🌺 Gardens & wildlife

Circle B Bar Reserve

Lakeland, FL · Central Florida

About

Circle B Bar Reserve is a restored 1,300-acre floodplain on Lake Hancock just southeast of Lakeland, and one of Florida's best spots to see wild things up close. Walk Alligator Alley or Heron Hideout and you will pass basking gators, wading egrets and ospreys among the more than 200 bird species recorded here. Cooler dry-season mornings from November through March bring the heaviest bird traffic.

Highlights

Nine flat, hard-packed trails open to hikers and bikers, including Alligator Alley and Wading Bird WayMore than 200 bird species, from snail kites and sandhill cranes to bald eagles and ospreysAlligators viewable from shore and piers along Lake HancockFree Polk Nature Discovery Center with hands-on exhibits and an indoor kids play areaPrime dry-season birding and wildlife photography from late fall through early spring

Getting there

4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland, FL 33803

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