coral reef park: the village's premiere public park

I visited Coral Reef Park today and was very impressed. Surrounded on all sides by residential neighborhoods, this green space is a treasure. This park has free admission and parking and is a huge multi-activity facility. There is a playground, lots of spacious fields for soccer, baseball, and football, as well as tennis and volleyball courts. There are walking paths with exercise equipment, and an area to launch canoes or kayaks. My favorite is the nature trail which starts through a beautiful preserved pineland forest and goes past a canal and over a bridge toward the end. This wild oasis is a haven for both native and exotic wildlife. As I walked the trail I observed animals such as butterflies (including the endangered Florida Atala), stinkbugs, spiders (golden silk & silver argiope), gray squirrels, & a few stray domestic cats, as well as an amazing variety of birds (blue jays, hawks, sparrows, mockingbirds, muscovy ducks, crested ducks, Asian Geese, Egyptian Geese, Mallard ducks, and white ibis) This is my favorite local park and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Coral Reef Park provides a wide array of facilities for the Village of Palmetto Bay and surroundings. A 1.1-mile asphalt path, marked in 1/8-mile increments, surrounds the park for pedestrian traffic. It includes over a dozen assorted fitness stations—some passive, some active—to enhance your workout. A major field accommodates up to five junior-size soccer games. Baseball? Three fields. Football? Two sets of goals. And two courts for beach volleyball. Four courts for racquetball or handball, and eight for tennis. After using any of all these, lie down and relax by the canal weaving through the east end. Sometimes I find people fishing there.Designated play areas are available for 6-23 months, 2-5 years, and ages 5-12, all near the main building, which also has a room available to rent for private events. Ample benches and picnic areas offer shaded opportunities for relaxation.