Bonnet Springs Park is the best park we have been to in Florida (so far!) and one of our favorite day adventures to do. We live over an hour from this park and with theme park traffic, it always takes more like an hour and a half. And it is worth every minute that it takes to get there.
There is also a Children’s Museum there so if you want to combine the two, this could really be an all-day adventure. Or if the weather starts to get bad while you are there, you could head inside to the Children’s Museum.
Another option to extend your day in Lakeland, if you want to do so, are to head to Barnett Family Park. It is another exceptional park in Lakeland that our kids love.
How We Typically Spend Our Day
We always park at the welcome center and inside they have Roundhouse Coffee Shop. Here you can grab a coffee, pastry, or breakfast sandwich before you start your adventure. After parking, we walk towards the Train Playground, which as you can guess, is a playground shaped like a train.
After that, we usually head to the canopy walk. This is a really pretty walkway through the trees.
From there, we head to the treehouse. The kids like to play in this and there is a slide so they can slide down from the top floor of it.
By the treehouse is a creek that my boys, and so many other kids, will spend a lot of time playing in. This is one of my favorite parts of the whole park. I take their shoes off and let them run and splash and play while I sit down on the side and watch. It’s so peaceful. This area also has snacks, drinks, and restrooms nearby.
Once I finally pull my kids away from the creek, we walk towards the Mable the Owl playground. There is also a Butterfly House nearby that we have not gone to but if you are interested, I would head that way before then walking towards Mable the Owl.
On the way to the Mable the Owl playground, you will pass these things that the kids can climb inside of or on top of and you spin them. This is a big hit in our family.
Shortly after the Mable the Owl playground, you will come to another playground area that has a lot for the kids to do. There is a water play spot, which is great when it’s hot outside. There are slides, a sandy area, and places for them to climb and play. This spot also has water fountains, a place to refill water bottles if you brought those, and restrooms.
Shortly after this playground is The Depot and Children’s Museum.
Dining Options
Bonnet Springs Park has a few options to be able to get food and drinks:
- Roundhouse Coffee Shop – They serve Starbucks drinks and have breakfast sandwiches, pastries, muffins, and cookies.
- The Depot – Here you can grab different food options and they have indoor and outdoor seating.
- Ice Cream Crossing – This is located inside The Depot and services ice cream.
- We have also seen stands set up throughout the park where you can get small snacks and drinks as well.
Events & Activities
If you plan to head to Bonnet Springs Park, I would check their events page to see what they may have going on while you are there.
One time when we were there, they were teaching kids to fish down at the lagoon and even handing out free fishing poles while supplies lasted. Another time we were there, they had a bunch of kids activities set up close to the Nature Center. They included archery, “fishing” on the lawn, axe throwing, and several others.
Overall Feedback
Overall, our whole family loves Bonnet Springs Park. I would plan to spend lots of time there. You can either bring a picnic to have while you are there or get food in The Depot.
It is a lot of walking so I would plan to bring a stroller, wagon, scooter, or bike if you think your kids will need it or there is a tram option that will bring you around the park. We bring scooters for our older two and a stroller for our youngest. The walking paths are wide and smooth so they’re perfect for whatever you bring.
There is lots of shade at the park but there is also lots of sun so bring sunscreen and any other essentials you may want for your family.
Enjoy!