. Note: I can see why the elites want to take over this beautiful nature park & turn it into a commercialized water front restaurant as it's such an attractive/popular area. All they care about is making money. They do not care about ruining the natural habitat of the animals, desecration of the ancient Indian burial mounds here or taking away the green space/Park of the tax paying locals & their children's playground that live here. And we must not let that happen. We have to say no to this never ending Greed. Greed is a cardinal sin. Last time I checked the 7 cardinal sins are pride, GREED, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony & sloth. Yep, there it is right there, GREED = SIN and it's ruining our country. The US Government already owns half the country. What will happen when they own 60% 80% of America? Yep, that's right, total control over everything & we the people too. One Disney park in Florida is enough. The natural parks are our green spaces. Places where we connect to Nature. Places where we connect to God. We must protect them. "Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." Together, let's be the ocean & save our natural lands. Arrrr! Highest Recommendations.

I've lived in this area of the County for 90% of my life and never knew this was here. I don't…read morethink it's been around all that long, honestly, but I could be wrong. ANYWAY. Located off of Plathe road, this preserve is tucked off and hidden by the natural beauty of Florida scrub. The road that leads back to the preserve is dusty, but the left turn that I took led me to a park that had wandering trails through the Florida brush, over well constructed and planned out walk ways through the marsh and lakes, as well as an Eagle Scout's project of benches that provide plenty of seating. There are plenty of opportunities to walk, run, hike, bike, play on the play ground, photograph the wild life or just BE. Speaking of the playground: It's lovely, with a path all for the kids that tells them a story, a path to literacy, which in truth is very important in this state. There is also a Free little library here, so if you have books you'd like to share, bring one or 15 to leave or take one, they're there for you to have or give. I'm so going back to the JEG preserve, to hide rocks or just to practice being present. You should too.

James E. Grey Preserve is a very small nature preserve with not much scenery or anything in the…read moretrails except for trees and the Pitlachascotee River. There is a playground and a lot of parking but that's mostly it.

Looking for a low-key Florida gem? You need to check out Anclote Gulf Park in Holiday! It's the…read moreperfect spot for a chill day out with something for literally everyone (including the pups!). Fishing Goals: There's a huge 500-foot fishing pier that's open 24/7. Perfect for catching those sunset views. Cookout Ready: Grab a picnic shelter and fire up the grill! They're right next to the children's playground, so you can eat while the kids burn off energy. Dog Heaven: They have two fenced-in areas so big and small dogs can run wild safely. Nature Walk: Take the boardwalk through the woods--it's super peaceful and leads you right to a small beach area to dip your toes in. The Basics: Don't worry, they have clean restrooms and plenty of parking. Whether you're here to fish, hike, or just soak up the Gulf breeze, this park is a total win.

This was my least favorite park in the area…read more It was very small, didn't have a lot of shade, the restrooms were open air & there is a very creepy industrial plant in the background so the views are not very good either. Didn't see any wild flamingos there. As a matter of fact didn't see any wildlife there at all. As it's really just a dog park with some trails to walk your dogs. Not a great place to take photos. The dog park area is new & very nice thou if you have dogs. There is three different runs sectioned off, one for small dogs, one for large dogs & one for the med sized dogs.