Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Located on the south side of Tampa Bay, Bradenton has both coastal and inland hikes and bike trails to explore, with paddling along the many waterways.
With 39 miles in four loops, the Myakka Hiking Trail at Myakka River State Park in Sarasota is one of the state’s finest destinations for a weekend or long weekend holiday hike.
Located on the banks of the Little Manatee River, Camp Bayou Nature Preserve provides an easygoing set of trails through a variety of natural Florida habitats.
Explore Leffis Key on a series of trails and boardwalks through mangrove tunnels on the Coquina Baywalk.
Commemorating the landing of Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto, De Soto National Memorial is a significant archaeological site where the Manatee River flows into Tampa Bay.
Where the Manatee River meets the Gulf of Mexico near Bradenton, Emerson Point Preserve protects the Portavent Mound, one of Florida’s most ancient temple mounds
When you live in a tightly packed space, you need somewhere green as your go-to place nearby. These are our top picks for parks in Florida’s urban areas, chosen for their diversity of outdoor activities and/or their unique green spaces.
Flanked by three-hundred-year-old oaks, the grand entrance to the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park evokes Tara. It’s an unmistakable landmark along US 301, which cuts through what was, in 1843, Major Robert Gamble’s 3,500-acre sugar plantation along the Manatee River.
At Hickory Hollow in Ellenton, you can get your pulled pork with either a tomato or vinegar base. Cash only!
Strongly influenced by nearby Tampa Bay, Terra Ceia Preserve State Park protects unique landscapes where marine and terrestrial ecosystems blend seamlessly.
With a natural lakefront stretching three miles along the edge of Lake Manatee, this state park outside Bradenton is a quiet place to camp, fish, and hike
In the Little Manatee River watershed, the 579 Trailhead offers access to a pair of loop trails across palmetto prairies and shady oak hammocks.
With sandy shores around every bend and a canopy of trees overhead, Little Manatee River State Park provides a place for a pretty paddling trip for families.
