How many memories can be at one park? The causeway out the the island beach is stunning! I have…read moredone birthdays, holiday picnics, family gatherings, beach days, kayaking, hiking and more at this park! I've been visiting Fred Howard Park since the 90's! This was a mother's day visit- parking was going fast, and the beach was packed. My mom and daughter and I just wanted to walk the island, get some toes wet and in the sand. We enjoyed the water immensely. So much wildlife to see throughout the park. My daughter's first birthday was held in one of the pavilions. Easter picnics with ham-kabobs. Taking the little kids out kayaking the inlet- endless possibilities to explore. Enjoy the park adventure!

Went to the beach to watch the sunset & relax. I walked around the little island all the way to the…read morebridge & back. It was a nice stroll. And this place did not disappoint. It was very calming as I watched the sun disappear in the horizon. This place was great to watch the sunset, paddle board, kayak or fish. The water was clear & warm, and it was a little busy when i went since it was still spring break. I felt a little safe during my visit bcoz i've seen the park rangers patrol the area. As soon as the sunsets, the park rangers were there to make sure that everybody leaves as the park closes at sundown.

Revisiting this park after a few years, while in the area again. Sad to see the many tree stumps,…read moreremnants of trees that didn't survive the hurricane a couple years ago. For that reason there's less shade in the park, but otherwise it is well maintained and restored as much as possible. There is the historic spring, that was once a paid attraction in the area, but now the park is totally free. Usually there is an abundance of fishes near the circular spring. We enjoy walking along the trail. There's an observation tower that gives a nice view of the area, plus seveal decks to admire the Gulf. To the right side of the entrance there's a other trail, longer and more for bicycles, that takes you along the paved road to another observation deck. As walker I prefer the other trail, more natural, better shades, and less hot than walking on asphalt. There is a butterfly garden, and a little free library as well, near the parking lot.

What an incredible park. No fee. Plenty of parking. Great trails, boardwalks and a magnificent…read moretower about four stores high. There is a spring and plenty of wildlife. We were fascinated by numerous jumping fish launching themselves out of the water over and over again. They do close a few minutes after sunset so it is difficult to watch this from the tower and get back to the car before they close for the night. A park ranger was coming out to clear people out before the sunset. Not sure this is a daily occurrence but was on the Sunday night we were there. Park is pretty clean. Trash cans are emptied. Need some more signs showing where the trails are located. When you park by the main bathroom there is nothing telling you where to go for trails. Cute butterfly garden that could use a tiny bit of care and surprisingly had no live butterflies around it. The spring has several signs around it that explain it's history and made this more interesting. Look for the female silhouette in the bottom of the spring. There is a sign that helps you see it. Numerous picnic areas. They are rolling out a new reservation system but it was down for a week. The Pinellas Trail connects right to the park and several spots had bike racks. Only thing that was frustrating was numerous visitors not following signs for "no dogs" especially in the tower where leashes get in the way on small walkways. The sign right on the boardwalk leading to the tower clearly indicates no dogs so why do you feel entitled to walk your dogs up and down the tower? Hopefully no dogs peeing through wood slats down on people below. Definitely be back to this park when in the Sponge Docks area. The beauty is so evident here... There are some sections that smell like sulfur probably due to decaying swamp material but this is nature!

LOVE LOVE LOVE! What a beautiful place! So serene, very…read morevery Zen place. Gorgeous old wild Florida scenery. Absolutely Magical. A must visit. Beautiful open tropical green spaces, Picnic areas with BBQ's & Shelters, lots of shady areas & small green forestry areas. A lovely playground area for the kids, very nice restrooms, trails, fishing piers, lookout towers, wildfire all over, gorgeous views of the mangroves. A nature lovers paradise. Photo ops in every direction. Birds everywhere, perfectly preserved natural habitats, the sounds of nature all around, trickling water sounds in the distance. No signs of civilization. Not another human in sight. You would not think that this kind of hidden, almost untouched, natural treasure exist so close to the city, but it does. And it's very well maintained. While I was there a single gardener came briefly, checked things out, weed wacked around the edge of a sidewalk & left. As it already looked perfectly manicured when he showed up. I was there for a long time & there was no one else there except the brief visit from the landscaper & one other gentleman I had a brief but lovely conversation with. When I first got there, I ran into this one single gentleman that was bow hunting. He had a great big bow & arrows. I asked him if he had seen any of the Flamingos & he said "not today" I took that as a good sign to keep exploring as I must be close! haha. Later on, as I was leaving that same gentleman went back to his truck put his bow away & got out his fishing pole & gear. I thanked him for his time again & wished him luck fishing. He then wished me luck on my hunt for the wild flamingos & quickly, silently, vanished back into the woods. New Port Richey is a gorgeous place that has it all. It's quickly becoming my favorite playground on Florida's iconic Nature Coast. Highest Recommendations.

Well groomed park with inlet all around. If you love birds this place is your park. Newer play area…read moreand lots of piers. A great find to visit and Im sure nice to live by.

We love to be outdoors. We are visiting Tarpon Springs and decided to go for a nature walk. This…read morecame up on a few different sites as being a good place to begin. I cannot tell you the amount of wildlife we saw. It was absolutely amazing. We saw Osprey and Ibis and tricolor Heron. The list goes on and on. We also saw a pair of osprey in a nest. We also saw a black vulture, a ring, neck, snake and various ducks not to mention a bald eagle juvenile. The water is beautiful. You can walk out on the dock and get a Birdseye view of the golf. They have clean bathrooms and plenty of parking. Bring your sunblock.

This is a very strange park. It has some very strange "rules" for being right on the Gulf of…read moreMexico, the water is not very clear & there is a very large creepy plant in the distance. The sign upon entering clearly says: "No swimming allowed here" and I wondered why is that? This park is clearly on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico with a large beach area, so why no swimming? That is a great question. As you enter the park, even from my photo of the park sign at the entrance you can see this very creepy plant in the background. So I wondered if that had anything to do with the "no swimming" rules. So I did some digging & this is what I learned. The very creepy plant adjacent to this park is a power plant called the "Anclote Power Plant" owned by Progress Energy (located near Holiday, Fla. in Pasco County) It generates more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) from two steam units. "Progress Energy Florida" says it's to convert the Anclote Power Plant to CLEANER natural gas. Their webpage says that the Emissions-reducing conversion will "ALLOW" the company to comply with "NEW" federal standards. Hua? (Not good word salad folks) yikes. BECAUSE, "Currently, the plant uses oil & natural gas. The change is required to "ALLOW" the company to comply with "NEW" federal emission standards for coal & oil-fired generating units, including the EPA's new "MERCURY and AIR TOXICS STANDARDS" (MATS) rule." YIKES. (Nope, not good word salad folks) No wonder there is no swimming allowed. Do not recommend.

This is our favorite place to walk the dogs and enjoy some stunning scenery. Quiet and peaceful…read moreand we only see a couple other people when we are there. Its like having the whole world to yourself! The river is mesmerizing to watch and if you are lucky you will see a couple dolphins playing like we did on our 1st visit. They close at sunset so don't get stuck in the park. Early is the best (coolest) option. See you soon!

Love this launch. Plenty of parking and most boaters are pretty courteous. Current is pretty strong…read moreand at low tide be careful, it can get pretty shallow.

One of our favorite spots to look for manatees is the Spring branch or Spring Bayou, off Tarpon…read moreSprings (FL) Bayou. We try to get here before 10am (Jan 2026), which seems to be when the manatees like to "frolic" here. There's not a lot of parking, maybe 25 spaces, and there's more one street up at the tennis courts. We never see any street parking in this neighborhood. We look for manatees near the south end of the bayou, near Bath St north of S Spring Blvd. We saw several individuals and maybe a pair, occasionally surfacing their backs or peeking out for a gulp of air. It was a chilly morning, so we didn't stay long. There's a nice path around the bayou, a park, and on weekdays, a cute $5 museum, too.

There's a lot of street parking around. They were setting up for an art fair. There were a ton of…read moremanatees everyone was observing

Earlier in the afternoon, I asked the Internet where to find the best sunset in the area and it…read moresent me to the aptly named Sunset Beach here in Tarpon Springs. That was absolutely the right call and since it was such a clear afternoon, it worked out very well. The beach is at the end of a narrow causeway and at the end is a decent sized parking area with a pavilion that has picnic space, a proper beach and even restrooms. There was plenty of parking on this early Spring evening and I had no problems with the Sprinter van. Walking out to the pavilion was easy as it is paved and completely handicapped accessible. Super windy and a little crowded with about 100 people who had the same idea as I did. Some of the more mature folks had cleverly brought chairs which was the right move. Departing took a bit as most weren't interested in staying after the sun went down. Like me! The roads do lead to here but it's not easy. Trust your GPS and take the first parking space you spot. [Review 386 of 2025 - 2035 in Florida - 23948 overall]

Sunset Beach has always been a favorite spot for our family. Great place to relax in the sun, enjoy…read morea walk, let the kids play in water, the park or even a game of volleyball. Its a beautiful neighborhood gem.

Park is newly renovated and completely fenced in. There is ample parking. I love that it has a good…read moreamount of benches and picnic tables surrounding the park but inside the fenced in area. Lots of options for lunch or just to eat a snack. There is also a bathroom, which is really convenient as you don't have to leave the play area or walk very far. It can get pretty busy on the weekends but is quieter during the week. They have multiple swing options, a small playground for younger kids, a larger playground for older kids, and various climbing/play structures. It is completely turf but is surrounded by a concrete walkway- so pretty wheelchair and stroller friendly. It is pretty shaded as well so you aren't being blasted by the sun. I would say this park is more suited to 2+. There are multiple climbing components that are pretty challenging and just require more coordination/strength.

Yelp needs to update the key photos for this park. We came here anticipating it to be an awesome…read morewooden playground (hard to find) with mulch and dirt and an adventurous outdoorsy vibe, which is what the pictures reflect. My young boys and I were disappointed to find it had been Renovated for some time now with toxic Turf and plastic/metal playgrounds. Playground felt much smaller this way than when it had been wooden with plank beams running throughout. It is also incredibly packed, but I think that's also because there is a sports complex here and I'm assuming many younger kids are here playing on the playground while older ones play sports. The upside is that it's still a public playground and an outdoor activity for kids. There are bathrooms in the playground area so that's a convenience.

A hidden gem! Very clean, good trails, lots of water views. And monkey-ear trees! Dogs allowed on…read moreleash.

Discovered this nature/wildlife area while I was biking the Pinellas trail, and such a beautiful…read morefind! No shortage of gorgeous views!

Great great venue for kids. Playground, small trail, bathrooms and parking available.read more

Hosted a baby shower here, and it couldn't have been a better experience! The park was super clean,…read moreincluding the restrooms, which is always a plus when you're hosting an event. There was plenty of space for everyone to spread out, and the lake view made the perfect backdrop for photos. The atmosphere was peaceful, family-friendly, and absolutely beautiful. We had a wonderful time -- highly recommend this park for any gathering or celebration!