They call it Lakeland for a reason! Wire Lake has a nice sidewalk path around it and is a short…read moredistance.from downtown. The roads by it are a lil busy in sections but if you like birds, water, palms, historical sites, and Middle Schools, this lake has it all!!! There is a section with various palms marked with labels along the lake by Lawton Chiles Middle School. Arboretum like. Some of the palms haven't survived but there are many to look at for the palm enthusiast. Choose a good one foe your next landscaping project! Juat past the palms is a historical marker for the 10th Cavalry "Buffalo Soldiers". African American soldiers had a very important role in the American Civil War and were stationed here a few decades later before deploying to Cuba to hekp liberate it from Spain. What would the area have looked and felt like back then? Interesting to reflect on. There is some trash in the lake. Styrofoam cups. Plastic bottles. :,( But birds as well. Views of taller downtown buildings in distance. A shiny new Methodist Church building is across the street. Those Methodists seem to be doing very well! Have to respect their methods.. Circling around to the other side there is the old courthouse building and you can cross the Traintracks on New York Avenue to reach downtown and Munn Park. Hurry before the Confederate Memorial statue of Munn is gone! Make sure to stop and smell the roses. Where? How did I get here? And the days go by. Water flowing under ground.. Apparently there is a cycling trail circuit around Lakeland's lakes. Check it out. Someone should.make a Yelp entry for it..

This is a small park on the northwest shore Ned Lake, a 72 acre fresh water lake containing…read morelargemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie. Lake Ned is part of Winter Haven's famous Chain of Lakes, a grouping of more than 50 lakes ranging in size from tiny to large. Twenty-four of the lakes are connected by canals making them ideal for boating, fishing, picnicking. Lake Ned park has a basketball court which was being enjoyed by a large group on the day I visited. There is also a boat ramp, covered picnic pavilions with tables, paved walkways, and older style playground equipment which could use updating. Unfortunately the park is lacking in restroom facilities. My favorite feature of the park is the lake view where you can catch a glimpse of local birds. It would be a nice place to bring a picnic lunch. This park is especially enjoyed by local anglers and boaters.

Lakeland Highlands Scrub is a beautiful place to encounter native wildlife and plants. It holds…read moreremnants of Florida's ancient landscape. When sea levels were higher it was an island. There is a picnic shelter and portable toilet at the entrance and a boardwalk and gazebo over the lake. There are old phosphate pits nearby. There is access to the Se7en wetlands, a natural wastewater treatment area.

We've lived in the area almost four years and have only just heard of this place! Naturally, we ran…read moreright out to check it out. It's easy to find, free parking, no admission fees, etc. just park, and start walking. There's a great boardwalk over one of the lakes that connects some of the trails. If you keep going, it does connect to the Se7en Wetlands, as well. Check the map at the front entrance! I love a good nature trail, especially in Florida. This one is so quiet and peaceful! Not much wildlife, though; at least, not when we were there. We saw one pigeon. That was it. But it was still a nice walk. Note that these trails aren't paved and the farther in you go, the sandier it can get; like, thick, fluffy beach sand. Most of the trails are really well shaded, though! Also, leashed dogs are allowed but just know that if you connect to Se7en Wetlands, they are not allowed in that area. Very nice little hidden gem in South Lakeland!

South Lake Howard Nature Park is the perfect place to enjoy a walk. The 17.6 acre area was…read moreoriginally developed to treat stormwater. Stormwater parks help the environment by capturing and retaining stormwater runoff which prevents flooding in the surrounding areas. It cleanses and stores stormwater to recharge the aquifer. The pond plants removes pollutants from the water leaving it clean. Left untreated stormwater leads to algal blooms, muck deposits, fish kills, and other environmental problems. These ponds also attract a variety of wildlife including Florida's beautiful wading birds, alligators and turtles while providing a recreation area for the public. The South Lake Howard Nature Park opened in 2001 and contains stormwater ponds and infrastructure to help clean and filter the stormwater water from the sucrose's and neighborhoods before it enters Lake Howard. At the entrance to the park is a parking lot, picnic pavilions with tables, and restrooms. The first part of the trail into the park is a 1,000 foot boardwalk that takes you over the water. Further into the park are three paved loops measuring a quarter mile, half mile, and mile. At one point you have to cross over 21st West. The paved pathways make it easy for people of all exercise abilities to enjoy the park. As wonderful as the park is, there is even more to come. The city purchased an adjoining property which was the former home of WSIR Radio. They plan on adding more trails, boardwalks, kayak launch, play area, disc golf, an outdoor classroom and other amenities. Keep an eye out for the exciting new developments at South Lake Howard Nature Park.

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.

Walker Park is across from Twin Lakes In Lake Wales. You can find it behind MidFlorida Credit…read moreUnion. The park is named in honor of the local Walker family. D.A. Walker moved to Lake Wales in 1917 as an agent for the Atlantic Coastline Railroad and he later opened a bakery. After the city renamed most of Walker Street to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. they agreed to rename Twin Lakes Park, Walker Park. I love the large trees dripping in Spanish moss that are typical for this part of Central Florida. They provide shade and beauty to the park. On the lake side there is a large pavilion with picnic tables. The playground area side is fenced in for safety. In addition to some modest playground equipment there are picnic tables, a red swing bench, and a water fountain. This was the perfect place to stretch my legs and recheck my route before heading out for the rest of the day.

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 1,500 acre conservation area is part of the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Area. It offers…read morehorseback riding and hiking. The 10 miles of trail roughly parallel a tributary of the Hillsborough River, Cow House Creek. The direction the creek flows can reverse and depends on water levels in the Hillsborough River and the Tampa Bypass Canal. For more information see the Southwest Florida Water Management District website: https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/lh-jefferson.html

I go here all the time to walk my dogs. It's a nice area with low traffic where you can let your…read moredogs run. There is a trail through the wooded area which is nice and shady for hot days or you can walk along the bypass canal. There is plenty of parking, trails for horseback riding, and you can fish in the canal if you want. I deduct two stars for the large amount of trash in the parking lot. There has been a half burned matress there for months as well as bags of trash from some selfish person that dumped it. Also if you bring your dogs be aware as there are often people here who irresponsibly let there dogs run around and don't keep track of them so I've had people's dogs follow my dogs and me down trails and one tried to pick a fight with my dogs. Luckily I have 2 extremely mellow pit bulls who wanted nothing to do with the aggressive dog but it could have been a problem if I had an aggressive dog. Also ironically, be aware that it is a misdemeanor to have your dogs off leash here or on any SWFWMD property...I know it sound unbelievable but it is true and I have been threatened by an FWC officer, which imo was absolutely ridiculous but I guess rules are rules.