Mirasol is an upscale neighborhood of 2.300 acres in Palm Beach Gardens. The community is…read morecharacterized by its excellent fitness and recreation facilities which includes 36 holes of golf and its designated natural preserve areas. Mirasol is the Spanish word for sunflower. One of the most beloved amenities in Mirasol is Mirasol Park. This community park offers basketball courts, a softball field, multipurpose field, playground, pavilions which can be reserved, and outdoor fitness equipment. Mirasol Park is very family friendly. People come here to host birthday parties, family gatherings, and cookouts. It's a great venue for sports, exercise, play, or a laid-back weekend afternoon with friends and family. I especially love the peaceful natural setting that attracts local wildlife like this adorable little bunny I found.

This park is hidden within the boundaries of Mirasol off Jog Road. It's a great park for almost…read moreevery activity. Since I once enjoyed basketball at this park, their courts are in very good condition and have plenty of space for many games. You can always find their soccer/lacrosse field busy day or night.

Wow! There is a brand new playground here, and it doesn't disappoint. With tall and unique climbing…read morestructures, my kids had a blast. I had to drag them away, and we've returned multiple times due to its popularity! This is still a fenced in playground, surrounded by shady trees (though mostly sunny above the playground itself), with benches for parents to sit on. Sometimes I sit at a concrete picnic table just outside of the fence to work. Sitting there, it was fairly easy to see my kids at all times (unlike the previous equipment). Still love the walk around the pond. Recently, we explored the little island in the middle across the walking bridge (which could use an upgrade itself). Kids were fishing off the bridge and from the platform on the island. The water doesn't always look healthy but there are a lot of ducks.

Newly constructed park that is amazing for all ages. Completely enclosed with two gates as exits…read morefor peace of mind. Big trees surround it, giving it more shade than most. The only thing that would make the park better, would be bathrooms. Hope this helps.

Ocean Cay Park is 13.44 acres. It is one of several ocean front parks in Jupiter. You park here and…read morethen cross over A1A to the beach. Not only does this park offer free parking for the beach but it also has amenities including 2 sand volleyball courts. restrooms, outdoor showers, benches, a playground, and picnic tables under pavilions that can be rented. There is a large open field for play. I love Jupiter and the beaches are just one reason why. They are clean and life guard patrolled. Parking is plentiful and free. Right next to Ocean Cay Park is another beach park, Juno Beach with a fishing pier. It is worth taking the drive north to have a vacation beach day. When you are done with your fun in the sun there are great places to eat blocks away.

5 stars all the way. This park is a hidden gem by that I mean that apparently not too many folks…read moreknow about it. It's just beautiful. You have a shaded pavilion to sit down and read a book on your iPad. Yes it has a charger as well. The restrooms are clean. There's a volleyball court. And here's the icing on the cake, it's right next to a beach that has another long walkway for pedestrians. I was actually pleasantly surprised that I found this park, my original intention was to walk at another park a mile down in Jupiter which really didn't fit my need to walk a longer; bug free path with restrooms and at least garbage cans. Anyways this park saved my long drive and I have nothing but compliments. Thank you city of Jupiter for building this gem.

Great for kids plenty of pavilions to throw your own party. and always fun to watch the trains go byread more

This park was built by the Kiwanis Club of Stuart, which has been serving the children of Martin…read moreCounty since 1938. They are the second oldest club organization in Martin County. In 1990 the Kiwanis entered into an agreement with the City of Stuart who owned the property this park sits on. The Kiwanis and the local historical society, Stuart Heritage partnered together to raise funds for the park by selling historical Stuart themed Christmas ornaments. Every year the two groups work together to study the history of Stuart and design the ornament. The first ornament was sold in 1995. Stuart Heritage sells the bulk of the ornaments and in return they get to keep $5 per ornament for their organization while the Kiwanis use their portion of the proceeds for the park. Over a million dollars has gone into park renovations. The goal of the Kiwanis Club was to create a place where all children can play. Handicap accessible vehicles can pull right up to the entrance of the park. The park has specialized play equipment including a roller tunnel, accessible see saw, airplane bouncy, and roller slide. In addition to the playground equipment the park has benches, grills, pavilions, picnic tables, paved walkways, and a restroom. Everything in the park is beautifully maintained with lots of flowering bushes and trees to add color to the park. The park can be rented from the Kiwanis Club for parties and private events. For all of the efforts put in by the Kiwanis Club, this park has been named the premier park in Martin County. I love discovering parks that are made to include all children, especially those with sensory issues or physical disabilities. The children at this park looked like they were having a wonderful time. Martin County is beautiful and when you see a park like this you know they really care about their children.

Enjoyed watching my grandson play a baseball double header a few weeks back on a Sunday afternoon…read more Over the years, I passed this park frequently while dropping my sons off at the nearby Boy Scout camp. I'm glad I had a chance to visit this park. Jupiter Community Park is huge. I saw numerous baseball, football, and soccer fields as well as picnic shelters and a playground. The concession stand was not open on Sunday, so I can't say what is available for refreshments. The restrooms were open and were very clean. I saw a park employee circling the park on a golf cart checking the restrooms, fields, and trash cans while the games were being played. Everything was very tidy and clean. The scoreboard at the field where my grandson's baseball game was played was in use during the game. It was fun to see the score and keep up with the game. Two nature trails are available for hiking which would be nice to explore when the weather is cool. This park is a gem for the town of Jupiter.

Jupiter Community Park is a 94 acre sports park. Park amenities include 8 lighted baseball/softball…read morefields, 7 lighted soccer/ football fields, 6 lighted basketball courts, 6 lighted tennis courts, 2 playgrounds, 2 sand volleyball courts, 2 shelters, picnic tables, drinking fountains, restrooms, and concessions. This a well maintained park perfect is primarily used for team sports. What drew me to the park was the North Jupiter Flatwoods Area. You can find the entrance in Jupiter Community Park. It is a 160 acre natural preserve with two hiking trails where you can see animals and plants in their native environments. The paved trail has been certified as autism friendly. This park has something for everyone. You can participate in team sports or the more solitary pursuits of hiking, bird watching, and photography. No matter what you are into, this along with the other parks of Jupiter, are outstanding.

Gaines Park and Community Center is 56-acre park at N. Australian Ave near the Roosevelt Estates…read moreneighborhood. It was built in 1958 and named in honor of A.J. Gaines Jr., the first black parks director. This is one of the largest parks in West Palm Beach. Park amenities include the Gaines Community Center, the Warren Hawkins Aquatic Center with a heated outdoor pool and water slides and many swimming programs, amphitheater, basketball court, picnic tables and pavilions, tennis courts, racquetball courts, restroom, multipurpose field, 4 baseball fields, and walking paths. The Adventure Playground, a castle surrounded by a moat and accessed by a bridge has been closed. It was replaced by a new shaded playground that was unveiled in 2018. The playground is part of a $23 million, five-year plan to upgrade parks and facilities in West Palm Beach. The park is a great asset with many recreational facilities and programs for children including afterschool and camp. This park has been serving the community for many generations and the bond program will make the improvements to take it into the future.

There is a wonderful workout class Thursday at 11 with a great teacher. I will be back.read more

This is a brand new park,. In fact, I don't think it's 100%!finished or even officially open yet…read more The restrooms are still unfer construction and some minor landscaping needs to be completed. It was constructed as a partnership between a local home builder and the City of Port St Lucie. It is a passive park about 6 acres in size with two main sections. Closest to the road is a section devoted to first responders and military personnel. It features several large stars with inspiratve messages on them. The section away from the road features a large display of the solar system- featuring a scale model of the solar system with the planets positioned with the relative distance to the sun. It's actually fascinating to see the planets displayed this way and to see how far away Pluto really is. This is a beautiful, peaceful, passive park that reflects a lot a creative genius.

Stars and Stripes Park is a brand new 6.5 acre passive park in Traditions that was created out of…read morepartnership between The City of Port St. Lucie and Mattamy Homes. The new public park has a patriotic theme. It features public art, walking paths, large star sculptures and symbols, messages, and inspirational quotes from veterans and first responders. I love the walking trail that takes you around the tranquil lake. Stars and Stripes Park is on Tradition Trail, also known as the T-Trail. T-Trail will also include nature trails, the Heart of Tradition shopping plaza, and Tradition Regional Park which is currently under construction. There is so much construction in the Tradition section of Port St. Lucie. There is always something new to discover.

This is the nature center at the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Originally…read morenamed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, this preserve was established September 30, 1969. Nathaniel P. Reed's parents helped to create the preserve by donating swaths of land to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service near the Indian River Lagoon in the 1960s and early 1970s. On April 17, 2019, the name of the preserve was changed to honor their son environmentalist Nathaniel Pryor Reed who was the environmental advisor to Florida governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. in the 1960's. He also served as environmental advisor to Assistant Secretary of the Interior to presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1971 to 1977. Reed was instrumental in drafting the Endangered Species Act and saving Big Cypress Swamp. The Clean Water Act is also part of his legacy. He was known for fighting for the environment before it was cool to do so. Reed was a long time Jupiter Island resident. He passed away in July of 2018 after falling and hitting his head after hooking a 16 pound salmon while fishing in Quebec. The refuge is located on the coast of Martin County and it is divided by the Indian River Lagoon into two separate tracts of land totaling over 1000 acres. The Jupiter land tract is 735 acres and is important to the environment because it contains the largest complete section (3.5 miles of Atlantic Ocean Beach) of undeveloped beach in Southeastern Florida. As a result of the uninterrupted beach it is one of the most productive sea turtle nesting areas in the Southeastern United States. The Refuge protects 40 species of sea turtles listed as either threatened, endangered, or of special concern. Florida is the only state where endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles nest. The 300 acre sand pine scrub area is rare because the high, dry land was ideal for building on, so more than 90 percent of this ecosystem in Florida has been lost to development. You only find sand pine scrub in Florida and Alabama. The preserve also contains 10 miles of mangrove communities along the Indian River Lagoon. This National Wildlife Refuge has a large biodiversity of plants and animals. The last time I visited this refuge in 2021, the visitors center was closed for renovations so I was interested in visiting this trip. The nature center is run by a private, non-profit organization, that is dedicated to promoting an environmental awareness in people of all ages. The nature center building is made up of a exhibit hall, classroom/ lab, and a gift shop. Exhibits in the nature center include the sand pine scrub, Indian River Lagoon, The Atlantic Ocean, Jupiter Island, protecting biodiversity, adaptions for survival, and information about the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Preserve. There are tanks with fish and reptiles to view. The nature center hosts turtle walks, summer camps, evening forums, scrub tours and more. It is free to visit the nature center but some of the events may have an additional charge. Check out their website for a complete list of upcoming events. On Earth Day April 22nd they will be offering free family activities, games and crafts. Before you leave be sure and check out the cute gift shop with an assortment of nature themed items. Next to the parking lot is a stairway that takes you down to a beautiful beach where you can swim. You can also hike the scrub surrounding the nature center. There is so much to enjoy at the refuge and I always enjoy my visits.

Nice trail heading to the beach and the nature center has lots of animals including fish, a snake,…read moreowl, salamander and hawk.