Currently embracing the zen sounds of soothing bird calls, cicadas, and salamanders. It may just be becoming; are they're called geckos, these days? Local park for quieting mammals, locomotives, and noisy thoughts. Enjoy getting your steps in, preferably with your working dog or walking cat. Leash only for the pet animals. No restroom, do pick up after infant diapers and chunky 'monkeys' right away. read more

Violet Cury Preserve - Parks Near Me - Lutz, Florida

Great local park with plenty of parking along Sinclair Hills Rd, although it can be difficult to back out onto this semi-busy two lane road at rush hour. The preserve has three main trails with yellow, blue and red blaze marks on the trees. There is a map at the entrance so take a picture before heading out because you will forget. You can walk at least 2.25 miles if you follow each trail in their entirety. Several ponds and lakes make for pretty views and many birds. Couple spots with ditches and undulations make the trek interesting. The preserve is surrounded by houses so you will see those as you walk some trails. In the middle of the park, hidden a bit by bushes and trees that are slowly encroaching and taking it back is the foundation and about 4 inches of the block wall of what I assume is Violet Cury and her husband's former home. Wish the county or organization that maintains the preserve would put a marker here announcing what it used to be or look like. The view through the trees onto the biggest lake leads you to imagine what life was like for the two and their visitors back in the day when they lived there. Also wish they would clear some of the debris, roots and bushes that are slowly taking it over. Worried future generations won't be able to see the site like it is today. Most of the trails are quiet, although the ones along the south you do hear and see all the traffic along Sinclair Hills Rd. This is a pretty park where you can explore, look at old oak trees and walk the dog. Thank you Hillsborough County for buying this property years ago for our enjoyment! read more

Violet Cury Preserve - Main lake in the middle of the preserve. - Parks Near Me - Lutz, Florida

Looking for some beautiful nature with some walking trails, water, and animals? Seek no further, Violet Cury preserve had it all. Located about 15 minutes away from us, it's the perfect spot for a walk and a much needed breath of fresh air. The preserve is larger than we expect and after about 30-45 minutes and a mile and a half later we called it a day. The preserve is beautiful with dirt paths, nature and plenty of birds. There are no paved paths or boardwalk, this preserve is simplistic and all about the beauty that surrounds you. We came on a pretty cold day and plan to come back when it's a bit warmer. Highly recommend. read more

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Nice park great for walking in the morning or afternoon.It's my go to after having dinner at the Cracker Barrel for a very nice quiet evening walk. read more

Nice little park. Nothing too exciting but path was big and easy. Well marked to hike

I used to pass by this park everyday and never noticed all the cars alongside of the road. Until one day I said to myself "I have to stop here one day". So one day after working out at another park down the street I finally made that stop. I got out of the car and walked to the main entrance and saw all the routes you can take and I was amazed. I was excited to know that there was a new walking path I can take in the woods. I usually come here about twice a week just to unwind and just think about life. There's bugs, squirrels around but I've never seen anything dangerous. But always keep your head on the swivel when walking at the park. You never know who can be walking there. It's a great vibe. Bring a partner and you can figure everything about life as you stroll around for a few miles. read more

Violet Cury Preserve - Beautiful day for a walk - Parks Near Me - Lutz, Florida

Beautiful park hidden within a part of the outlying Tampa area that's covered in asphalt; laden w/ lower socioeconomic homes & transients; & w/ a conglomerate of businesses. This park allows foot access only. It's open DAILY from 8 AM till 8 PM. I suggest you read Nick's review-- it pretty much covers (well) the entire preserve. Lots of easy trails & a lovely lake. I enjoyed my time here on a beautiful cool & sunny late morning. However, there are no bathrooms, which forced an earlier exit than I would have liked. And, unfortunately, there was a lone gentleman walking nearby who was a little too sketchy for my liking (& I was without a phone). My pad of paper & Batman pen weren't very reassuring:-) I'll definitely return, but w/ a mate...or more. Better yet, I highly recommend driving northwest to Crews Lake Wilderness Park in Spring Hill-- read more

Violet Cury Preserve - Feb 2020: No vehicle access - Parks Near Me - Lutz, Florida

I've walked the trails in Violet Curry many times. It is a beautiful preserve with a body of water in the middle. Numerous trails & paths so you do not have to keep seeing the scenery on your walk. Violet Curry was the owner of the area. She had a house near the middle. Her journey to make the land a nature preserve is interesting too. My dog loves this place. Geocaching is also present in there. read more

Do you like nature? Getting lost in the woods? How about Lime disease? All of this and more is waiting to be discovered at this park. So dust off your orienteering merit badge you got right after the Eagle scouts threw you inside your sleeping bag into Medard park lake. Hit the trails with your best Doggy, A horse if you have one, or just your partner and the kids. Nature in the middle of Lutz without all the boardwalks of lettuce lake park. I've driven by this place so many times over the years.(Sinclair hills is a great cut through road) I finally decided to give it a walk through. I finally used my compass app and headed east down an obvious horse trail. At some point I saw signs with numbers which is probably trail markings for novices. The pine trees out there are towering, the oaks old and wind in weird directions looking for the space to grab some sun. I saw a family having a picnic by a pond, people giving Fido some exercise and a group of teens coming back from trying out their Christmas present fishing gear. Need to bleed away your stress? Walk in the woods! It is peaceful, quiet, and great cardio. The density of the trees allows some wind, but be prepared to sweat from April to October. Local tip: wear long pants that go over your shoes. Summer is tick, chiggers, and other bugs feeding time. I loved the trails that seem to just blaze through brush everywhere. The big ones will probably take you back where you came from eventually. Do yourself a favor and go get lost in the woods. You have gps to save the day! read more

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One of the few good things I can say about the pandemic is that it motivated me to explore many of the parks that Hillsborough County operates for its citizens. The Violet Cury Preserve has 160 acres with over over 2 miles of paths to explore. It was confusing walking up to the entrance because there was a metal gate that was locked shut. We initially thought that the park was closed but I think it's just to keep cars out because there's a human-sized gap in the fencing on the side that people were just walking through. I liked that the paths were so wide because it made social distancing quite easy when you passed other people. During the walk we spotted more than one turtle and an egret. There are two bodies of water that you can encounter while exploring the nature preserve. I thought that the trail map at the beginning was not even remotely helpful. If you look at the map you'll just see three loops and one long dead end. In reality when you get out on the paths things are very different. We were constantly hitting forks in the path or intersections where you had multiple paths to choose from. It's extremely confusing. The parking situation is also quite unpleasant. There's no parking lot so you have to park along the fence off of the road. That means to leave you have to back up onto Sinclair Hills Road where people are often traveling at excessive speed. This is a decent choice for exploring nature but I much prefer some of the other Hillsborough nature parks. read more

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This was my first time visiting this trail and Omg! It's so pretty and nice!!!!! I went to enjoy a small breakfast and well needed walk through nature, and it couldn't have been more amazing. Even though there were multiple groups of people there, I rarely ran into anyone o.O so that just tells you this is definitely a huge and beautiful truly enjoy if you like solitude and long walks. I for sure recommend giving it a visit! It's so quiet and peaceful you won't regret it :D read more

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Very nice walk. Took the blue trail for the first time. Very maintained trails. Nice views of the lake in early morning. Did not get close to water because of alligators. Not a fan. I take pup walking and have not seen others walking ever there so definitely not busy or crowded. I would not run here due to many tree branches and tree roots growing on the path. read more

I really enjoy this nature preserve because you could take you're time on a longer trail or enjoy a short walk on the red trail. The only issue I have is that this preserve is smaller and popular. It is well maintained by hillsborough county but there are always people on it, if you're looking to enjoy some exclusivity then I recommend Cypress Creek read more

Violet Cury Preserve - Trail by the water - Parks Near Me - Lutz, Florida

This is a BEAUTIFUL preserve with small ponds, a lake fire trails with lovely flowers around the park edges and hiking trails. Lots of gopher tortoises. FREE. No bathrooms. I found the trail map absolutely usless. There are trails all through the park and they don't seem to be on the map. Also the firebreak trails aren't on the map. But once you ignore the marked trails are on the map and go by where the lakes and ponds are you should be fine. Park entrance on Sinclari Hills Road and park backs uo to Curry Road where there is also a walk through entrance and another at 16199 N. 15th St. Wildflowers. Lotus flowers. Birds. Tortoises. Water views. This is a great park. And perhaps the biggest plus of all: Mama Taylor's BBQ is in a trailer at where Sinclair Hills Road huts Nebraska. Get some!!! Smoked mullet too. And crab chilau (enchilada) if you special order. read more

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We have been to this beautiful preserve a few times now, what a gorgeous park! You can spend a good 1 -2 hours here just enjoying the scenic atmosphere. There are tons of tillsandias around, but usually growing in the ground, which is not very common! You can bring the pups too! Easy trail nothing difficult, I would still wear hiking boots though, can get muddy. read more

Violet Cury Preserve - Parks Near Me - Lutz, Florida

Have been going here for years when I lived closer to it. Still love everything about it, had to give a review

Theres a lot of so called "dog parks", but this place is where we go instead. Less than a mile away from home, very safe with well marked easy to navigate trails, and beautiful plants, trees, mosses, and views... read more

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It's a cute hidden gem. It's a small area but it's very peaceful and beautiful. There's a bunch of trails going all around but they are very easy to follow and it's not really a place that you'll find yourself lost in. My dog loved it and is a good place to go even for daily walks. read more

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I really like this little park and I would like to think Violet Cury is still happy with the nature oasis she created many decades ago. If you get a feel for the park being a big square with a lake in the middle you will not get lost or at a worst walk a few blocks extra. If you need a toilet, try the gas station at the end of Sinclair or Wawa next to Walmart only a mile away. I do not think many deviants go into the park, extremely relaxed worn clothes sure but they are just frugal folks. I like this park close to home and the pulled pork on the corner is good pic-Nik food but please take your trash with you. read more

This park is kind of a hidden gem - located directly off of Sinclair Hills Rd its not necessarily the first location in mind when you think of "nature trail" however it doesn't disappoint. Dogs are for the most part on leash but there is the occasional off leash dog running about however luckily I have yet to have trouble. The park itself is fairly small and the map is no help but with its size there is no real danger that you'll get lost and be unable to find your way out. I really enjoy taking my dog here and visit it frequently as its 5mins away from my current apartment. Parking is Free and there are a bunch of Gopher Tortoises walking about to take in so its fairly peaceful. A short and enjoyable hike - we of course will be back! read more

Nice trails but poorly marked. Free parking. Beautiful lake. No water to drink. No rest rooms.