Nature

Travelers are increasingly seeking out places that connect them to the natural environment. From native alligators and crocodiles to manatees and loggerhead sea turtles, and all manner of seabirds and native plants, the Clearwater area certainly does not disappoint! Below is an overview of some of the region’s nature-based assets.

Big Cat Rescue
12802 Easy Street, Tampa (813) 920-4130
This 45 acre, wildlife sanctuary is home to 100 cats representing 15 of the 35 species of exotic wild cat. All in one place, visitors can see lions, tigers, geoffroy cats, jungle cats, servals, caracals, snow leopards, bobcats, lynx and more.

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
1101 Country Club Way South, St. Petersburg (727) 893-7326
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is a 245-acre park featuring over three miles of trails and boardwalks and five unique ecosystems: hardwood hammocks, sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, willow marsh and lake shore. The park is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail and offers a variety of environmental and natural history programming and guided tours.

Brooker Creek Preserve
3940 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs (727) 453-6800
Brooker Creek Preserve is Pinellas County's largest natural area at nearly 8,500 acres. Comprised mostly of pinelands and freshwater swamps, the preserve is home to native wildlife including bobcats, red-shouldered hawks, wood storks, coyotes, white-tailed deer and gopher tortoises. Boardwalks and trails are open to the public.

The award-winning Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center provides a resource center as well as numerous interactive exhibits and gift shop.

Caladesi Island State Park
Caladesi Island State Park consists of over three miles of pristine sand beach. It also boasts a three-mile kayak trail through mangroves and a three-mile hiking trail that traverses virgin slash pine forests and old growth maritime hammock. Caladesi also has a 108-slip marina as well as other guest amenities.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium
249 Windward Passage, Clearwater (727) 441-1790
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a research-based non-profit facility dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured marine life. It also offers visitors “hands-on” experiences such as “Sea Life Safari” and other Marine Life Adventures, as well as educational opportunities for young and old, such as "Trainer for a Day" and "Day with a Dolphin." The aquarium is also home to Winter, the tailless dolphinwho has recently been fitted with a prosthetic tail.

The Florida Aquarium
701 Channelside Drive, Tampa (813) 273-4020
The Florida Aquarium is a world-class educational facility featuring nearly 5,000 aquatic plants and animals that tell the tale of water, native land and marine animals in Florida.

Florida Botanical Gardens
12175 125th Street North, Largo (727) 582-2100
The Florida Botanical Gardens, located within the expansive Pinewood Cultural Park, is comprised of specialty and demonstration gardens, preserved wetlands, wildlife sanctuaries and other exhibits.

Fred. E. Marquis Pinellas Trail
The Fred E. Marquis Pinellas Trail is a linear park and recreation trail currently extending from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs. The trail, created along an abandoned railroad corridor, provides 34 miles of a unique, protected greenspace for walking, jogging, skating, and biking and links some of the county’s most picturesque parks, scenic coastal areas and residential neighborhoods.

Friendship Trail Bridge
The "old" Gandy Bridge links Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties over Tampa Bay, a national estuary. At 2.6 miles in length, it is the longest over-the-water recreation trail in the United States, operational for all types of non-motorized activities including biking, walking, running, roller-blading and fishing.

Honeymoon Island State Park
Honeymoon Island is a 2000-acre natural gem featuring nearly five miles of unspoiled beach, a three-mile nature trail, and one of the few remaining south Florida virgin slash pine stands. The park is a stopover for many migratory birds and is one of the top osprey nesting sites on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Honeymoon Island also features the Rotary Centennial Nature Center.

John Chesnut Sr. Park
2200 East Lake Road, Palm Harbor (727) 669-1951
John Chesnut Sr. Park covers approximately 255 acres immediately adjacent to Lake Tarpon. It features a variety of wildlife as well as many recreational amenities including nature trails, picnic shelters, playgrounds, canoe trail, boat ramp, fishing pier and a 30’ observation tower.

Moccasin Lake Nature Park
2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater (727) 462-6024
Moccasin Lake Nature Park is a 51-acre environmental and energy education center located in the heart of the city of Clearwater. With a lake, upland forest and wetlands, the park showcases most of the plant and aquatic animal species native to the area. A trail guide is available for those who would like a more in-depth experience.

Sand Key
Sand Key is the longest of the area’s barrier islands. Both Pinellas County and the city of Clearwater maintain parks here with plenty of visitor amenities to complement the experience. The expansive white sandy beach is a favorite sea turtle nesting area. Also of interest, Sand Key Park is on the Great Florida Birding Trail, a collection of over 400 sites throughout Florida chosen because of their excellent bird watching opportunities.

Sawgrass Lake Park
7400 25th Street North, St. Petersburg (727) 217-7256
The 400-acre Sawgrass Lake Park allows visitors the chance to walk through one of the largest maple swamps on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The park’s mile-long elevated boardwalk and half-mile dirt trail provide opportunities to see all manner of wildlife in their natural habitat. The park is named as one of the premier birding sites in Florida by the Great Florida Birding Trail and the National Audubon Society.

Shell Key Preserve
West of Tierra Verde (727) 943-4000
This 1,800-acre preserve includes one of Pinellas County's largest undeveloped barrier islands (180-acres), numerous mangroves, expansive sea grass beds and mud flats. The preserve is a sanctuary for nesting, wintering and migrating birds and also serves as a popular recreational area. A central core area for conservation is offlimits to the public, but boating, camping, and beach activities are permitted in somenareas.

Weedon Island Preserve
1500 Weedon Drive N.E., St. Petersburg (727) 579-8360
Weedon Island Preserve is an expansive 3,000-acre region on Tampa Bay comprised mostly of marine habitats with some uplands. Hiking and canoe trails, a fishing pier, kayak rentals and a 45’ observation tower with over a mile of boardwalks through mangrove swamps are available for public use. The Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center provides an overview of the rich Indian and marine resources of the preserve.