Fern Forest Nature Center

Serene walk paths through the woods. Very kind people offering assistance & taking pride in helping visitors. Nice benches to rest on throughout the hike. Thoroughly enjoyed my escape to the woods.

Nice sanctuary. Just west of the turnpike. Native Florida. Helpful staff. All good. And they do not want people abandoning pets!!! We saw a sweet little Guinea pig wandering around. The coyotes will have that as a snack…

Lovely nature center and boardwalk. My girlfriends and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend and spent a few hours here walking the Cypress Creek Loop, Wetlands Wander and Prairie Overlook. Huge variety of plants and trees and the occasional wildlife. We looked for Gopher Tortoise but no luck. A peaceful, quiet way to pass the time and connect with nature.

Whether you’re looking for shorter or longer trails, or even trails that are on a boarded path (wheelchair accessible) or dirt, Fern Forest was the perfect visit for fresh air amidst the great weather. Upon arrival, we were glad to see that parking was plentiful and led to a direct path to the (beautifully designed) central nature center which had bathrooms, vending, and other needs available before heading into the trails. From that point, we enjoyed the boardwalk trail that took us through mangroves – this was a much shorter trail versus the dirt-trailed options. The staff onsite was more than happy to help us determine which paths would fit what we were looking for. Highly recommend bringing water and snacks to enjoy in the rest areas as it can get pretty hot and some paths aren’t covered with trees. Best of all, the experience was free and the park is in excellent condition.

It was okay, not much to see at all