Paynes Creek Historic State Park — Attraction in Avon Park

What a great state park! My mom and I were doing a road trip to visit family on the other side of Florida, and I like to take my State Park Passport with me on those excursions to find a place along the way to stop for an hour, get out, stretch our legs, see something new, and get a stamp in my passport.

The visitor's center has a small museum and a 12 minute film that talks about the area's history. There had been a Trading Post (Kennedy-Darling Store) on the property in 1849. Several traders had been attacked and killed by Native Americans not acting on the behalf of their local tribe, and the situation escalated. A blockhouse fort was built nearby as part of a chain of forts across the southern portion of Florida. I've lived in Florida for over 40 years, and while I knew about Fort Clinch, Fort Pierce, Fort Kissimmee, and other "Fort" cities, I had no idea they were part of a planned string across the state, so I definitely learned a lot by visiting this park.

The film and some of the displays and signage were a bit dated and need some refreshing. So go make a donation to the State Park system and help out with that! The facilities were very clean, and everything was in working order. There were two large family restrooms at the Visitor's Center. Behind the Center is a short, paved path to where the blockhouse fort once stood.

We then drove down to the picnic area. There are several large pavilions with paved paths leading to them, two of which were wheelchair accessible. There's a nice little playground for the kids. Behind the picnic area is an unpaved trail that leads to a really neat suspension bridge, and a little bit beyond that is a trail that leads to a monument memorializing the murdered traders. It's about 20 minutes there and back and not a strenuous walk at all. My mother, in her late 60s who also has some knee and ankle issues, said it was borderline between "just enough walking" and "too much walking." She enjoyed the walk, though.

There's a lot more to the park - camping, a much larger trail system than what we saw, and kayak/canoe launches. We only had an hour, and didn't have the time to visit everything. What we saw, though, was really great and I'm glad we stopped...

The trails aren’t marked very good and it has a small building filled with facts but the staff out here is incredible . First no one was at the front office . Then I am just about to snap a picture of 3 beautiful deer when a guy in a orange golf cart WHO WORKS HERE sees me trying to take a picture stops and then guns it past my truck scaring off the deer . Very unprofessional then the kid smirks at me for doing it when I put my hands up . Hire better people ! If your here for the canoe ramp don’t even bother you will slip down the “ trial “ not very dog friendly . Only poo bags I saw was at the front office . Paid 5 dollars because no one was there to break my 5 for something that’s kept worst than a free park . Oh and if your here to see the fort .. IT DOESN’T EXIST . You walk back to find a sign saying there “ possibly might have been...

Being an avid birdwatcher my wife & i enjoyed the tranquility & natural beauty of this park & saw 22 different bid species on our January 2023 walk. We basically had the park to ourselves until we crossed paths with 2 people after an hour & then another 2 an hour after that. A steady breeze with partly sunny 67 degree temps made for a comfortable walk. The trails were maintained & wide enough for 2 adults to walk side by side & were mostly marked although additional signage would be helpful to find your way back to the parking lot. We covered a total of 4miles walking. No trail maps were available at the entrance when we paid our $3 entry fee. Random wood benches were throughout the park. What an ideal playground with 4 swings, climbing equipment, picnic tables under a roof + his & her restrooms too! We look forward to returning...