Lots of history ! You can fish , hike the trails and even camp . Great place to visit ! Only $5 to enter grounds .

Really cool! If you're interested in seeing the building methods and technology that powered society in the late 19th century you won't be disappointed. This place is basically a time capsule of the Koreshan cult who were a completely self sufficient society at the time. All the buildings have been well preserved and restored. The river walk was also very pretty! read more

Koreshan State Park - Parks Near Me - Estero, Florida

Worth a visit. Intriguing story behind the inhabitants, and sad awakening to reality by the last few that still lived there when the USA landed on the moon....ask about it. Great tour for all ages. read more

This state park located in Estero FL, between Fort Meyers and Naples, is definitely worth the visit and I am glad that I stopped there. The site was once home to the Koreshan religious community, a new religious movement operating in the later 1800s and which believed that the earth was located on the interior and not exterior of the planet. At the state park down the original homes of the community are preserved along with the bakery, industrial center and the impressive planetary house. The land is beautiful with nature trails, rivers and camping facilities. The guides on hand do a great job of explaining the history and significance of the park. I am so glad that efforts have been made to preserve the historical integrity of the site and that it is open and accessible to the public. The site is accessible by car ($ 4 fee) bike and by foot (couple of dollars fee). I will be returning here and bringing some of my friends too. read more

See all

Great staff and lovely park. Quite campground and great hosts. Settlement is to see and must do your

I am so glad we found this hidden jewel! While the campsites are fairly close together, the natural vegetation separates them. The only downside is not having sewage on site. Some have complained about the width however it is wide enough that we were able to use the slide and the awning! We will definitely be back! read more

Koreshan State Park - RV campsite! - Parks Near Me - Estero, Florida

Absolutely gorgeous historic grounds . A must see, beautiful nature walk if you are into that . Nice boat ramp they provide as well.not expensive at all . They have kayaks there . It's a real nice experience if you wanna spend time with the family ! read more

This is camping review. Very cramped and sandy site. Not wide and thick woods on 3 sides. My feet literally sunk inches into sand trying to walk around site. The trailer did also. Not a very stable base. Bathhouse (there was 1) was ugly, dated and dirty. Shower stalls were so tiny a person could barely fit without touching walls. We checked in, set up, and sat down outside trailer. That is when a rat ran out of woods up on our rug, looked at us and went back to edge of woods, where he stayed. No fear of people! So 2 hours from check in and set up - WE LEFT! Reserved for 3 days, but stayed for 2 hours. read more

A lovely place to go if you have a burning desire for adventure! Lots of good places to go!! And, wait for it, you only have to pay five dollars! read more

Our day in Estero helped change my views on Florida. I thought it had no real history or depth. This place was pretty awesome. Creepy but really cool and made me think twice about Florida. First off, the grounds are beautiful. Bamboo forest, funky palms and other vegetation which apparently was brought here from all over the world. There is signage with names of all of the different types. Our morning hike along the Estero river hugging the park was so peaceful. People paddled by on kayaks. Others were camping out! Way cool! We carved our name with the others into the bamboo and sitting listening to it crackle was peaceful. I could've sat there all day. Touring the compound was very interesting. The views and artifacts of the Koreshans were neat to see and well preserved. The movie located in one of the buildings in the middle was very helpful and informative. There were tour guides inside some of the buildings available to answer questions and state facts. Short story, it's basically a early settlers "cult" although they don't like that word. It's just fascinating to see how others lived, what they tried to accomplish and how they viewed the world. I would definitely recommend a hike through here. It's just $5 a carload and a different way to spend the morning! read more

See all

such a beautiful area. the river is an amazing ride but the river trail is awesome too. the bamboo forest has a euphoric feeling to it and is like you are in the past walking through the town. during the right time of year you can find mangos around read more

We had passed the signs to Koreshan State Historic Site on our several visits to the Estero/Bonita Springs area. But had never visited until we found ourselves with a few spare hours on a Saturday afternoon when we were "between" hotels. So glad we did. Very interesting and well preserved buildings. The volunteer guides were helpful in giving the history of Koreshan. The movie was also helpful. Not sure we would make a repeat visit, but certainly glad we did this one time. read more

This is an incredible piece of history in a most odd lifestyle and belief system the recreation is masterful and the explanation and legends and exhibits are truly unique and wonderful. Th guides, who by the way are all volunteers know the culture so well and bring the history to life. With a park like this, having a docent guide is invaluable. The questions are plentiful and they are so well answered by the volunteer docents. We are visiting from Newfoundland and this will be one of the most talked about attractions of our trip. Our guide was Shawn, and she was absolutely spectacular on Saturday February 23! read more

This is an interesting place. There's quite a story to this place and you can go to their site for the details on that. I went here to explore the hiking trails to take photos of the bamboo forests. There are 3 trails of varying lengths that run off each other so you can go for a short walk or link them together to take a much longer hike surrounding the entire state park. That was quite enjoyable on its own, then there's also the historic settlement on the grounds that you can explore. It's got quite a story and between the trails and the settlement there was plenty of natural shade to make it enjoyable even on the hot sunny day that I was there. Plenty of restrooms, play area for kids, a boat ramp and even a campground. Set aside a few hours to really take in all that this park has to offer and bring a picnic. Perfect place. Definitely recommended and I'll be back there again soon. read more

We visited with our 3 children and while I understand the buildings are closed no big deal. After walking around the park we realized our truck had been broken into by someone that had special tools so we called the park they absolutely did not care to even let the police know that they might have a problem. We did file a report and stopped all cards that were stolen but now our alarm has been tampered with so it will need to go to the shop. I wouldn't leave my car unattended at this park until at least staff cares enough to patrol their grounds. read more

Great place for a weekend getaway. Brought our pop up camper with our 3 dogs. Nice little site to walk through with a nature trail along the water. You can rent kayaks for $10/hr and canoes for $7/hr. They sell ice ($3) and firewood ($7) at the ranger station. Not too much to do here but plenty of picnic areas and a playground. Staff is very friendly and helpful, overall nice place for a short visit. read more

Koreshan State Park - Parks Near Me - Estero, Florida

This place is odd. The people developed quite the compound. Their views were not conducive to membership. The recruits turned over all their wealth and material goods to the commune. By 1960, only five people were left. Great preservation and restoration of the original buildings. Flush toilets. Nice walking trail among cypress and bamboo. Kayaking, canoeing and camping on river. Decent place for $5 entry fee. Only takes a few hours to see everything. Guides are very knowledgeable. read more

This is our favorite weekend stop. We go in for the farmers market. They offer a reduced price to visit the market with a ton of good vendors. We get most of our fruits and vegetables from here. If you get the opportunity take the walk through the bamboo forest it's a great short outdoor hike for the whole family read more

Go for the Sunday breakfast by the friends of the Koreshan. Helping them is a must and conserve the history of this beautiful area.

Very interesting sights to see. Kinda creepy but that also makes it kinda fun! Came here on two separate occasions, once to take creepy pictures and another time as a field trip with my University. Awesome place to go canoeing, it's really the best part about this park. read more

If you've nothing else going on, then this will provide you with 60mins of entertainment..... nicely situated on the river, but so much more they could do to make the location more interesting / accommodating to guests read more

Very well maintained park. Great camping area. Well maintained trails. Nice canoeing area. Super knowledgeable and helpful staff and lots of them. Grocery store near by plus tons of restaurants and entertainment. Close to beaches if you want to leave the park. Highly recommended for all ages and abilities read more

The former site of a bonafide Cult is now a Florida cultural attraction in Lee County. The buildings and grounds continue to be maintained while every February, volunteers of the historic society associated with Koreshan maintain the cult's basics by re-enacting some of the more bland weirdness in their 19th C. dress during two successive moonlit weekends. In about 1896, a charismatic Cyrus Teed recruited about 100 of his Chicago friends to come live an alternative lifestyle. As most cult leaders do, Cyrus (who changed his name to Koreshan) required each convert to sign over all of their assets to him. And, the foiks also agreed to a celibate life, with women and children living in one house and the men in smaller surrounding bldgs. Cyrus travelled the world collecting converts and money but came home to his top floor bedroom in the women's house called the Planetary chamber. The community was self-sustaining, baking bread, raising animals, trading on the Estero River, and this is my favorite: generating electricity with one of the world's first turbine engines. Even Tom Edison came down from Ft Myers to check out their handiwork. You can witness the turbine fire up, and watch the lights go on in the original shed with that home-grown electricity during one of the volunteer demonstrations. When the volunteers arent around, its a good place to walk and see an occassional gopher turtoise, also protected on these grounds. You won't see any Koreshan settlers since celibacy took care of that a long time ago. The last one died in the '70s. . read more

I have to admit, we didn't get to visit the historic site while it was open, but we stayed in the campground that was attached to it, and the campground was the highlight of our 3000 mile camping trip along the east coast! Although the sites within the campground are close together, the woodland is so dense between slots, that you hardly notice you have neighbors. Palm trees tightly mixed in among others, that offer a nice privacy screen. The park is beautiful, with lots of outdoor activities to keep you busy consisting of nature walks, a play area for the kids, and a river to paddle through, with mangroves, and live oaks overhanging the river for a nice secluded feel. Proximity to the beach: It is about a 20 minute drive to a very nice stretch of beach on the gulf side, with aqua green water,white sand, and nice warm, clean water to swim in. Shopping, and restaurants: If shopping is your thing, there is a very nice mall at Coconut Point, which has a multitude of stores ranging from fashionable to The Sports Authority. we stayed 3 days, but I wish we would have stayed 5, or more. We did all of the above activities, hiking, 7 mile kyak trip, eating out, shopping, and going to the beach This part of the trip was the best! Below is a video of our 3000 mile camping trip, that includes scenes from this park. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erefYmedvo4 Mark :) read more

What a fantastic hidden jem here in SW Florida! Wherever we went, we found ample staff to answer questions and tend to the structures. Beautiful old Florida fauna, and fresh fruit trees hidden around the property. I jumped up and had fresh mandarin oranges right off the tree! There is a hiking trail that's leads you next to the river through a forest of bamboo trees. The serenity experienced as the wind rolls up the river and makes the bamboo leaves rustle is not soon forgotten. Great campgrounds near the river for those that want to brave the bugs. If you want some strange history of early Florida living, this is the place to go! You'll see what I mean when you go over the religious cult beliefs of the earth being concave. Lol read more

I love getting portrait pictures here because there are great locations all over the historic park. The trees are magnificent, there are some very cool historic houses from the original community of worshipers who lived here, a beautiful white bridge, and some nice spots by the river that flows through. They have kayaking, camping, a play ground, museum, historic homes to tour, hiking trails, and biking. During the winter when the snowbirds come into town they host several events, a tea party, luncheon, and some concerts. Also, if you're looking for a great place to get married outdoors, there is a ton of space for tents, and nice bathroom facilities. read more

Stayed at site#36 for 3 days for $28/day. All back-in sites are fairly level and mostly shaded compare to other sites. Power pedestal and water spigot location need stretch cords a bit to fit. No pull-thru sites that we can see. Tent only sites are between 2 large RV loops. Centralized bathroom with gender neutral, men, and women bathroom are dated but fully functional curtain, hooks, and private door on each stall. Pavilion houses both restroom and washers/dryers with ceiling fans and couple of washbasins. Watch for crashing branch from tall blacken pine near pavilion, it's showered huge branch and debris few feet from us. Our site on the inner loop, but access to bathroom is not fun. We took short cut through handicap sites 35 or 34 when it not occupied. Dump station is inconveniently located between Sabal Palm picnic area and site#26, and not at campsite exit as usual. Yeah, you have to go back into the campground loop to dump. Always peaceful at night except for rustling of bunnies, insects noises, and occasional showers. Near picnic area, the 30min nature trail meander around Estero River is nice and shaded for pooch walking. The historical utopian Koreshan historic settlement and Sunday Farmer Market in the same spot. For shopping, Coconut Point Mall is 10min away. Beautiful Lovers Key State Park with kayaking launch ramp and nearby Dog Beach with white sand and clear water is 30min away in Fort Myers Beach. Full of little trade offs but we like it enough to extend our stay another day. read more

Although the history is odd, this place is an absolute hidden gem and treasure to the West Coast community. There are nature trails, kayaking areas, fishing, and boating areas on the Estero River. The grounds are beautifully maintained. Public bathrooms are even well kept. The houses on the lot of the Koreshan group of people remain and bring lots of value to the historical spot. The bamboo forest is outstanding and tranquil. There is a small dock behind one of the houses that's great for pictures. The site is amazing for engagement photos or family photo shoot. Picnics allowed. Many little bridges to cross which are outstanding. Gopher tortoises DO NOT DISTURB if you visit as they are a protected species. Great place for all ages, highly recommend if you love nature and history. read more

Koreshan State Park - Nature Trail by the Bamboo Forest - Parks Near Me - Estero, Florida

See all

This Florida State Park is an extraordinary example of the diverse ecosystems found in SW Florida. read more

See all

If you enjoy learning about people and history things that happened in Florida then Set 2 hours aside. A small state park but very interesting to learn about the history of the Koreshans. Some very interesting buildings and displays a very nice Garden and a walking trail that goes along the river. Make sure to see the globe that's inside of the main home all of it is well documented and has some interesting reading as you stroll from one place to the next through the grounds. read more

Koreshan State Park - Nature trail along the creek just outside this settlement - Parks Near Me - Estero, Florida

Ouch! DO NOT BRING A LARGE RV HERE! The RV camping is for small units only! It is impossible to back anything larger than 21 feet into the sites. Sites are long and narrow, but the road is skinny with thick vegetation on both sides. We were told our 42, Class A would fit... we are very experienced yet almost destroyed our paint trying to back in to site 53.... they nicely refunded us and we went elsewhere for the weekend. read more

Beautiful park with a good amount of history to keep you busy. Plenty of plaques to read and educate yourself.

Great park! I love the history of the cult and they have done a great job restoring the buildings. Lovely way to spend the afternoon!

We enjoyed the historical buildings and walking around the site. It is an interesting take on a cult from the late 1800's early 1900's. There is alot of information available and the park rangers where very knowledgable and friendly. We enjoyed some fresh cooking from the park volunteers who set up an authentic lunch and dressed the part. read more

If you appreciate history, this is an important stop. One of the Utopian societies from the past century, there's a lot to learn and see.

Cheap and fun place to kayak or canoe. Or just to take a walk through the bamboo forest!

Tour is not very interesting and site itself has limited content. Worth a visit on a cool day in Winter.

Read about this in a travel book and just had to go there. Weird to think that cults were around long before Jim Jones and David Koresh, but this was really one. Interesting piece of Florida history. Glad we stopped to tour the site. read more