Lake Wailes Park takes it's name from Lake Wailes on whose shore it lies. The land that makes up…read moreLake Wales was first surveyed in 1879 by Sidney Irving Wailes. He changed the name of Watts Lake to Lake Wailes after himself. The city of Lake Wales was established near the lake in 1911-12 by the Lake Wales Land Company. The spelling Wales was used for the city, although the lake is still spelled Lake Wailes. The park is visually stunning. Under old oak trees dripping in Spanish moss sit picnic tables. On the north side of the lake is a boat ramp. There is a fishing pier on the west side of the lake with an observation gazebo that offers a beautiful view of the lake. The 2.5 mile Lake Wailes Trail, a lighted and paved hike/bike path winds through the park for exercise enthusiasts. It leads around the lake from the south side to Kiwanis Park on the northeast corner at N. Lake Shore Blvd. and Cephia St. It should be noted that there are no restrooms in the park. This passive park that is perfect for a stroll or a picnic lunch. It is also a great place for bird watchers. Migrating song birds can be spotted in the trees in spring and fall. Around the edge of the lake are Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. On the shore are Least Bitterns, White Ibises, Anhingas, Florida Sandhill Cranes and winter ducks. Common Loons inhabit the area in winter. The stately trees add to the old Florida look of the area and it easy to see why Mr. Wailes fell in love with the lake and view.

Lake Wailes Park is a peaceful and older park with picnic areas and a 2.5 mile hike along the lake…read more It also has a pier, boat ramp, basketball court, play ground, soccer field and more. It is open from 7am to 7 pm daily and is dog friendly. During my visit there was a large festival going on with lots of family fun activities.

The playground is nice overall. It has two sides: for kids 5…read more& up. And 2-5. It can be fun seeing the train go by. But also a bit too loud/close for some kids. Restrooms were smelly when we went. Wondering if it's always the same. Parking is great and so it's the shade of trees

Downtown City Park was created as a town square with the businesses of…read more Auburndale downtown built around it. The charming downtown area contains many restaurants and shops in historic buildings. Today the park still serves as a gathering place for the community. In 2007, Downtown City Park was redesigned to enhance its recreation and beauty for residents and visitors to the city of Auburndale. In the eastern corner of the park is a number of umbrella shaded picnic tables and an engaging playground that is fenced in for safety. The playground area has an artificial turf, cushioning surface to protect little knees and bottoms. The playground has a multilevel tower with climbing structures and two slides. There is also a play train which is a nod to Auburndale's history as a railroad town. Civil engineer Louis Randolph Mclain, who was working for the railroad on the extension of the system between Lake Alfred and Saddle Creek, is credited with founding Auburndale. The historic 1927 Seaboard Air Line Rail Depot is in the northern part of the park. The park also has restrooms and a historic bandstand with a stage for community events like the annual CityFest music festival and other events throughout the year. In the western part of the park is the Rotary Butterfly Garden with butterfly attracting native Florida plants. This well maintained and family friendly park offers a great place to spend time with family. Whether coming for exercise, play, or a special event, this wonderful spot capture the spirit of historic Auburndale.

You better think twice before you wear your favorite hiking shoes cause things might get a little…read moremuddy! During rainy season some of the trails even close down due to flooding. But for the most of the year this preserve is about three miles of nice, flat hiking. We even spotted some osprey and a tortoise sunbathing in the middle of the trail on the way out.

I really enjoyed walking the trails at Lake Butler. The scenery was beautiful and the trails were…read moreeasy to navigate--I was even able to push a stroller through without much trouble. There's a small nature center near the parking area that shares information about the wildlife in the reserve, which was a nice touch. Most of the trail is shaded, and there are water stations and benches along the way. We spent about two hours walking and had a great time. I'll definitely be back!

I love to fly my drone here. I get amazing photos and videos. It's a great location for everything.read more

Slotted a baby alligator while hanging out near the rocking chair by the lake. Lots of fish and…read morewildlife. Great place to cool off by the umbrellas while enjoying the breeze

Quiet place to walk when the trails are not flooded. On the birding trail lost but did not see any…read morebirds. I was unable to get back the trials due to flooding. I enjoyed the facilities and will go again when I can access the trails better.

We love the outdoors, we appreciate nature and learning about wildlife. It was a very hot day and I…read morehad a foot injury the day before and still walked the trail. The level of difficulty was just fine for us and the kids, even with my limping. We loved the informative Boy Scouts markers showing the animals that were in the wilderness. Sadly but lucky for us. The sign mentioned bobcats, otters, deer, wild hogs, coyotes, rabbits, opossum, skunk, raccoons, and armadillo. Also there was a bridge made by a Boy Scout as his eagle project. It was done so well. We didn't actually see the animals but we did see very tall birds and the prettiest color of dragon flys. We saw, red, orange, and a tiger patterned wig one. We also saw plenty locusts grasshoppers, and anole lizards. Unfortunately the information center was closed due to covid but the lady working did come out and talk to us. She was supper friendly. Sadly our trip was cut short because of the rain. However if you like the outdoors and love free activities, put this place on your list.

We saw a lot of wildlife including massive gators, rabbits and a raccoon and tons of different…read morebirds. It was very peaceful.

What a wonderful, beautifully maintained, park! We were awed on the hiking trail we looped around…read moreon. The wildlife we saw was pure joy. There are interpretive signs, as well as warning signs (alligators, snakes, etc) along the way which was an added bonus. Although there was a huge number of vehicles in the parking lot, we barely ran across other hikers. The pathway we took, about a 2.5 mile loop, had minimal foot traffic. The paths are wide, wide enough for worker or emergency vehicles. We enjoyed this park very much and plan to return, albeit most likely NOT in the dead of the Florida summer heat/humidity. We are not that "adventurous" hahaha. We are very blessed with the County and State parks we have here, that's for sure!

A natural playground! We couldn't get enough of the huge trees, nature-based playground, and…read moreexpansive trails. It was the perfect place to explore for kids and adults alike! It's dog-friendly, so we can't wait to return with our leashed pups! We stumbled upon the old country club building and other structures, and it was fun learning the history behind the area. Can't wait to return! Note: plenty of parking, but police was waiting by the gate when we left 15 minutes to close, so be mindful of open hours!

One of the cutest playgrounds around! The entire area is shaded by trees, giving it this true…read morewoodsy, outdoorsy vibe. The playground has so much to do for all ages. The area is clean and very well-maintained. I love that everything is made of wood so nothing gets overly hot to the touch. My son easily spent two hours here without getting bored.

The Lake Wales Ridge is a unique geological feature that arose from an ancient beach and dune…read moresystems that stood above sea level over a million years ago. A long, narrow ridge was uplifted about 300 feet above sea level creating one of the oldest natural scrub communities in Florida. The ridge runs 150 miles from Clermont to south of Lake Placid. The Lake Wakes Ridge State Forest in a massive 27,000 acres offering hiking trails and primitive camp sites. This remote park is for seasoned hikers who like to go for miles. Conditions can be rugged, sandy, or very wet. Along the trails you might spot bears, eagles, armadillos, or endangered scrub jays as well as are and endangered plants, such as pygmy fringe tree, scrub plum and scrub-blazing star. One side of the park is around Lake Arbuckle which is a favorite destination of bass fisherman and the other side is the Avon Park Air Force Bombing Range. Access to the park is a few miles off of 27 just outside of Frostproof. The forest has three distinct tracts. The Arbuckle Tract west of Avon Park Air Force Range is the largest and most popular. The Arbuckle Trail is a 17.4 mile backpacking loop built in the 1970s by Florida Trail Association volunteers. It follows along the lakeshore for almost two miles. Here you will find the Lake Godwin picnic area and the McClean Cabin, a cow camp from the 1950's. The popular Old Cabin Nature is a one mile hike that starts at the McClean Cabin and leads around a prairie lake through wet flatwoods, scrub, and extensive cutthroat seeps. The Walk-in-the-Water tract is north and is privately managed by the Nature Conservancy. This area has the 2.5 mile Scrub Jay Loop which is the ideal place to try and spot the endangered Scrub Jay. The Prairie Tract is conservation land off SR 60 with no public access. You could explore this unique state forest for days and only see a fraction of it. I love that this large tract of land has been preserved for the plants and animals of central Florida. I hiked a little of the Walk-in-the-Water tract but most of the park is too remote for me although I would be open to further exploration with a hiking group like the Happy Hoofers.

Like others have stated this SP is remote, it's definitely a destination, not a place you'll…read morestumble upon unless you're lost of course. When we decided to visit the area over the Thanksgiving holiday the park was an option for camping but not the first option and that was mainly due to the accommodations when compared to the other options right outside the entrance to the park but that's another review. The admission is five bucks a car which is collected a few hundred yards from the main road - the ranger wasn't over friendly as he reach out for the payment using a six foot pole with a pail attached insisting on exact change then offered a map which he passed using the same method. These covid-19 protocols are really getting ridiculous I noticed he grabbed the bill without gloves how did he know I didn't just sneeze on it. The drive to the campgrounds, the park store, the marina, the observation tower, the pavilions pretty much everything is quite a drive, I think the loop is just over six miles at 15 m.p.h - I'm in no hurry the day is as beautiful as the drive. We drove through the campground to validate our decision to stay elsewhere, there's no doubt the value is here but living off the gray and black tanks for a week means super conservative measures since there are no sewer connections. I prefer not to carry a portable dump cart or moving the beast every few days requires a lot of effort especially when I'm supposed to be relaxing and having fun. Another park void of many visitors even on a holiday weekend, the campground seems nearly full but the park amenities aren't being utilized. I witnessed a number of park employees doing their daily chores, everything is so neat and tidy it's almost as if they've been assigned busy work to get their hours in. Like most business I'm sure the revenue had dropped off, fortunately for them the state subsidies them for now but I'm sure if this pandemic continues these places too will start shutting down or implement reduced hours. It's was an interesting drive - a nice place to walk and climb to the top of the observation tower. Honestly to me it's a been there done that type of place, pine trees and palms if your going walk the trails bring plenty of water and enjoy...

One of our favorite places to escape to for the weekend! Lots of wildlife, fishing and other…read moreamenities.