This historic 9000-acre park opened in 1931. It's considered an old growth forest and full of bald…read morecypress trees. There are a wide variety of endemic wildlife and plants. The main feature of this wonderful park was the boardwalk that goes through the swamp forest. Some really old trees that are possibly 1000 years old, is located in this park. There are nine trails, a campground, a playground, and a picnic area. There's a 3-mile loop trail for biking and driving. Also, a museum and concession built by the Civilian Conservation Corps; they constructed many buildings, bridges, and blazed trails in Florida State Parks. We were staying nearby and decided to explore this park. I enjoyed the historic land and old trees. The boardwalk was pleasant to stroll on; I saw quite a few memorial plaques. Generations of people walking on the same paths decades ago. It's a peaceful place and I'm glad they didn't turn it into farmland back in the 1930s.

This park is wonderful, plenty of trails, a cute store and just peaceful nature where you can see…read moreall kinds of birds, sometimes deer or gators and it's just a great place to visit.

My family wanted to ride some go karts and from the reviews this place looked pretty decent. I can…read moresay that this place really is a lot of fun. Great customer service, have to sign waivers of course and the prices weren't that bad. Adults and kids ride separately at different time, and the adults go karts are very fast. For kids, they need to be 39" or above, my son is 4 and this was his first time riding in a go karts let alone drive one himself. I was nervous and explained to the worker this would be his first. The young man was polite and help explain to my son how to work the go karts. The "mini karts" go at a different speed which put me at easy, and my wife and I were so happy seeing our son driving on his own. The arcade was great, lots of fun games. We got a ninja warrior package and it's really nice but my son didn't care for it. The mini bowling was great for all ages, and there's ax throwing! We ate before we got there so we didn't try out the food. The place was clean and had more to offer, so we will be coming back. Great family outing, a great way to stay cool while having fun.

Awesome place ! Came for the first time with the grandkids and he had the time of his life…read more......and adults did too. Clean and nice environment. Economical and the food was delicious .

This is not open!!! The walkway is closed off!!' Only picnic tables available. And they were…read moreworking in the bathrooms that left a chemical smell for the whole area Lots of parking at the top

This park was the site of a 460 acre open-pit phosphate mine until the early 1980s. The land was…read moredonated to the Polk County Parks and recreation Division in 1984. The park borders the Peace River floodplain. This park is south of Kissingen Spring, which was once one of Florida's major springs pumping more than 20 million gallons a day. It stopped flowing in 1950 as a result of the flow of the Peace River dropping due to the increase of phosphate mining in the area from mines like this one. The park has a peaceful one mile elevated boardwalk that winds through the shady floodplain forest out to the Peace River. Along the way interpretive signs give background information on the 1,800-square-mile Peace River basin. There is an additional 7.5 miles of multi use trails for hiking and horseback riding through wetlands and scrub in the reclaimed mine lands to the west. The parking lot is at the top of the hill and there is a restroom and picnic pavilion in the park. The park is known as a great place to bird watch. Birds that have been sighted here include limpkins, winter ducks, green-winged and blue-winged teal, hooded merganser, gray catbird, blue-headed vireo, American white pelican, and eastern meadowlark. Raptors that have been recorded here are the Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Swallow-tailed Kite. More than 25 wood-warblers have been found in the park like the Louisiana Waterthrush and the Chestnut-sided Warbler. Peace river Mosaic Park is open 7 AM to dusk. Admission is free. This is a great place to get your steps in and take in the natural beauty of Polk County.

Very nice stay..everyone was so friendly..Cheeks restaurant was great with reasonable prices. No…read morecomplaints at all with Cypress Cove!

We are total nudist, however this place was not for us. It looks more like a basic trailer park,…read more most of the people live there full-time. A small part of the park appears to be nicer and well-kept, however the majority of the park is a little bit run down, simply said, the lots"the sites" are not very well kept. The need to change their name to Cypress cove RV Park. We have stayed at over 100 different RV resorts throughout the United States and in my opinion this place does not qualify as a "resort". It is what it is, a park for nudist. Do you haters, before you write a nasty response, this is simply our observation and opinion, so take a deep breath, take a chill pill and relax!

I've lived on this beautiful little lake for years as my condo community has quite a bit of…read morefrontage. I know it very well so let's get started. Size & Location- Most folks think it's a small to medium lake at about 280 acres. It has a maximum depth of about 15 feet. The water is usually very clear and has no tannin. What a surprise! It's on Lake Damon Drive Which is immediately off US Route 27. You turn off Route 27 and you are pointing directly at the boat ramp less than fifty yards away! It's a good thing there is a sharp turn in the road, or your car could experience the boat ramp which I definitely do not recommend! This is the only public boat ramp on the lake. Shoreline- The shore is about one half developed. The remainder is still pretty wild. There is no public swimming here! Fishing- This is the primary activity at this lake. Bass and panfish are where it's at. Trophy bass have been taken here. Recreational Boating- Other than fishing, very little. A couple of my neighbors have pontoon boats which they take out from time to time. A few of my neighbors also have fishing boats. Exploring the undeveloped shore by kayak or canoe is popular for some. There is one jet ski which is rarely seen. Facilities- Bathrooms = nope. Ditto purchasing snacks or drinks. Do both elsewhere. Pro Tip- The closest restaurant is Market 27, two minutes away and it's excellent! You can also purchase drinks & snacks here. Check Yelp! Wildlife- It tends to congregate near the undeveloped shore and is most easily seen by boat. However, there have been lots of exceptions in the developed areas. Lots and lots of gators. Please don't feed them and especially don't feed them little dogs! The little pups really hate that so keep them on a leash and away from the water. One "Chomp" and it's over! Most of the time they don't even yip! An abundance of birds and snakes. Watch out for water moccasins! Lots of turtles. I love to see racoons, especially babies! Fox are pretty common. At least one family of otters lives here, and it is a true treat to see them! Black bears have been seen but it's rare. As you can tell this is not Orlando! Highlands County is an agricultural county and represents Central Florida that's not Disneyfied! I love living here. Let's go for four stars!

A beach is a beach when you live near one. To me there is nothing absolutely breathtaking about…read morethis beach. However, don't take it the wrong way. I still love the beach when I want to go to the beach. Luckily I know people that live near the beach so we park at their place and walk down to the beach. I've grown a very nice seashell collection from this beach. There are a few spots here and there along the beach that also great for a hangout if you want to be near the beach. Just beware of the parking meters if you don't know people who live in the area.

Nice service & yummy food. The venue is pretty & welcoming. The food although on the pricey side…read morewas good. There were flies giving us a hard time ( we sat outside) so definitely they need to provide those fly fans to keep them away & add a moscato wine on their drink menu for those who like ( me ) sweeter wine .

Bonnet Springs Park is a beautiful area in Lakeland…read more We were attending a wedding here and were amazed by how big this park was! The parking was plentiful for the area that this event was held. The ceremony was outside and it was beautiful, sunny day for it. After the ceremony, we got two hours to roam around that part of the park and it was beautiful. A lot of places to walk around and nice photo opps. The outside area where the ceremony was transitioned to an area to play some lawn games until we waited for the reception. The reception area was also big and beautiful with how they decorated it. A beautiful spot for a wedding. I would love to explore this park again if I was ever in Lakeland.

Bonnet Springs Park has been on my bucket list for a while and our family finally decided to make…read morethe 45 minute drive because we were having fantastic weather that weekend and wanted to spend the day outdoors. The park is extremely spread out, but there is a tram service and plenty of parking lots. There are lunch options in the restaurant at the Children's Museum and a rooftop bar, but there are plenty of picnic tables if you prefer to pack your own lunch. We had lunch at the Rooftop Bar with our two picky eaters and quickly realized that we should have ate downstairs where there was chicken tenders and fries. They weren't a fan of the flatbread pizzas, but enjoyed the wings. We did enjoy our cocktails and the view from the upstairs bar so maybe next time we will just grab one drink and then go downstairs for food. We spent several hours at the park and probably only saw half of the attractions so we will return soon to see the rest of the park because we missed out on the train shaped playground equipment located behind the welcome center. The treehouse ended up being a little boring and only had one tunnel slide and one swing so we quickly moved onto the indoor bee exhibit. My boys favorite attraction was the wooden owl that had multiple climbing walls, slides, and nooks to play hide and seek. One of the main outdoor playgrounds was unfortunately under construction. Hopefully they plan to add shade to that playground because everything was in the sun. Overall we really enjoyed our visit to Bonnet Springs Park and was impressed that there was no cost unless you visited the children's museum or ordered food. The attractions are very spread apart so I would like to bring my boys scooters next time we visit.

I've paddled the Emerald Cut a few times now. Initially I didn't like the idea of paying to launch…read moremy own paddleboard. However, it's only $10 now that I have my own life jacket (saving me additional cost of $5 to use one of theirs, as required). Well worth the low cost for some soul-enriching, communing with nature. I have never made a reservation. I normally arrive around 10:30, most recently on a Friday. Parked for free on Baptist Camp Rd. Just a bit of a walk from there with my inflated paddleboard, but I don't mind the extra exercise. You can unload your stuff closer, if preferable. There are port-a-potties available. You can count on there being a line in the check-in office. Various recreation supplies are available there for purchase. The process moves reasonably enough. A reservation will guarantee your entrance, however, and possibly aide quicker personal info collection. I always plan to do the Emerald Cut in roughly 3 hours round-trip, allowing myself several stops to enjoy the surroundings. You do run into (quite literally at times) novice paddlers along the way, which can be a bit tricky, yet not a real nuisance for me. In general, there's friendliness along the waterway. Slighty rowdy, party vibes in some spots, but also opportunities for solace and zen in various nooks. Encountering wildlife, fragrant elderberry, and other captivating flora along this stretch is always gratifying. It's a popular recreation destination for good reason.

Many tourists don't realize Florida is home to stunning crystal-clear spring rivers--perfect for…read moreswimming, kayaking, and tubing aka "hidden gems". My Hubby and I love kayaking, so we booked an excursion months in advance for Rock Springs through TripAdvisor. Our Tour Operator was Get Up And Go Kayaking located at Kings Landing in Apopka, FL. I LOVE saying Apopka ;) The good news: Apopka is a quick 1 hour drive from Orlando. Make sure you don't miss the turn to King's Landing, because the entrance is located on a narrow dirt road. You must drive past Kelly Park (which fills up fast). There is a Park Ranger located here who will guide you to King's Landing. As you get closer and if you see a parking spot, grab it! Check in is located in the Cabin like office where you will have to sign a waiver. If you do not want to take a clear bottom, guided Kayak tour, you can either rent or BYO Kayak versus taking a semi private, clear, guided kayak tour. NOTE: ONLY use their Sunscreen/lotion which is provided at no cost. It protects the wildlife and the Springs. We wanted the full experience as we have previously enjoyed renting clear Kayaks. Our guide for the morning was: Megan, who was fantastic! Full of energy, information and helpful tidbits about the Springs and its human and wildlife inhabitants. Our group was small and capped at 10. We paddled through both narrow and open stretches, and stopped to swim in the warm, crystal-clear water. One highlight was a banyan tree with an 8-foot natural "jump hole"--such a cool experience! It was a serene, memorable day, and fun fact: this is the very spring featured in the Visit Orlando commercials! Yeah, definitely take a day away from crowded Orlando to relax and enjoy Mother Nature! You will Thank Me ;)

Well maintained, regional park slightly out of the way but still close to Tampa that emits Old…read moreFlorida vibes. Arrive before 10 am if you want to swim in the spring for the first session. We arrived slightly late and instead did the trail and had some delicious BBQ from Mr. Blake. The redish-brick tanning of the river / stream is quite lovely. Bring suncsreen, bug spray and plenty of water. We went in June and enjoyed a serene 2 hour visit.

Came to Lithia Springs a couple times this week one for their nature hike which was very clear of…read moredebris easy to walk through. Also we learned that they open at 8am & the spring doesn't open until 9am so when we went today, we were the first to go in. The water was very clear and calm. We saw some fish swimming around the spring and a couple ducks that were hanging out in the water. It was so peaceful until it started getting packed then we decided to leave. But not bad for being local.

Taking a group to have a fun filled day! Putt putt golf, amusement games of all kinds! Food too!…read moreAll in the ac! A really fun place for groups and parties! Kids love it. Fun for all ages!

Too expensive and birthday party rooms are very small and no TV's anywhere to watch sports or…read morewhatever