Beautiful park in a rapidly shrinking green space in the once beautiful Sarasota, FL. Park staff…read moreare great, friendly, helpful and generally lovely. Once you're through the entrance, you can pretend Sarasota hasn't been invaded by cancerous northerners who have absolutely trashed the city and destroyed everything in their wake. You can appreciate what Sarasota once was, beautiful, natural, and covered in flora and fauna. God save Oscar Scherer!

To get into the park with one person, it is $4; decent price. The woman at the entry was friendly,…read moregave me a map and a suggestion as where to start hiking since it was windy and cold when I arrived. I definitely got my money's worth, walking a little over 13 miles of trails. Most of the trails are well marked, but I did find it hard to navigate some of the trails resulting in me making a couple circles before I found the correct direction... but, extra steps aren't a bad thing, right?! There is a big lake along one of the trails. I was hoping to see a lot of wildlife here, but it wasn't super active. I did see about four different types of birds. There are a good amount of restrooms available as well as areas to have a picnic. I think most of the trails are doable for all levels of fitness as I saw several benches to rest along the way; they are also marked on the trail maps. I only went to explore for the day, but there are many campsites, a nature center, playgrounds and a beach area that I spotted in my park travels.

This is a very nice park with activities for young and old alike. There is green space and a…read moreboardwalk/nature trails and there is a link up to the Legacy Trail. We enjoyed walking the trails and the water feature overlooks. There are also tennis courts and a playground and a community center is located here as well. The playground is shaded and has play structures and equipment for children of all ages. There are several picnic tables and benches in this area as well. The ground is covered with wood chips for impact protection. DD really enjoyed running around and using all the equipment on our most recent visit. Located just off S. Tamiami Trail/ 41 this park is easily accessible. Visiting this park is a nice way to spend a morning or afternoon.

They've added covers to ALL the equipment! No longer do you have to suffer the heat because the…read moretents keep the playground equipment nice and cool! Highly recommended park, bathrooms and water fountain available, nearby parking.

Park is simple and well kept with areas for toddlers and older children. Bathrooms are maintained…read moreand have seen workers cleaning them and maintaining the pavilion area.

Nice park, grandson loved it, had some hiking trails also that were nearby and nice. Had enough…read morestuff to keep the grandson busy for an hour.

Nice little park and bicycle trail access area with covered picnic tables, water and bathrooms…read more There is a playground and dog up the street fl towards 41 at Bay Street Park This park is primarily and access to Legacy Trail with a visitor center (open Thursdays as of 2025) and some gardens, ponds and trails. Oscar Scherer State Park backside is across the street and Scherer Thaxton as well as some ponds too. Nice natural area to explore. Newer. Peeps have done some great improvements and plantings.

Great park! See photos - there's a few playgrounds, tennis, full basketball court with SINGLE RIMS…read more, bathrooms, water bottle refill station with the water fountains, a bunch of roof covered picnic table spots, and good amount of parking space especially near the community center entrance. Plenty of field space to let the dog run or throw a Frisbee or something also :) Playground Has a nice main playground, swings for all ages area, smaller playground for younger, and small play area near tennis courts - see photos Restrooms Didn't use but there are two bathrooms - see photos Dog-friendliness Lots of field space for dogs to run/play, although not sure on rules about dogs at this park Picnic area Has a lot of picnic tables, all covered, maybe 10 or more throughout park - see photos

This is a very nice park in.. Wait for it.. Laurel!!! It back up onto the Legacy paved trail for…read morebikers and such. There's a covered picnic area, plauground, grassy fields, and trees. Check out Nokomis Community Park too if you like this one. Great water access for paddlecraft and views there too.

Beautiful property by the water and a nice walk with docks extending over the creek. Nice signs…read moreabout the history of the park. Downside is that every time I go there, there are huge riding lawn mowers constantly mowing the grass that doesn't appear to need mowed. They are loud and annoying, ruining any peace you might have hoped to achieve there. And then there are edgers edging, similarly unnecessarily. It never stops. Noisy and smelly.

Little walk ways near the water and plenty of areas to sit…read more Nice little park to visit with boats coming in and out of the channel.

It's a short walk ( the paved trail ) haven't walked the woody trail. Has a playground, pickle ball…read morecourts and basketball courts. Basketball courts are currently closed. Rating only three stars because I went twice within two weeks and each time there's someone with a lighter in a wheel chair who hangs out by the restrooms. First time I saw him he was on the floor passed out from who knows what second time he was still there but sitting on a bench near the bathrooms. Not sure how safe this place is.

Great park. Has a large pool are with slides and such but was closed for the 2020 epidemic when I…read morewas there. Basketball and tennis courts. Large playground area with different apparatus for various age groups. Some cool features I haven't seen elsewhere. All seems quite new. Also a walking trail but marking said only .5 miles. But nice treed area. Ample parking when I was there. Near Costco. Swings. Jungle gyms. Swirling climbing structure. Slide and ladders for bigger and little kiddos in separate area. Covered picnic bench areas. Very nic3 and we'll maintained park.

If survival shows had a snorkeling episode, it would be here. You have to walk FOREVER just to get…read moreto the ocean, then walk through the water to even reach the snorkeling spot. Parking? Better wake up at 5:30 a.m. because there's barely any unless you enjoy circling like a lost seagull. And the waves??? Felt like the ocean had personal beef with everyone there. People were getting tossed around and there were basically no signs warning how rough it was. Came to snorkel, almost left fighting for my life.

Found lots of great shells during our week stay here! Also got to enjoy the sunset and early…read moremorning beach runs. We stayed on Point of Rocks road, so it was a quick walk to the beach.

Located just one block east of the 41 in Osprey, Bay Street Dog Park provides a one-acre off-leash…read morepark. This is an ideal playground for dogs and their owners. Divided into two separate, fenced-in areas for large and small dogs, it ensures that every dog can play freely and safely. The park is setup with dog exercise equipment, water fountains and shaded seating. My favorite time to visit is just before dinner when there are usually plenty of dogs looking to get some socialized playtime. Enjoy!

Our first time here and love it. Lots of shade and parking. Very cute activities for large and…read moresmall dogs. I heard about this park a couple of years ago and very happy that I finally made it effort.

This is a nice preserve at the back of the larger and more forested Oscar Scherer. Set along Honore…read moreAve amidst new decelopments it features a picnic table, crushed shell parking lot that doesn't have much of a sign on the road, and a trail with some offshoots around a body of water. There are cattails. Some wildflowers. 275 isn't far and the apartment complexes are visible and nearby for much of a wildlands experience, but water features, marsh plants, and looking for birds is nice. There's a small canoe launch. Seems to be a trail connecting into Oscar Scherer. I posted a photo of the map as of March 2020. You can take a look at the trail. Nice oasis and I see bicycle riders coming from surrounding area as well as visitors from further afield. Doesn't rank up there with the beaches and wilder preserves and more scenic preserves in the area for me but I enjoyed visit and am glad it's there. Be prepared for some bugs. I got bitten by a horsefly after my hiking buddy took a photo of it on me instead so I coukd tell them what kind of insect it was instead of smashing it..