Bourlay Historic Nature Park — Attraction in Leesburg

My wife and I stopped here about 11:00 am on August 11, 2025 in hopes of taking a short hike on the two trails inside the park. We were en route to Kelly Park Campground in nearby Apopka and were towing a small travel trailer. The 200-yard long, one-lane entrance road into the park is very narrow, only partially paved, and is heavily potholed, so it was challenging getting into the parking lot without bottoming out my trailer on the way and out. Once we arrived in the parking lot, there were several large semi-trucks and a dump trucks there delivering some excavating equipment, so I had to park alongside the north fence line to make sure I didn't block their entry and exit as well as my own. We decided to hike one of the easy and flat trails, but we got our feet muddy and soaking wet about halfway in from the trailhead because the terrain is very flat here and it's adjacent to the very large Lake Griffin that borders the park's north side. It had also rained heavily here the night prior to our arrival and the rainwater hadn't run off or perked into the sandy soil yet. There wasn't much to see in the way of flora or fauna along the trail until you make the sharp left turn, then walk another 150 yards, where there is a small break in the trees and you can get a pocket sized view of Lake Griffin. There was also a reconstructed outdoor amphitheater here that a local Scout Troop built a decade or so ago. It was at this site that the founding fathers of the town of Leesburg held their first church service back in the 1880s. After seeing that, and not wanting to get our shoes and feet any soggier than they already were, we headed back to the parking lot, and walked around to have a look at a few of the historic buildings on site that dated back to the founders' days. We used the restroom, which was clean, then left, somewhat unimpressed with this place. It appeared to be more of a locals' place to take school kids on short field trips to, or may be used for church or family picnics, but there really wasn't much to see or do here. I probably would not go back again the next time I...

We were pretty excited about going to this park because there is a historic home on the property. The problem is the historic home is now used as a business office and is completely fenced off. You cannot even get close enough to take a picture. As far as the trails go, they are excellent and in great condition. There are not a lot of trails and they are not incredibly long. This makes it great for enjoying the outdoors for an hour or so. Perfect for kids but if you're looking for something a little more this would not be it. They do have pretty nice restrooms in the parking lot at the beginning of the trails. We would have given it a higher rating but we were very disappointed about the historic home. There is a historic cabin that you can go on the porch but it is locked up so you cannot go inside it. Overall it was a nice little stop. We were just hoping for more. Follow us for more...

This is a hidden park here in Lake County that sits kind of in the middle of Leesburg. It's managed by the Lake County Water Authority and is well maintained. There is a resident that lives in the old Bourlay house, that provides security and general up keep. This was a nice little park. The walking trails were the main feature here. Nice wide trails through the woods. The little cabin gives some history of the area and is neat to look at. There are bathrooms on site but I did not use them, so I can not speak to their cleanliness. I can see in the summertime that the trails may be muddy and have a few bugs joining you on your hike; so...