st sebastian river preserve state park

We love this park. Since we live in Sebastian, we can go many times throughout the year. We went yesterday as some of our friends were camping at the park. This area has it all. If you want to camp, it's a nice spot. Our friends did mention something about the electrical set up; that it wasn't as large as most parks, and they couldn't run as many things off of it. However, they said they worked around it, and it wouldn't stop them from returning again to camp. We like to go for the day and spend time at the ocean beach or the tidal pond. The pond is a wonderful place to go with kids as the water is shallow and calm as it's tucked in off the channel. They have picnic tables in that area as well as throughout the park. While there, the manatees were in the tidal pond and were swimming with us for about 2 hours. The ranger came and gave us some excellent information on the manatees. It was a wonderful experience for the kids and adults alike. This is also a great place to fish. You can fish in the ocean or the channel for the inlet. It's always a popular spot any day of the week. While not a huge park, you won't be bored. It's always to clean and well cared for too. Give this park a try and enjoy the best that nature has to offer in the Sebastian area.

My husband and I visited this park today in hopes of seeing some Manatees at the Manatee Overlook. We were not disappointed, as we saw many manatees feeding on the water plants. The park offers trails for hiking, trails for riding horses, areas for fishing, areas for picnics, camping sites, and much more.

We arrived early on a Saturday and drove what we thought was the entire park. The visitor center opened after we left for our trail hike. We chose the Green Trail that begins next to the center. The trails are well kept and very well marked. We saw very little wildlife except for a small bird perched on a palmetto branch. This small bird appeared as if is was preserved in wood. We took multiple pictures and came within a foot of the bird but did not touch. We were spooked that it may have died due to the cold weather we experienced earlier in the week. When we returned to the visitor center the Parks biologist informed us we had found the common Night Hawk. Looking dead and looking as if it was made of wood is the birds defense. Then to our surprise the Park has a large population of Manatees looking for warm water in the winter! We hadn't driven far enough! What a wonderful experience to see Manatees. We spent a total of four hours and only covered one trail. The Park Ranger and Biologist were great. This Park only asks for donations!

My wife and I visited this park today. We were allowed to bring our dog on a leash. We went there for the first time not knowing what to expect. The visitor's center was closed, since it is only open on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. They did not have a box with park maps available outside the center so we were unsure of where to go. One of the trails was adjacent to the visitors center where we left our car. There was a box with maps for the specific trail, the green trail. We walked for about a half hour in each direction. It was hot but a pleasant walk in a quiet place. There were a few wildflowers. The trail was very well marked and we didn't walk the whole trail. There is also no place to get water or benches to rest. As horses are allowed on the trails, one has to be observant to avoid stepping in a pile! The park also features a primitive camp ground where dogs are not allowed. We would like to go back in the future.