Parks & Recreation
Parks, trails and ballparks
16 places across both counties: the state parks, the restored preserves, the rail trail that now runs from Sarasota to Venice, and three spring training ballparks. Unlike a restaurant list, none of this changes much, which is why it is worth knowing before you choose where to live rather than after.
State & National Parks
See all 4 →The big protected landscapes, the ones worth planning a day around rather than a walk after dinner.
Myakka River State Park
Sarasota, Sarasota County
One of Florida’s oldest and largest state parks, with the Myakka River, prairies, and abundant wildlife.
Oscar Scherer State Park
Osprey, Sarasota County
A state park near Osprey with pine flatwoods, a swimming lake, and habitat for the Florida scrub-jay.
Lake Manatee State Park
Bradenton, Manatee County
A state park east of Lakewood Ranch centered on the Lake Manatee reservoir.
De Soto National Memorial
Bradenton, Manatee County
A National Park Service site at the mouth of the Manatee River commemorating the 1539 De Soto expedition.
Nature Preserves
See all 3 →Restored coastal wetland, birding ground and a warm spring. Quieter than the state parks and mostly free.
Robinson Preserve
Bradenton, Manatee County
A large restored coastal preserve in west Bradenton with trails, kayak launches, and an observation tower.
Celery Fields
Sarasota, Sarasota County
A former farmland-turned-stormwater park in Sarasota that has become a well-known local birding spot.
Warm Mineral Springs
North Port, Sarasota County
A natural warm mineral spring in North Port, one of the few of its kind in Florida.
City Parks & Trails
See all 5 →The green space you can reach without a car: downtown waterfronts, a riverwalk, and the rail trail that now runs from Sarasota to Venice.
The Legacy Trail
Sarasota, Sarasota County
A paved rail-trail running roughly 23 miles from downtown Sarasota south to Venice.
The Bay Park
Sarasota, Sarasota County
A 53-acre bayfront park under development on Sarasota Bay, next to the Van Wezel.
Bayfront Park
Sarasota, Sarasota County
Sarasota’s downtown waterfront green space along Sarasota Bay, next to Marina Jack.
Riverwalk Bradenton
Bradenton, Manatee County
A 1.5-mile linear park along the Manatee River in downtown Bradenton, with a splash pad and skate park.
Payne Park
Sarasota, Sarasota County
A centrally located Sarasota park with a skate park, dog park, and the Legacy Trail’s northern terminus.
Sports & Event Venues
See all 4 →Three spring training ballparks and a rowing lake that hosts international regattas, all within forty minutes of each other.
LECOM Park
Bradenton, Manatee County
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring-training ballpark in downtown Bradenton, in use since the 1920s.
Ed Smith Stadium
Sarasota, Sarasota County
The Baltimore Orioles’ spring-training ballpark in Sarasota.
CoolToday Park
North Port, Sarasota County
The Atlanta Braves’ spring-training ballpark, the centerpiece of the Wellen Park master plan in North Port.
Nathan Benderson Park
Sarasota, Sarasota County
A 600-acre park with a world-class rowing lake that has hosted national and international regattas.
Parks & recreation FAQ
What are the best parks near Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch?+
Myakka River State Park is the big one, roughly 58 square miles of river, prairie and hammock about fifteen minutes east of Lakewood Ranch, with a canopy walkway and airboat tours. Robinson Preserve in northwest Bradenton is 705 acres of restored coastal wetland with a 53-foot tower and more than twenty miles of trail. Oscar Scherer near Osprey is the scrub-jay park with a swimming lake. Closer in, Payne Park, Bayfront Park and the emerging Bay Park cover central Sarasota, and Riverwalk runs a mile and a half along the Manatee River through downtown Bradenton.
How long is the Legacy Trail and where does it run?+
About 23 miles, from Payne Park in downtown Sarasota south to Venice, paved the whole way on the old Seaboard Air Line Railroad corridor. It got that way recently: a $65 million county bond passed in November 2018 funded a 7.5-mile northern extension into downtown, which opened in 2022, and FDOT finished overpasses at Clark and Bee Ridge Roads in 2025. If trail access matters to you, ask about it by name when you look at a community, because "near the Legacy Trail" gets used loosely and a connector path and a two-mile drive are very different things.
Which communities are near a state park or preserve?+
In general terms: the eastern Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota communities sit closest to Myakka River State Park, northwest Bradenton is the side of the county nearest Robinson Preserve and De Soto National Memorial, Osprey and Nokomis are closest to Oscar Scherer, and North Port holds Warm Mineral Springs. Distances vary a lot inside each of those areas, so treat this as a starting point rather than an answer, and ask me about a specific address.
Is there spring training baseball in Sarasota and Manatee County?+
Three ballparks, which is unusual for two adjacent counties. The Pittsburgh Pirates play at LECOM Park in downtown Bradenton, a ground in use since the 1920s. The Baltimore Orioles play at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. The Atlanta Braves play at CoolToday Park in North Port, which was built as the centrepiece of the Wellen Park master plan. All three are within about forty minutes of each other, and for a seasonal owner that proximity is part of what February looks like here.
Want to be near one of these?
Tell me which park, trail or ballpark matters and I will send the communities genuinely close to it, with what they cost to own. Near gets used loosely in listings; I will tell you the actual distance.
Or call or text (941) 350-0224.