Sometimes it's nice to get out into nature to relax and forget all your problems for a bit. If you're planning a short getaway, Bonnet Springs Park is a really cool option.
The park is located just outside of downtown Lakeland. This 168-acre treasure is topping the list of urban pockets of nature across the country. According to USA Today, it was voted the best city park in 2025.
"I like Bonnet Springs Park because of the sense of escapism," said Bonnet Springs Park CEO Josh Henderson. "We're two or three minutes from downtown Lakeland, but the topography of the land, the plantings and the overall design of the park, it just offers a chance to get away and not be in a city, which is really neat."
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Even the rolling hills have a backstory — they are a creative solution to the site's industrial past. The land was built, then covered with netting and arsenic-free soils, transformed into the hills.
"That was the number one attraction of grand opening for the young children. [They] was just rolling down the hills all day. It was so much fun to watch," Henderson said.
Bonnet Springs Park offers something for everyone. Visitors can explore the Florida Children's Museum, a cafe, a nature center, a butterfly house, and even a giant 30-foot-wide owl modeled after a burrowing owl. They named her Mabel.
Bonnet Springs Park is home to a 500-square-foot kids' tree house. There is also a lagoon stream that runs through the park where visitors can dip their feet in, and the Canopy Walk for them to wander around the treetops when they're looking over the park.
Perhaps the most surprising is the rooftop bar, which Henderson proudly claimed to have the best sunset in Lakeland.
"There's a lot of great parks and rec facilities in Lakeland and surrounding Polk County, so we didn't need to replicate those," Henderson said. " [Bonnet Springs Park] is unlike any other park in the Central Florida region."
Whether it's a family outing, a casual date, or a solo retreat, Bonnet Springs Park has become a destination that captures the beauty of nature — and maybe brings the childhood whimsy back.
This story first aired on The Bay Blend, WUSF's daily podcast.
