I was driving through Palm Bay when I spotted a pirate ship on the side of the road so I had to…read morestop and check it out. The pirate ship is actually part of a playground for kids in Arc Park. Children can climb the ship and slide down I pirate ship as they live out their buccaneer adventures. This park also has benches, picnic tables, and port--a-potties. In the back of the park is a pond where I watched native Florida wading birds. Local anglers fish the pond for bass and bluegill. A sign in the park identifies it as a haven for sandhill cranes. They are a large species of crane known to frequent the edges of bodies of water. According to the sign they are listed as a state threatened species. They don't live in South Florida but I have spotted them in Stuart and above. While I missed the sandhill cranes I did spot some egrets and herons by the pond. This is such a nice neighborhood park. The pirate themed playground sparks the imaginations, there is a large field for unstructured play, and the pavilion is a fun spot for a cookout. Parents do have to keep an eye on the kids because while the playground is fenced in, the pond has no barriers.

Good Park For Kids To Unwind…read more It's a smaller park but a good spot to let the kids unwind. A Little Rock climbing wall is fine for them, too bad it's not just a bit bigger and a bit more.

I had an enjoyable visit to Riverwalk Park and Nature Center in Rockledge. This 6.37 acre community…read morepark is now a family friendly, nature centered destination that will inspire a love of the outdoors among its youngest visitors. It wasn't always that way. In 1999 the park was named Hoo-Hoo Park from a fraternal order of lumbermen called Hoo Hoo International that contributed to the building of the park's boardwalk. A Sheriff's Office sting operation arrested 32 men on sex charges. Over 300 people were charged with improper sexual activities during the 10 years the park was open. Brevard County closed the park and worked on rebranding it for the community with a new name, Riverwalk Family Park. They added a nature center and invested $275,000 in park improvements. Today this a destination anyone who loves nature would be happy to visit. I started out in the charming nature center where I met Tommy, Pringles, and Chips, the resident turtles who swam right up to the glass to say hi. The nature center has displays about the animals and plants that live near the Indian River, maps and information on other local nature parks, and it also offers nature programs. On the day I visited they had binoculars for use in the park and free water color painting set up. Behind the nature center is a 915 foot boardwalk that takes you to the Indian River Lagoon. Although it is shorter compared to other nature boardwalks in Brevard County, it is the perfect length for the same children who would enjoy the nature center. In 2016 Riverwalk Park received a $20,000 grant from the National Recreation and Park Association. They used the money to build a Nature Explore Classroom set between the trees of the nature preserve. The interactive play zones radiate around a central grassy area with an old tree stump as the focal point. Some of the areas are a water play area, plants and play, a deck for tree forts, and musical instruments. The park also has a picnic pavilion, restrooms, and a butterfly garden.

Excellent little boardwalk path. Fun to enjoy when no one else is there…read more I love the unique rock formations by the water, though I was surprised how short the walk is. Wish the boarded path would lead over the ravine and into a nice picnic/play area. I like how some of the plants along the walk are marked. Did not appreciate the cigarette butts by the water. This isn't the park's fault, but all it takes is one negligent person to destroy everything.

A nice walking park around a lake - tastefully designed - still under construction…read more This is at the corner of Viera Avenue and Lake Andrew Drive. It has limited parking with about 15 car parking spots and several smaller spots that I assume are for golf carts. There is a building with restrooms. The same structure has 3 swinging benches and a long concrete bench that overlooks the lake the park is centered around. There is a concrete path that circles the lake but due to construction, you cannot currently walk the complete path. The west side of the walkway seems to have several wider areas where you can relax off the main path. The construction parts around the 30-acre lake include an Olive Tree restaurant that has the basic structure already built and fencing around it and one of the hotels that has many of the floors built. There are going to be many more structures built along the south side of the lake that are in the future and the reason that this part of the path is closed off. There is not much shade are you walk around the lake but it is a good flat path to get your steps in. Overall, this is a nice park to relax and enjoy the view of the lake on a pretty day.

Beautiful lake with a nice atmosphere and spacious view! Natural park with shaded sitting area for…read morefamilies or friends who are like family. A gem in the middle of this little city. One hundred percent recommended. Five Stars!

A nice park offering access to Lake Washington This park is…read morelocated at the western end of Lake Washington Road and just past the Melbourne Water Treatment plant. It provides access to the lake in at least 3 methods: a boat ramp, a floating dock, and a pier. There is a set of restrooms in a stand-alone building to the north of the entrance and on the east side of the park next to a parking lot. There is parking next to this building and just to the south of it that could fit about 40 spaces, There is also a lot to the south of the entrance and the boat ramp. The boat ramp has about 10 spots for trucks with trailers and another 7 in the southern lot. There is a playground to the north of the ramp and pier that looks like a couple of swings and a small jungle jim in a fenced enclosure. There is a walkway from the parking lot to the pier with about 3 small covered pavilions and 1 large one before you arrive at the pier. Overall, it is a nice park. It is not super fancy but it is functional. Enjoy

Searching for True Love & Forgiveness? Talk to GOD and get a…read moreDOG! #ReflectDogs Love & Forgiveness Well if you're into agility items, cute buildings, shaded seating areas and interesting structures this dog park was made for you!! They even have the mandatory fire hydrant. There is a nice big double-gated entry with a huge tree and nice bench in it. Put dog park has a couple poop bag dispensers as well as trash cans and a water feature. You can park right next to the dog park. The ground covering is mostly sand and grass. But beware there seem to be quite a few biological landmines?

Terrific lakeside park with play areas for children, large and small dogs. I think dogs on the…read morenature trail require a leash. It's currently undergoing construction via a large donation from a local humanitarian and through the work of volunteers and help from a construction team. Unleash Day, the opening ceremony is December 12, 2021. Bathrooms are on a time lock and currently closed until the bathroom floor resurfacing dries. The nature trail is suitable for seniors with walkers, people requiring a wheelchair, and Mom's with strollers. The large loop is about 3 miles, smaller loop about 1/2 mile and goes around a lake. The roadside trail has older oak trees. Both loops go around a trail. The trail is posted no trespassing in neighborhood or nature preserve so stay on the trail. Beware of golf carts on the trail. It's good for bikes and skates, too. The play areas feature bridges, mini hills and culverts. A swing set is near the lake. Their are covered benches. We spotted a kingfisher, Mallard ducks, a Snowy Egret, an Osprey with a fish, and palm warblers.

Ais Trail Park is a great place for all ages and abilities to hike. This 18 acre parcel was the…read morelast undeveloped property along Turkey Creek in Palm Bay when it was purchased from the Sterner family in order to preserve it in its natural state. The park gives you access to the Ais Trail, a .6 mile loop, natural earth trail. The park and trail are named for the Ais people, a group of Native Americans that lived in eastern Florida. Their territory included coastal areas and islands from Cape Canaveral to the Indian River. The best account we have of these people comes from the journal of Jonathan Dickinson which recorded their appearance, diet, and customs. Dickinson and his party spent several weeks with them when they were shipwrecked in 1696. By 1760 the Ais were extinct as a result of enslavement, war, and disease. I really enjoyed my hike on the Ais Trail that traverses through scrubby flatwoods, sand scrub, hardwood hammock, mangrove shoreline, and a brackish creek ecosystem. Plants you will encounter will include Hickory and Loblolly Bay trees, American Beauty Berry, ferns, hog plums, wild olives, native rosemary, cabbage palms, saw palmettoes, slash and longleaf pines. The trail was mostly shaded and part of it was on a boardwalk where I met several large Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers. If you want a longer hike you can connect from the Ais Trail to Dewar Park via a boardwalk. In addition to the trail, the park also has a fishing pier on Turkey Creek, canoe and kayak launch, pavilion, and restroom. The park is open daily, 7am until sunset.

This is a small primitive park, but a nice walking path. Also a short boardwalk…read more I was told by a frequent visitor that he has seen a few bobcats.

Sorry locals, I'm telling your secrets…read more This is where the manatees can be seen on those rare cold days, because, I guess, the canal water is warmer. They look like big rocks and kinda smell. The other park amenities here are geared towards exercise.

Great park, beautiful fountain, nice dock area for seeing wildlife. Tried the kayak launch and dock…read morethis weekend. The kayak slide was too thin for my yak (36") but would work nice for smaller kayaks under 34" wide probably. Walk in launch was very nice. Water level is very low. I won't be using this launch in future as to get to main canal, you have to shimmy through a tunnel under the road, fill with spider webs (clean now that I went through lol). Beautiful park and ball field here.

This is a great area to launch for SUP (stand up paddleboard) or kayaks. There is a small parking…read morelot that will fit about 20 cars in the launch area. A company called Calypso Kayaking thar rents canoes out of here. The launch area can be a little difficult if you're not super agile or if your paddle board is heavy - the best way I can describe it is it's a sloped staircase made of wood planks and dirt (I think it was about 5-6 steps if I remember correctly). It wasn't difficult going down, however, I was using my friend's Bote SUP, which is pretty heavy and it was difficult for me to carry it up the steps especially after a difficult and physical paddle with windy conditions. If I was using a lighter board I don't think it would've have been too difficult for me. This park also has nice a cute little playground and clean restrooms that are open year round. There is a covered picnic area with grills. And the parking lot at both the launch area and near restrooms are paved. We were there at low tide and the water was very shallow in some areas - so shallow that we had to get off our SUPs at one point and pull them through the water a few feet so we didn't damage our fins. It was great having the shallow waters because we saw LOTS of stingrays, horseshoe crabs and fish! Also lots of water birds throughout our paddle! One of the islands that we stopped at had a nice beach area and beautiful dead tree that made for great photo ops! All in all, this is a great location to launch for SUP and kayak. We will definitely go back and hopefully see dolphins and/or manatees the next time!

This is a great location to paddleboard or kayak in Merritt Island /Brevard County if you want to…read moresee manatees up close there are places to launch your kayak and it's not crowded