Florida is a state full of lots of natural beauty, unique vegetation, and its own distinct array of wildlife. Just a short drive from Orlando, FL is Lake Louisa State Park, one of the largest nature parks in the Orlando area. This stunning 4,500-acre park is particularly beautiful because of its collection of pretty lakes, scenic landscapes, and rolling hills. Lake Louisa itself is the largest of 13 nearby lakes and is designated as an “Outstanding Florida Water Way.”
The park’s most accessible lakes include Dixie Lake, Hammond Lake, and Lake Louisa and offer visitors plenty of opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, fishing and more. This large park is also the home to many different natural plant communities that are just east of the Green Swamp and north of the Lake Wales Ridge. In any of Orlando’s state parks, you’re going to want to keep your eye out for bobcats, raccoons, white-tail deer, squirrels, the gopher tortoise, bald eagles, osprey, and all other creatures who call this land home.
There are all kinds of activities that can be enjoyed at Lake Louisa State Park, including wildlife viewing, picnicking, family reunions, staying in cabins, boating, camping, canoeing, kayaking, geo-seeking, swimming, horseback riding trails, bicycling, playing on playgrounds, or you can even schedule a wedding with all the surrounding beauty as your backdrop. The state park provides a great opportunity for families to get back to nature and enjoy each other’s company in the great outdoors.
There are fees required to visit any of Orlando’s state parks, and Lake Louisa State Park has a daily entrance fee, overnight accommodation fees, and activity fees. Depending on which park you visit, for how long, how many people are in your party, and which activities you plan on participating in, your total fees will vary, so be sure and check the fee schedule when visiting the nature parks in Orlando for detailed information.
In 1823, a treaty designated the area which is now Lake Louisa State Park as part of the Seminole Indian Reservation. Interestingly, the area was never used as a reservation. Then in 1910, John and Louise Driggers Hammond settled the majority of the land that surrounded Lake Louisa. The subsequent homestead offered a family home, a sawmill, a shingle mill, a turpentine still, commissary, workers’ cabin, a cooperate, and a combination church and school.
In 1943, the Bronson family purchased some of the land and then established a cattle ranch and orange groves. Some of the old pasture and graves from this time can still be seen in the park. The state subsequently purchased the land in 1973, and the Lake Louisa State Park property was designated as a state park in 1974, with an official opening in 1977. Read on for more information about one of the top family attractions in Florida!
What to Do at Lake Louisa State Park
Lake Louisa State Park comprises 4,500 acres and is well-known for its gorgeous lakes and scenic landscapes. Lake Louisa is the largest lake in a chain of 13 lakes, and has received a designation as an “Outstanding Florida Water Way.”
Within the Park, Lake Louis, Dixie Lake, and Hammond Lake are the most accessible lakes, and offer fishing, canoeing, and kayaking activities. Other activities in the park include horseback riding, boating and playgrounds. If you are visiting with larger groups, you can even find areas that will allow larger picnic gatherings.
As one of the best family attractions in Florida, it also offers plenty of opportunities to view some native wildlife, including white-tail deer, bobcats, fox squirrels, raccoons, gopher tortoises, bald eagles, and osprey. You’ll find 11 distinct natural plant communities within the park, which is within the easternmost boundary of the Green Swamp, and along the northern boundary of the Lake Wales Ridge, so you can explore some of Florida’s natural vegetation.
What You Need to Know About the Park
The park is located on US Highway 27, just a short seven miles south of State Road 50 in Clermont. Similar to other Florida state parks, Lake Louisa State Park is open from 8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year. Fees and Admission are as follows:
• $4 Single occupant vehicle
• $5 per vehicle with a limit of two to eight people per vehicle
• $2 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass
At Tropical Escape Vacation Homes, we want to make sure you completely enjoy your vacation, so if you have any questions about this or any other state park, please ask! Contact us today for more information about Lake Louisa State Park!
