Largo Central Park Nature Preserve — Attraction in Largo

This preserve was a surprising good find especially on a lightly rainy day! 1 mosquito that we noticed but I would still bring spray. Paved loop trail and multiple boardwalks--one around lake/pond area--for our double stroller! Mostly natural vegetation but very close to a golf course (watch out for errant balls) and tall electrical power grid(?) things. Shorter but still two story (I think) wooden observation tower (top not enclosed) that is kind of hidden in the edge of the wooded area. Lots of birds and at least 1 six foot alligator around and in lake/pond--the gator was VERY close to the boardwalk (see my comments below). Also, a specified bat area at the top of a clump of very tall trees--on the outside edge of the wooded area. Biggest cons, besides power lines cutting into a natural setting in a big way, are the spacing of the bottom piece of wood on the boardwalks and the elevation of the boardwalks over the water and through the woods . . . The boardwalks feel too low in these areas and too open around foot area. Personally, I would feel more comfortable with the boardwalks if they were raised higher and had at least one more board along the sides, but I am a teacher and a mom to a toddler and a baby. My husband carried our toddler on his shoulders, and I pushed our baby in the back of our long stroller, so that felt a little safer. We will probably return regardless and hope to explore the additional paved path and other trail that were closer to the entrance. Decent public bathroom and a picnic area and a little free library are...

It’s usually very quiet and a great place to escape for a walk that is accessible any time of year -even in the rainy season because there’s a boardwalk that takes you through the trees and around the lake. The boardwalk keeps you elevated and out of the water and flooding that some of the other parks experience. This place was always very quiet and being that it’s so close to home. It was a quick way to reconnect with nature during a busy day. But lately, I don’t feel so safe here as a woman by myself. I notice more and more vagrants hanging out by the bathrooms and smoking glass pipes I am even seeing paraphernalia and empty sandwich wrappers and large beer cans littered throughout , the nature trail. Again, I’m not there at 9 o’clock at night, it seems like this is a space where people have really found little to no monitoring and created their own private Idaho. I’ve seen a few men on the trail and using drugs at the same time that have stared at me a little too long, then when it’s comfortable. When I was leaving two days ago, I passed a guy who was not it out in his truck in the far corner of the parking lot. I needle on the ground underneath the door of his car. I know that drugs are more than a local issue, but there has to be something to be done that keeps safe spaces safe and a park that is funded by taxpayers should be a safe space and not one full of drug...

Beautiful preserve, no charge for entry. There's one trail that wraps around most of the perimeter, following a lot of the waterways meant to help replenish the marshland; and there's a boardwalk that goes throughout the interior woods. There's lots of bird activity here, so bird watchers are pretty common! There's at least one alligator that I've seen here too, though she largely keeps to herself and doesn't show herself too often.

This park's also my go to whenever I want a nice walk to play Pokemon Go! There's plenty of pokestops and active gyms, on top of it being an easy walk, so it's a perfect choice!

Please note this is not a park meant for dogs. There are signs posted near the entrance and on boards. I've been seeing a lot of people with dogs coming in lately, so it seems necessary to repeat. Dogs can disturb and even hurt wildlife. They can be a nuisance to the people attending the park. The wildlife can even be a risk to your dog's safety. Please stop bringing your dogs to this...