A small square block in a space with the Polk County Justice Center on one side and the Old Polk…read moreCounty Courthouse on another, this park is a peaceful little space. The park's defining feature is the Fort Blount Monument and the ring of twelve interpretive columns that surround it. These panels walk visitors through the story of the original frontier outpost that once stood near this site and the subsequent development of Polk County. The monument and columns offer a structured narrative of the county's founding and early settlement. It's the kind of installation that rewards a patient reader, and it gives the park a museum‑like quality without losing its simplicity as a public square. Fort Blount began in 1851 when Readding Blount and his family settled along Peas Creek, joining earlier pioneers and creating a small frontier cluster that soon built a community blockhouse for protection during the Third Seminole War. The fort was never a military post, only a settler refuge, and it faded from use after 1858, though its name defined the early settlement. During the Civil War the local post office adopted the name Bartow in honor of Francis S. Bartow, and in 1867 county commissioners made that name official, retiring Fort Blount to memory. [Review 1613 of 2025 - 2190 in Florida - 25161 overall]

Fort Blount Park is a one-acre site on the northwest corner of Broadway Avenue and Main Street…read moreacross the street from the historic courthouse in downtown Bartow. In 2002 the city of Bartow had torn down some old buildings and was looking to cover this acre in asphalt. Residents wanted something better for their downtown so they launched a fund-raising effort which raised the $200,000 which paid for the columns, fountain, trees and picnic tables. Sponsors paid the 12 pillars that anchor the west side. The pillars have plaques mounted on them that recount the history of Bartow. A dedication ceremony for the park was held in 2002. This area of town was once the site of Fort Blount, built by Redding Blount along with 21 other people which included family, other settlers and slaves. The group came to the area in October 1851. They built a settler blockhouse for protection from the Seminoles who were at war with the US army who were trying to relocate them to Oklahoma. The community was named Fort Blount after the fort. Later on it was renamed Pease Creek and the name was changed to Bartow in 1867 to honor Confederate General Francis S. who died during the Battle of Bull Run. The blockhouse was abandoned as a fortification before the end of the Third Seminole War in 1858. Today the park has peaceful towering oaks. It is used to stage festivals and events in the downtown area like the Bloomin' Arts Fetival I was visiting. It was interesting to read some of plaques and learn the history of the town. More history can be learned across the street in the historic courthouse turned into a history museum. This is just a nice passive park to relax in and watch the town of Bartow go by.

Awesome hike. Just be sure to take note that however far you walk away from your car, you have to…read morewalk that same distance back lol

Kiwanis Park is a great local park in Winter Haven, Florida. It's in a neighborhood area across the…read morestreet from a lake and a great walking trail. We were staying at an airbnb nearby so we walked there one morning. There are swings, slides, climbing structures, and it is also accessible for kids with disabilities. There's a little shade from the shade structures but there are not many trees. A small pavilion is another option for some shade and rest. The water fountains could use some work. Kiwanis Park is a nice way for kids to burn off some energy with a great view of a lake!

This park is loaded with challenging equipment and two age appropriate areas of play. There is a…read morebathroom, picnic tables, pavilion and a dock. The play equipment is well maintained. The dock is safe and goes out a good distance into the water. No swimming is allowed. While we were playing a collection of homeless people started to migrate to the pavilion. The pavilion loaded up with their belongings as they set up camp. I'm not sure if this is normal but since we are not from the neighborhood we will not be returning.

Opened in 2011, Heritage Peace River Landing is a park that was created as part of a plan to…read moreincrease the public access to bodies of water all over Polk County. The park is located on the east side of the Peace River south of County Road 640. It was added to already existing boat launches in Bartow and Fort Meade. This park provides access to the upper Peace River. The idea for putting a boat launch here dates back to 2003. It was finally accomplished through a public and private partnership. Clear Springs LLC lent heavy equipment and brush was cleared by ACT and the Dick Pope Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. A boat launching area was then created and a pier was added. The creation of this boat launch helped to extend the paddling trail on the Peace Rive, north from Fort Meade to Bartow. With more people using the river for recreation it is hoped that they will want to protect the river. During the Seminole Wars there were many settlements along this section of the river and to this day it attracts a great variety of wildlife. The river provides drinking water for people downstream and it contributes to the health of the Charlotte Harbor estuary. Heritage Peace River Landing is open 7 days a week from 7 am to 7 pm. In addition to the boat launch and fishing pier there is also a parking lot and picnic shelter. Admission is free. Come out and enjoy the natural beauty of the area by paddling down the Peace River.

This place is tucked away from everything making it a great spot for a picnic, fishing, or just sit…read moreand enjoy nature. Unfortunately there is trash lying around including a bloody looking shirt. People parked on the boat ramp made it inaccessible. There was also a man asleep at the wheel in his truck with his door open and constantly dinging. What could be a beautiful spot is a little to "creepy" for me. We did enjoy hearing two barred owls calling to each other while briefly there and watching a hawk flying overhead.

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.

Trailhead Park is named for its location on the Chain of Lakes Trail. Opened in 2011, this well…read moreappointed and clean park offers inexpensive fun for the children of Winter Haven. I happened upon Trailhead Park during a recent visit to Winter Haven. Close to downtown, it was the perfect place to take a break and stretch my legs after the long drive. The park is a short walk from Lake Silver across the street. While walking through the park I admired the extensive playground being enjoyed by a number of children on the swings, slides, and climbing areas. The playground area has rubber flooring for safety. and the play equipment is color coded, green for ages 2-5, and purple for ages 5-12. Surrounding the play area are wrought iron benches where parents can sit and keep an eye on their kids as they play. Trailhead Park also has a splash pad that opened in 2016 and restrooms. This lively, family-friendly park has great amenities. While geared for kids, it is a relaxing park for all who visit.

This is such a cute little park to bring children. It is right across from the tennis center and…read morenext to city hall.

What a wonderful, beautifully maintained, park! We were awed on the hiking trail we looped around…read moreon. The wildlife we saw was pure joy. There are interpretive signs, as well as warning signs (alligators, snakes, etc) along the way which was an added bonus. Although there was a huge number of vehicles in the parking lot, we barely ran across other hikers. The pathway we took, about a 2.5 mile loop, had minimal foot traffic. The paths are wide, wide enough for worker or emergency vehicles. We enjoyed this park very much and plan to return, albeit most likely NOT in the dead of the Florida summer heat/humidity. We are not that "adventurous" hahaha. We are very blessed with the County and State parks we have here, that's for sure!

This place never ceases to amaze me! Every time I come here, I have a different kind of experience…read more That's what I love about it, you never know what you're going to get. I can't wait for my one day where I get the shot to see an alligator sunning himself on the walkway. My children and I still come here on a regular basis to see all the different kinds of wildlife we can count while we're there. It's quite a fun experience!

This park is amazing that is how I can describe it,not only it is huge but it is also beautiful and…read morehas so much for the kids to do while enjoying the outdoors there is also a kids museum close by. There is plenty of parking here but we aware you will be walking a lot thru this park even if you park close or not. For the kids I recommend bringing a bathing suite as there is a little river where the kids can play and get wet also bring snacks and drinks it gets very hot and there isn't to many places here to buy food or drinks. If there is an event like there was when we visited, be ready to park on the far side of the park and walk also you can bring bikes,scooters and skates to this park. This is truly a hidden gem in Lakeland,Fl and we enjoyed visiting here.

Always a five star experience…read more There is so much parking and depending on what you want to do you can park close to where you want to be. We always park close to the main playground and start there. It's actually a giant circle when you think about it, so we start at that playground then we move on to where there's the owl playground and the spinning carousels. Then we continue onwards to the treehouse, from the treehouse we go to where there's the main building where they had shaved ice and you can get food if you want then it's an easy walk back to the car. We always bring the kids scooters because the walk is a little far for them, they are five and seven. I did learn this time around that if you are older like my in-laws this park may be a little too spaced out, especially when it's hot outside. However, there is a tram that will bring you from place to place so we did end up taking the tram from the main building back to where we parked. We spent about an hour racing around just giant park. There is a lot of shade, but also you do need sunscreen. It is a majority outside and everyone knows how hot Florida gets. I think it is brilliant that at the main building they have shaved ice. Also, at the treehouse they sell drinks, a water bottle was three dollars, which was actually pretty reasonable so I got the kids water. Even though it's hot in Florida I really like the kids spending time outside so this is a fantastic place to spend a couple hours. I'm sure we could spend even more time here if we ever decide to check out rooftop bar or the food place, but for now we've only experienced the multitude of playgrounds. It never feels crazy, busy, but that's probably because it is so spread out that families can be all over this huge park.