Very nice spot for an early morning excursion to see if we could find manatees! It was hot hot hot…read more but the hike to the observation tower was short and full of fun things to see!! We found a pond full of birds, two lizards on a bench, fish jumping out of the water and the tower itself is very tall and quite a sight! We had the best time and it is a very nice trail. We saw walkers, runners and bikers so good for all sorts of activities! Plenty of parking, quiet and serene. Get out there early or late in the evenings to avoid the heat bring plenty of water, wear sunscreen and stay on the path and you'll have a great time!

Several easy hiking trails make this a handy place to take a stroll. The terrain isn't very scenic…read morebut there is an observation tower that affords good views of the surrounding area. Unisex restrooms available at the parking lot. Free parking and admission.

Nice but small- mostly for camping, some minor trails, picnic pavilion and playground area. $5 will…read moreget you in and spending an hour there. Nothing bad but limited.

Lake Manatee is one of the smaller parks, but it's very nice. They have places to have picnic. They…read morehave clean bathrooms and showers. There's a place to swim and there's a little bit of a grass bike trail that you can take. A lot of people go out there to do some camping. You can also do some fishing out there. I went out there to bike and I had a good time. The Rangers at the front office are very nice and knowledgeable as well.

Well on the other side there are two dead ends. There's no parking on the main road so you have to…read morepark in front of someone's house. It's cute if you're a local and live close by but if you're not I feel like there's no point going. It's Akward to park and pretty small although it is pretty.

Great fishing to at high tide! Red fish ,trout etc. People…read morehere are very nice to and it allows pets and there's a kayak launch at the end very convenient park and very kept up and nice

Wow, this is not the beach, the Riverwalk is something to be seen. There's tons of seating along…read morethe riverwalk. Everything from metal benches facing the water to these really cool cement lounge chairs that are actually comfortable to sit in as well. Along the river walk there are really cool our installations as well as a playground for families. My two favorite things to see while walking on the river walk where the dolphins swimming in the water. Yes actual dolphins in the water that you could see so cool. The other thing which might not be exciting to some people, but I thought it was cool was being able to see a train that goes across the river and the bridge that lifts some of the tracks up so that boats can go by. From the hotel we stayed at we could have walked about 15 minutes to the downtown area where there's some restaurants and shops to go to.

A 2 mile long Riverwalk along the Manatee River. We walked past a skate park, over train tracks,…read moresplash water park, playgrounds, an amphitheater & some art installations. This is an expansion of Rossi Park between the Green and DeSoto bridges. There were clean shady seating & lots of signage about the Riverwalk. There were cameras & we felt very safe.

If survival shows had a snorkeling episode, it would be here. You have to walk FOREVER just to get…read moreto the ocean, then walk through the water to even reach the snorkeling spot. Parking? Better wake up at 5:30 a.m. because there's barely any unless you enjoy circling like a lost seagull. And the waves??? Felt like the ocean had personal beef with everyone there. People were getting tossed around and there were basically no signs warning how rough it was. Came to snorkel, almost left fighting for my life.

Found lots of great shells during our week stay here! Also got to enjoy the sunset and early…read moremorning beach runs. We stayed on Point of Rocks road, so it was a quick walk to the beach.

I think this place is swell. Top notch organization on all fronts. i strongly recommend a visi…read more check with the website Before hand. They have so many free activities and some really amazing events!

Love this park even more. Decided to come here at night, and it was a good choice. There are lights…read moreat night so you can walk which was perfect so we can walk our pup. We also went by the lounge chairs closer to the bay. It was so comfy at night to sit here. We fell asleep since it was so relaxing. The park is so cute with whimsical birds as part of the playground. A huge grassy area for walking was nice and comfy too. We brought a snack to eat at the tables and our pup had his dinner too. This was def a great choice! Parking was street parking and it was free.

Beautiful beach. Short walk from the park if you're driving and need to park. Signed entrances…read moreshowing public access next to The homes. No parking near the entrance of this beach but worth seeing. Rough waters be careful not to swim in this area. You can see the AMI mix with the Tampa bay here the water looks dark where it mixes. Came on a cloudy cold day to just walk around before the sun came out.

I saw a video on IG a few months back that stated this beach would make you feel like you were on a…read moreisland, so I had to check out Bean Point Beach. It was an hour plus drive south from my friends house in Gulfport to Anna Maria Island. Bean Point is the north point of the island. Be cautious if you park in a neighborhood as they will ticket you $75 if your car is touching the road. We find out the hard way:( We walked a few blocks and found a public beach access. When I saw the beach I couldn't believe my eyes. The water was a gorgeous color of blue/green! It was hard to belive this was Florida lol. We walked for a while and I found some pretty shells to take home from my adventure. This part of the beach wasn't too crowded which I loved. A few people were fishing and others were sitting and relaxing. While a few tourists were in the water. Brrrr it was too cold for me. I only let it hit my feet lol. I highly recommend checking out Bean Point Beach so you can see this lovely water and beach for yourself!

This preserve has so much to see for a medium sized park. Trails and mostly boardwalks traverse…read morethrough a couple loops highlighted by a tower about four stories high that provides 360° degree views of the Anna Maria Island Bridge, the intercoastal and park itself. The trails have about 20 signs identifying plants, bushes and trees. Some of these signs have become difficult to read and need to be replaced, but most you can read enough to understand. Many plants are semi-uncommon for Florida, which makes this park more interesting. Animals seen today included osprey & spiders. It can be a little "buggy" so recommend insect repellant. Have sunscreen since the trails are 90% unshaded. Another highlight of the park is the archeological dig done in the 1930's of several Indian burial grounds here. Larger signs near the tower explain the tribe and what was found during excavation. There is also a short audio clip you call to hear more about the park. Lot of great photographic moments! Recommended in the early morning (open 24/7). Plenty of parking, a large picnic shelter and a single port-a-potty are the amenities.

This is a small but pleasant preserve with an observation tower. The view from the top of the…read moretower is impressive. The preserve is located on Rt 64 just east of Anna Maria Island. Most of the trail is pretty wide and paved with crushed rock. In fact, it's pretty much wheelchair accessible. We heard some birds but didn't see any wildlife. It's a nice place to take a stroll and there isn't much traffic noise. There is a a small parking area at the entrance that has a porta-potty. Allow about an hour to walk the trail.