Violet Cury Preserve — Attraction in Florida

Like most preserves, there is no restroom, but you can visit for free. :-)

This beautiful park is tucked away in a residential community along Sinclair Hills Rd. The gate and parking area are on the right as you head west, after turning onto Sinclair Hills from Livingston.

There are several trails to hike and there is a map on the bulletin board, as you enter the preserve. The yellow trail sends you through the woods and past a couple of ponds that desperately need water and sends you back to pick up the red trail and connect to the blue trail to walk alongside a lake.

It's late May and the wildflowers are in bloom. AND the waterlilies on the lake.

This is a nice neighborhood walk in the woods, but I definitely would not travel any distance to visit. It is not particularly crowded, so that was nice, and it is pretty natural- it just is not anything unique. I had two complaints though. First, there were several patrons with dogs off leash which was an issue for me because one of my daughters is afraid of dogs. The dogs were friendly, but for someone who is fearful of them, that is still an issue, and also against the county ordinances. Second, there were little bags of dog poop dropped along the trails. Not one or two bags; we counted more than ten bags sitting on the ground. Nice for people to bag it, but come on, remove your waste!

All in all, I would return because it is only ten minutes from my house, but again, if you are not close to the park, I'd probably...

First, stop at the entrance you see on the main part of the road. The GPS will take you to an access point that has no parking (which is free). The park is nice and a good spot for people who enjoy mushroom/moss hunting and/or bird watching as I saw a lot of different birds (Little Blue Heron, Sandhill Crane, Red Shoulder Hawk, just to name a few). It's a great big loop, so it's great for dog walks, or morning runs.

The downsides are that this park shares fences with apartments and houses which takes away from any immersive feeling. You will also hear all the street noise from most parts of the park. And unfortunately, you will see plenty of trash along the apartment fences. I would visit again because it is accessible and not as crowded as many other parks can be, but will not be as...