These state parks will show you another side of Florida

Floridians began preserving their natural resources more than a century ago when the Florida Federation of Women’s Club campaigned to make Paradise Key in southwest Florida a state park. In 1916, the state agreed and deeded 960 acres to create Royal Palm State Park. By 1921, the park grew to 4,000 acres. Royal Palm’s legacy is even stronger: it was the impetus to establish Everglades National Park in 1947, which encompasses Royal Palm. 

Though officially named a state park, Royal Palm was never within the state’s jurisdiction. It wasn’t until Florida’s Board of Forestry created the Department of State Parks in 1935, with an annual budget of $25,000, that the first official state park was named: Highlands Hammock State Park, followed by Myakka River State Park, Hillsborough River State Park, Torreya State Park, and Gold Head Branch State Park.    

Today, Florida boasts 176 state parks covering more than 815,000 acres, including 101 miles of white-sand beaches and myriad recreational activities, such as swimming, SCUBA diving, paddling, hiking, birding, and bicycling. 

There is truly something for everyone in Florida’s state parks, including these 10 must-visit parks found throughout the Sunshine State. 

Highlands Hammock State Park, Sebring

Best for: Nature lovers

In 1929, Highlands Hammock was considered for designation as a national park. Deemed too small by federal officials, the state park opened to the public in 1931 and became Florida’s first state park in 1935. Considered “Real Florida at its best,” the park’s 9,000-plus acres of natural habitats are home to more endemic and rare plant and animal species than any other of the state’s parks, including the elusive Florida panther, American alligator, and the cardinal air plant. Discover the park via nine hiking trails, a three-mile paved bike loop, or the tram tour that has been running since the 1950s.

(How Florida’s first failed national park kickstarted its thriving state parks.)

Shoal River Headwaters State Park, DeFuniak Springs

Best for: Neophiles
Florida’s newest state park, Shoal River Headwaters, opened in January 2026 along the Panhandle and spans 2,480-acres. It not only provides recreational opportunities for humans, such as hiking, bicycling, and birdwatching, but also protects habitat for a handful of rare and special species, including the gopher tortoise and eastern indigo snake. The parks department’s tentative plans are to work with the public to add more recreational activities, such as camping, as well as fishing and/or bicycling along the river down the road. 

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, Charlotte & Lee Counties

Best for: Paddlers
More than 100 miles of shoreline and 45,500 acres are protected at Charlotte Harbor Preserve, the third largest state park in Florida. With so much water, the park is best explored by kayak or canoe, paddling through mangrove forests and marshes, as well as scrub habitats with the possibility of spotting manatees, dolphins, and wading birds. If you’d rather stay on solid ground, pedestrian walk-throughs reach every section of the park, like the North Cape Flats, where coastal birds can be spotted at low tide in the mud flats.

Or follow one of the three marked trails: the two-mile Little Pine Island High Marsh Trail traverses through salt and freshwater marshes, salt flats and mangrove forest; enjoy a picnic on the 2.5-mile loop Catfish Creek Trail, which passes through scrubby flatwoods and under a canopy of slash pines, scrub oaks and saw palmetto; and the 1.75-mile Old Datsun trail meanders through pine flatwoods, sabal palm and oak hammocks, and wetlands. Be sure to bring along plenty of water and bug spray to stay safe, comfortable, and hydrated during your visit.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Flagler County

Best for: Gardeners

A 20-acre formal, botanical garden lined by 200-year-old oak trees draped with Spanish moss is what visitors will find at the center of Washington Oaks Gardens. To the delight of home gardeners, flowers that bloom year-round include roses, azaleas, camellias, and bird of paradise. Aside from the garden, the park boasts a beach lined with unique coquina rock formations, hiking, and bicycling trails, and a seawall for fishing. Monthly events like First Friday Garden, where rangers share the park’s history during an hour-long walk, and Second Saturday Plant Sales, featuring Florida-friendly plants and flowers to take home, are open to the public.

Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, Dania Beach

Best for: Boaters
In the late 1800s, the Barefoot Mailmen delivered the mail from Miami to West Palm Beach, a 68-mile route across hard sand at the water’s edge. Part of that route took them through what is now Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, stretching 310 acres from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. The park’s boat ramp gives boaters quick access to the ocean or quieter spots like Whiskey Creek, where they can then paddle through the mangroves. 

(Eight underrated state parks that deliver the awe without the crowds.)

Blue Spring State Park, Volusia County

Best for: Water sports enthusiasts

The natural, crystal-clear waters at Blue Spring maintain a year-round temperature of 72°F, perfect for manatees to keep warm in the wintertime, and people looking to cool off from Florida’s summer heat. During manatee season (November through March), view the gentle giants from scenic overlooks; when they leave, it’s time for people to play. The springs are open for aquatic recreation, including swimming, paddling, tubing, snorkeling, and scuba diving (guided tours available), from early April through mid-November.

Florida Caverns State Park, Jackson County

Best for: Spelunkers

Another way to keep cool in the heat of a Florida summer, or warm during cooler months, is at Florida Caverns, where stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, and draperies have awed visitors since the park’s opening in 1942. Daily guided cave tours showcasing the formations that have developed over thousands of years are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The 1,500-acre park boasts 38 campsites for those who’d like to linger here longer. 

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Collier County

Best for: Birders

Florida’s largest state park, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, is also one of the southernmost sites of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Here, budding ornithologists can spot native, migratory, and tropical birds, including red-shouldered hawks, barred owls, painted buntings, swallow-tailed kites, roseate spoonbills, eagles, and more. The half-mile Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk leads into an old-growth cypress forest for terrific birding opportunities. 

Little Talbot Island State Park, Jacksonville

Best for: Shelling

Five miles of undeveloped beach on a barrier island littered with fallen, sun-bleached trees sets the scene for shelling galore at Little Talbot Island. A handout at the ranger station will help you identify the shells you find, from clams and scallops to oysters and periwinkles. Visitors may discover fossilized sharks’ teeth mixed in with the shells. We all know what they say about the early bird—the park’s 20 campsites ensure you’ll be one of the first out at sunrise.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo

Best for: Snorkelers and scuba divers

The country’s first undersea park, John Pennekamp is a dream destination for underwater explorers—close to Miami yet the Caribbean-blue, incredibly clear water is teeming with fish and marine life. Snorkelers can embark on a 2.5-hour tour to a reef bursting with living coral and its inhabitants; a wheelchair-friendly snorkeling boat is available. Scuba divers can go on two-hour, two-tank dives to two of the three offshore reef systems: the first about 300 yards out, the second nearly a half-mile, and the third more than two miles off the coast.

(Fifty of National Geographic's favorite state parks.)