oakland nature preserve

We liked this place. There is a boardwalk a bit less than a mile long that starts in dry forest and passes through wetlands on its way down to the edge of Lake Apopka. There are little signs all along the way to help you identify the flora and fauna along the path, and it's all free of charge (donation boxes are strategically placed, but no one has a hand out to take your money). There is a spot just for bird watching, and another place to look at turtles. As Janis Joplin might say, Cheap Thrills!

A very nice spot, complete with lots of walking trails and a boardwalk - walkway to the Lake (Apopka). The Nature Center itself was interesting, educational and full of "treasures."

Starting off, there is an awesome, curving walk on a boardwalk that leads to beautiful views of Lake Apopka. There are also many exhibits and other wildlife fun things to do. A great way to spend the day.

It's really calm and quiet here. There's not a lot of people, so you only run into someone occasionally. Lots of different little trails; the best is the Sinkhole Walk.Has bathroom facilities and a little garden area.

The Oakland Nature Preserve is a nice way to spend an afternoon communing with Nature. There are several walking paths to explore, one of which take you down to lake Apopka and another of which puts you right next to Briley Farms. Briley Farms is a private farm that raises exotic animals, so it is not uncommon to spot a Zebra, Ankole Cattle, or Wildebeest up near the property line shared with the preserve. There is 1 geochache in the immediate area as well and 2 others in the surrounding area. The visitor center also has a couple of displays, a few animalss, some history on the area, and restrooms. Pack yourself a lunch, and get outside!

We have often taken the walk on the boardwalk through the flora and fauna until coming to the lake where alligators are plentiful and birds are everywhere. But this last visit we decided to go off the beaten path and were surprised to find adjacent to the property, a farm with 10 or more zebras, antelope and other African animals. Not sure how we ever missed this before, but it was the highlight of our walk that day.

We were looking for Lake Apopka scenic drive near old highway 50 and came up on this preserve. Lucky us! We loved it. It has a neat board walk that winds through many types of trees, plants and vegetation, which was really cool to see. We also so a hawk and some cute stripped lizards and many grasshoppers (which I adore). The leaves were starting to fall and change colors, its such a magical place and the lake is enormous with plenty of gator spotting. There were butterflies of different types everywhere. The board walk turns into a peer from which you can see the lake. I took many pictures, it was just so pretty. You have wheelchair access on the board walk and the peer the trails looked to sandy for wheelchairs. It was a bit hot the day we went we are planning to come back soon when it cools off. You find out lots of info about the preserve the staff was really nice. They also have some rocking chairs we sat on for a few minutes to relax. :)

We took our 3rd grade Brownie troop to Oakland Nature Preserve for a hike and to earn their Bugs badge. A volunteer gave a presentation on the different types of bugs then took us out on the trail to see if we could find some of them! The girls had a great time rolling logs over to see what might be living underneath. A great time!

We visited here one afternoon, we took our 5 month old son with is in his stroller.The walk was lovely through the trees and plants and we were looking forward to seeing some alligators.Unfortunately as we got to the viewing station we were plagued with flys and we turned back worried our son would get bitten.We would definitly go again but cover ourselves in repellent.

I had the chance to take my two boys and three of their friends, all under the age of 7! It was a blast. The boardwalk is well constructed and allows great views of fox and snake holes, big spiders, snakes sunning themselves and birds of all kinds. Then at the lake the kids saw several alligators, which was the best of course. Go and visit! We are lucky to have this well kept preserve!

We are always looking for new places to walk and see nature. Last weekend we visited the Oakland Nature Preserve and were pleasantly surprised. This preserve offers visitors an opportunbity to explore and understand some of Florida's cultural and nayural heritage. Situated on 128 pristine acres extending from the West Orange Trail to the shore of Lake Apopka, it offers a rare opportunity to get close t the real Florida. This is a functioning ecosystem that offers recreation to hikers, bird watchers and photographers.There's a 3/4 mile elevated boardwalk through the preserve to Lake Apopka where a small pavilion offers an educational timeline of the demise and hopeful restoration of the lake. Keep a close watch for gators, turtles and an abundance of waterfowl. There are also 40 acres of upland trails and 90 acres of wetland. A small educational center is nestled in a replica log home which offers a glimps into Florida's natural inhabitants, a hands-on children's table and a wall full of educational materials. You will also see a few freshwater aquatic friends out of the covered porch and a few native turtles in exhibits to the right of the educational center. Great place to spend a few hours and see the real Florida.

I am knocked out by how well Floridians look after natural resources. In the past Lake Apopka was wrecked; now they are spending $130,00,000 over 25 years and it's well worth it.Go walk the boardwalk out to the lake, and learn how Florida once was, and how it's being restored.

Want a FREE adventure to the Old Florida? Visit the Oakland Nature Preserve. The 90 acres of wetland, with a half-mile boardwalk, and 40 acres of upland trails will make you forget about urban Florida. The Environmental Education Center has a great museum. Guided tours are available.And, yes, there are lots of animals --from gators to snakes to world-class bird watching. There is even an adjacent hobby farm with antelope, deer, emus, and African cattle with free through-the-fence viewing.ONP is on Machete Drive off Oakland Avenue on the west edge of Oakland --- near exit 272 of the Florida Turnpike.