Once a zoo in St. Petersburg, Boyd Hill Park has 3 miles of trails looping through a mosaic of natural habitats and tropical landscapes along Lake Maggiore.
Outdoor Recreation in City Parks
Parks managed by Florida's cities and towns tend to be more urban and more focused on outdoor recreation for families with younger children.
Carl T. Langford Park
At the City of Orlando’s Carl T. Langford Park, a maze of paved trails lead you through hammocks of ancient live oaks, out to an observation deck on an ephemeral pond, across a suspension bridge, and through vast green spaces where kids can play.
Caspersen Beach Park
At Caspersen Beach Park, meander the gentle nature trail through a tropical hammock or take a long stroll down a quiet beach where shark’s teeth wash ashore
Chapel Trail Nature Preserve
Preserving 450 acres on the edge of Pembroke Pines, Chapel Trail Nature Preserve makes an excellent birding destination as well as an easy-to-reach sampler of Everglades flora and fauna
Cofrin Nature Park
One of Gainesville’s urban nature parks, Cofrin Nature Park is right near the Oaks Mall on Newberry Rd and features a half-mile trail in a shady forest
Conservation Park Green Trail
In Panama City Beach off US 98, Conservation Park is a vast pine plantation and cypress dome restoration area with loop trails from 1.8 to 11 miles long.
Cooter Pond Park
In downtown Inverness, Cooter Pond Park is a great place for birding and watching the turtles beneath the extensive boardwalk over the pond.
Dorothy B. Oven Park
Only seven acres in size, Dorothy B. Oven Park is a Tallahassee city park beloved by locals but little known outside the city, developed on a former nursery established by one of Florida’s earliest camellia growers.
Epperson Park
Under the deep shade of mature live oak trees along US 27 in Williston, Epperson Park showcases two historical artifacts in a 1914-era park.
Frank Brown Park
The primary recreational complex in Panama City Beach – with aquatic center and ballfields – Frank Brown Park also provides access to biking on Gayle’s Trails.