To wander among some of Florida’s most wonderful wildlife, journey over to Polk County. There, you’ll find an unsung natural paradise called the Circle B Bar Reserve. This lovely patch of wild land hugs the northwest shore of the sprawling, 4,500-acre Lake Hancock, right on the outskirts of the city of Lakeland. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting there, even if you’re not from around these parts. Tampa and Orlando, which both house international airports, are only about an hour’s drive away.
Wondering what a trip to this jungly nook of the Sunshine State entails? Endless outdoor fun spent meandering along the reserve’s winding trails is all but guaranteed. “You’re going to see nature very, very close up in their natural habitat, and not in a zoo,” Jeff Spence, the now-retired director of the Polk County Parks and Natural Resources Division, told Visit Florida.
Animals have long resided in Circle B Bar. However, if you were to visit in the mid-1900s, you would have been far more likely to see livestock roaming the grounds. The land once served as a cattle ranch, founded in 1949 by a couple named Al and Betty Bellotto. Fast-forward to December 2000, when the county, in collaboration with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, bought the property from the Bellotto family, turning it into a protected haven for the diverse ecosystems and critters that call it home today.
See Florida wildlife at the Circle B Bar Reserve
Encompassing nearly 1,300 acres, the Circle B Bar Reserve is a spectacle to behold. Of course, the free admission (available at the time of writing) is certainly a draw. But the natural views are really the most magical aspect of all. A Tripadvisor reviewer writes, “A great variety of trails through the woods and marshes. Saw so much wildlife including six gators and all kinds of birds.”…