First time to McIntosh Preserve today but not the last time. This is a small preserve in Plant City…read morewith a parking lot off of Knights Griffin rd. The preserve is open sunrise to sunset and dogs are allowed. The trails are well maintained crushed shell and rocks and should be ADA accessible. I did not notice any bathroom facilities. There are benches along the trails. We arrived late and only walked the linear blue trail so I am eager to return and see the rest of the preserve including the observation tower. Lots of beautiful birds calling, very peaceful. Near the parking there is an open park setting with some picnic tables. The blue trail starts out very sunny but makes it way across and open pastoral setting to a nice shaded area. Would definitely recommend sunscreen and water if you're there in the middle of the day :)

This park is beautiful! It is one of the most fun parks that I have been to since moving here…read more The trails are all so lovely and picturesque! The views, lakes, springs, trees, and vines are all just so beautiful. You can spend a whole day walking all of these beautiful trails! If you are a photographer looking for a great photo shoot, then this would be the place!

Was here last week. Totally forgot to catalog my first Catfish! It's crazy how many years i cone…read morehere n never catch one. Always come home with like bluegills n a random tilapia. You can see the catfish all over the lake just swimming by your bait n just testing you lol there's a crap ton of them near the pier but you gotta be careful cuz there's tons of alligators there to. I pulled out a nice size Catfish n then lost my second one to a damn alligator! Im happy the line broke cuz if i had lost my Shakespeare rod to i would've been more pissed! I got lucky n the couple nearby gave their bluegills. Went home happy with 1 catfish n 4 bluegills. Shared tips n bait store locations with a family camping there to. I wish the park entrance dude sold worms. It would be extra money for the park. I kept the catfish for a couple days in my aquarium, but he wouldn't take to it. I fillet his ass with the other fish. Doing fish tacos later. I used night crawlers from bass pro n sprayed them with-garlic sent to amplify the smell. I will try my homemade punch bait next tome. I found something tasty for them. Oh yeah, i caught some ghost shrimps in a cup but let them go. They look like glass at first then they moved around nicely. They are at grass edge, i do not recommend you get close to the edge!! Use a fishing rod n tie a water bottle or cup at the end with bait in it. I use catfish punch. Please don't let your pets get near the edge either. Gattor follow u when you are near water. Keep track of your kids!

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.

Burchwood Park is a pleasant enough park. It is not very big, but it fits the neighborhood that it…read moreis located in quite nicely. All in all, it is a nice enough park.

Burchwood Park is a decent little park with swing sets and playground also plenty walking around…read morethe lake. The park offers picnic tables surrounded by a fence? For whatever reason that is needed for what I do NOT know. Also keep in mind there is ducks and other birds that will walk up to you or follow you around I guess they are use to being fed by other people who come out here.

Arrived 3:45 on 12/30/25…read more STRENGTHS: - lots of attached tennis courts - there are many different little play areas on the playground. Some areas are great for little kids and some areas are good for bigger kids. - they are cool, tunnels, and artificial turf everywhere which is great for kids to stay clean and not have to deal with Florida ants. - the playground equipment is high-quality and there's a large variety for kids to exercise different body movements. This is the kind of park you can take your kids to every day. CHALLENGES: - parking is small. Not a lot of spots. Only 1 handicap spot - this park was packed, but the park is big enough for that to happen.

Came here yesterday after it rained and I was actually surprised how well the grass/turf dried…read more This definitely worth a stop with kids if you're in the area. They also have a tennis court next door that was pretty busy. This park has so many different options for the kids to play whether it's slides, climbing rocks, playing with water or musical instruments and more. There's so much to do. Bonus is that they have bathrooms, a water fountain & it's gated!!

I love camping here! It is magical. We just don't love that the trails are closed off. So far we've…read morecamped here twice using the electric and water. In the summer we were in loop 1 and recently we grabbed a last minute spot in loop 2. Even though there were so many folks we still had a great experience. The dogs love that park. There is a 13 mile trail that is in and out and that would take us way too long especially with the heat. We adore this spot and will be back!!!

I love going to Hillsborough River State Park in Thonotosassa. We regurlarly enjoy its hiking…read moretrails, (we usually combined them all for a good for a 7 miles haul). The trails are tranquil and vary in difficulty from easy to somewhat hard. Along the way there are plenty of opportunities to watch the animal life of the area and capture them in photographs. There a plenty of benches and little nooks where to rest along the way, some good enough to enjoy a picnic! Besides hiking this park offers all kinds of amenities such as camping- (all, including glamping), biciclying, horseback riding, fishing, and canoe/kayak launching. There is a historical fort and grounds within but currently close for renovations, (I believe it is scheduled to open in November). At Hillsborough River State Park there is plenty to do to enjoy a great day outdoors!

Located at the top of the Lake Mirror Amphitheater, Barnett Family Park was cutting edge when it…read moreopened in 2004. The $2 million park was a gift to the City of Lakeland from Carol Jenkins Barnett and Barney Barnett. Carol Jenkins Barnett (September 30, 1956 - December 7, 2021) was a Lakeland resident and the daughter of George W. Jenkins, the founder of Publix Super Markets. She served as president of Publix Super Markets Charities and as a member of the board of directors of Publix Super Markets. The Barnett Family Park playground features a whimsical nature themed playground with climbing net and an interactive fountain and splash pad that spouts columns of water into the air at random intervals to encourage children to play. The park also has the Sunflower Preschool Playground designed for ages 2 to 5, a labyrinth, a covered picnic area, restrooms, and a multipurpose field. I really enjoyed all of the public art surrounding the play area. If you have children this is a must stop in downtown Lakeland. Whether you're looking for a place to relax, take the kids to play, enjoy a picnic, or engage in sports activities, this park provides a little something for everyone.

Barnett family park is my families favorite park we have gone to in Lakeland. There is a huge…read moreparking lot, as well as street parking which provides plenty of places to park. The location is situated on a beautiful lake that has several walkways for a lovely stroll. The park itself is centered around a humongous shade tree that has a ton of picnic table seating. Each playground is separated by age and is gated, which is a huge relief for parents with runners! There is an infants area, toddlers age 2-5 and big kids area. On the opposite side of the playground is the splash pad which is spread out nicely so parents can keep a good eye on their children as they run and cool down. This park has something for everyone and is a must go to!

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.

Just a small park with a trail around a pond. Would be a great spot to have a picnic lunch or just…read moresit and read a book. Also take a walk around the pond and look for birds.

Whenever we have company to come stay with us, we always make sure to take them to Hollis Gardens…read more The team here are constantly rotating the flora. After the freeze this year, I was concerned that there would be not much left, but I can tell a lot of care was put into surviving this past freeze. The grotto did take a little bit of damage, but I know it'll be back. The fish are super big and thriving as usual. The fountains are always running. It's always so beautiful. Kudos to the team that keep it epic!

Haven't been here forever and came to visit on New Years Day 2026! So many people were enjoying the…read moreoutdoors. We usually walk around Bonnet Springs Park and haven't been here in forever. I wanted to see the roses which are actually right by the building where the parking is. The parking is free in the lot right next to Hollis Garden. FYI, the closest bathroom is at The Joinery. So from the parking lot walk towards the lake and walk to the right to get there. Hollis Garden is right to the left of the parking lot. My old review said it was not dog friendly. I did see other dogs and I didn't see a no dogs sign. So my pics do have mine in them. It's pretty to walk around and see all the landscapes. There was some flowers not too too many but it's January. I really loved Hollie Garden even more and you can also walk on the trail on lake mirror too. It's so pretty. This is such a great stop while being outdoors.