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    LaBelle River Park

    2.0 (1 review)

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    4 years ago

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    Barron Park - Barron Park, LaBelle

    Barron Park

    5.0(2 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Barron Park is located at the base of the Caloosahatchee River Bridge in historic downtown LaBelle…read more The land for the park was donated by W. Barney Barron and Lois Barron in the 1960's. Lois's maiden name was Hendry. She is a descendant of Francis A. Hendry who was a Florida cattle rancher, politician, and officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Hendry County is named for him. The town of LaBelle is named for his daughters Laura June and Carrie Belle Hendry. For 54 years the park has been the site of the annual Swamp Cabbage Festival held annually the last full weekend in February. Swamp cabbage is the vegetable heart of palm, which grows in the sabal palm which is the state tree of Florida. Pioneers served it boiled. The event has a parade, rodeo, food, and live music. LaBelle also stages other events like the Easter and Fourth of July celebrations in the park. The river provides a beautiful back drop to the park and makes it a popular fishing destination. Park amenities include river front picnic tables, tennis courts, dedicated benches, a covered pavilion, gazebo, stage with large seated area, restrooms, boat docks and slips. The park anchors the downtown area and provides the town with a place to gather for events. I loved the view of the river and the stately live oak trees dripping in Spanish moss. This charming park is the perfect place for a picnic lunch.

    LaBelle is the county seat of Florida's Hendry County. It is located on the south side of the…read moreCaloosahatchee River and owes its existence to the early cattle drivers and trappers in the area as far back as 1889. This park is directly on the river at the foot of the bridge carrying Florida State Road 29. The park is the host of the annual Swamp Cabbage Festival, which apparently I just missed by about two or three weeks. The start and finish line of the 5 k walk/run is here along with some other celebrations, tents and even a beauty pageant. For those who don't know, swamp cabbage is the vegetable heart of palm, which grows in the sabal palm which is the state tree of Florida. The park has a number of benches facing the slow moving river, a gazebo, a structure with restrooms and a playground. There is plentiful parking and lots of shade. Some folks were fishing when I stopped by. [Review 14817 overall, 319 of 2021, number 1306 in Florida.]

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    Barron Park - Barron Park, LaBelle

    Barron Park, LaBelle

    Barron Park
    Barron Park

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    Bob Mason Waterfront Park - Bob Mason Waterfront Park, LaBelle

    Bob Mason Waterfront Park

    5.0(2 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    It is indeed a waterfront park, located along the Caloosahatchee River in sight of the bridge,…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/caloosahatchee-river-bridge-labelle?hrid=gRVk16pEUi77egwoqk1_Ug. Covered by live oak, water oak and southern oak trees for plenty of shade, the park has restrooms, picnic areas, a playground and even a floating dock with several slips. There is parking available. Picnic pavilions can be reserved through the parks department. [Review 19286 overall - 1634 in Florida - 256 of 2023.]

    Bob Mason Waterfront Park was founded in 1998 and completed in 2008 with funds from the Florida…read moreRecreation Assistance Program. In 2018 the Hendry LaBelle Recreation Board upgraded the park by adding several gazebos, grills, and picnic tables along with an extended parking area. The park also has a floating boat dock with 10 slips, benches, restrooms, and a small playground. The LaBelle Garden Club added the plants to the park. This is a beautiful waterfront park along the Caloosahatchee River in LaBelle Fl. My favorite feature of the park are the picnic tables along the water under the shady live, water, and southern oak trees dripping in Spanish moss. I grabbed a take out lunch from the Log Cabin BBQ and had a birthday picnic overlooking the river. As I ate I watched the boats flying down the river. This is the perfect place to enjoy a meal, fish, or just take in the view.

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    Bob Mason Waterfront Park - Bob Mason Waterfront Park, LaBelle

    Bob Mason Waterfront Park, LaBelle

    Bob Mason Waterfront Park - Bob Mason Waterfront Park, LaBelle

    Bob Mason Waterfront Park, LaBelle

    Bob Mason Waterfront Park - Bob Mason Waterfront Park, LaBelle

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    Bob Mason Waterfront Park, LaBelle

    Ortona Indian Mounds Park

    Ortona Indian Mounds Park

    4.0(2 reviews)
    8.6 mi

    This park is located off of North State Rd 78. I saw a Florida heritage sign for it on the side of…read morethe road and decided to make a detour to investigate. This park is in the middle of nowhere in the heart of cattle country where the cows out number the people 10 to 1. You drive down a dirt road and come to a park. The park has picnic pavilions, a bathroom, and a small playground for kids. The real reason I wanted to visit the park is that it contains several ancient Calusa Indian mounds and canals that were once used as waterways for travel and transportation. The Calusa used wooden and shell tools to create waterways that were 20 feet wide and 3 to 4 feet deep and allowed them to travel from Lake Okeechobee and the Gulf of Mexico. The canals date to 1700 years ago (the same age approximately as the Miami Circle) and the site was first discovered in 1839. The park is named the Larry Luckey Ortona Indian Mound Park for the retired Glades County Property Appraiser who was instrumental in creating the park and preserving the area. He created the park paths and arranged to have the land cleared. He first asked the county commission to consider his plan in 1987 and the park was created in 1989. In addition to the Indian mounds there is a scrub habitat with wading birds, a hammock habitat, a grassy area, and Lake Wobegon. Every year the park is the site of the Ortona Cane Grinding Festival organized by Luckey and his wife Neva. The festival celebrates the early settlers' cultivation and the processing of sugarcane syrup. admission includes a chicken and pork lunch. The proceeds of the event go to the Glades County fire department where the couple is actively involved. I hope to get to the Sugar Cane Festival one day. On the day I visited the park was deserted. There is a kiosk with information on the Calusa Indians but when you try to take the boardwalk to the nature trails it is falling apart. The boardwalk is actually on top of mound. I tried to go further and ended up with several nasty scratched on my arm. It's a shame that the boardwalk has been allowed to fall apart. You can't access the nature trail if you can't cross the boardwalk. Many of the ancient mounds were carted away for road fill and others were lost when the Ortona cemetery was built. That is why it is so important to preserve what is left and it was disappointing to see the park let go this way. I hope the county gets it together and treats this park like the archaeological treasure it is.

    A rare gem in the rural cattle & sugar fields of Glades County! This is a County Park managed as a…read morenatural area, full of Palms, Oaks & Pine with a scrub habitat beyond the central pavilion area. It also commemorates the ancient Ortona Native Americans who first inhabited this area 3,000 years ago and built extensive canals by-hand to connect with the Calhoosahatchee River several miles away, possibly even the Gulf Coast. Archaeological interpretive kiosk along path to the right of the cane grinder after entering. A great place for quiet serenity and viewing native upland plants under the trees. The County keeps this park natural and does not interfere with native vegetation. Rustic sheds adjacent to the entry pavilion area are used for local festivals and family events.

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    Ortona Indian Mounds Park
    Ortona Indian Mounds Park
    Ortona Indian Mounds Park

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    Fort Thompson

    Fort Thompson

    5.0(1 review)
    0.8 mi

    In the 1800's white settlers flooded into Florida and the government became determined to relocate…read moreall Native Americans west of the Mississippi. This forced removal policy sparked the Second Seminole War 1835-1842. As the Seminoles fled south into Florida to evade capture and being sent out west, they moved into the Everglades in order to hide. In response the army set up forts south of Tampa to the east coast along rivers as they chased after the Seminoles who were much more skilled at surviving in the terrain than the soldiers. Fort Thompson was one of these forts and it was established in 1838 as a military post to store supplies for the Seminole Wars. The fort was named Lt. Colonel Alexander Thompson, who died in the battle of Okeechobee in 1837. I was able to watch a recreation of the Battle of Okeechobee earlier this year and I learned a lot more about the battle. All that remains of the fort is the marker that signifies where it was built. The marker was placed by the LaBelle Heritage Museum. The last remnants of the fort were washed away with the dredging of the Caloosahatchee River. The Confederate army used this land during the Civil War to raise cattle. After the Civil War a community named Thompson built up around the old fort because it was the best place to cross the Caloosahatchee River for miles around. Confederate Captain Francis Asbury Hendry purchased the property in 1879 which he used it for his home and a cattle ranch. Hendry founded the town of LaBelle in the late 1880's along the western edge of the property, named for his daughters Laura Jane and Carrie Belle. Hendry County is named in honor of Captain Hendry. In 1885 steamboat service began between Fort Myers and LaBelle. Fort Thompson was purchased in 1905 by Edgar Everett Goodno who built an ice and electric plant. Goodno built the Fort Thompson Park Hotel on the site which brought many people to the area including Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Ford purchased part of Goodno´s property in 1924 and it renmained in his name until 1942 when he sold it to one of Captain Hendry´s cousins, Joseph B. Hendry. The old Fort Thompson Park Hotel was torn down in the early 1940's. The historical marker erected on this site is a bit difficult to see and is faded. It is next to the gate of a private home located on SR80 just east of the City of LaBelle, FL. Five stars for the history of this place.

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    LaBelle River Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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