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So just what is there to do at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland? Lots.

Circle B Bar Reserve offers peace, quiet, and bird and gator spotting. Located on 1,267 acres of what was once a cattle ranch, Circle B Bar Reserve (find a link to a small map and more info about the reserve here) is now operated by Polk County Environmental Lands and is a great–and free!– place to visit. Here’s why:

Saharan sunrise at Circle B Bar Reserve.
  1. It’s a bird watcher’s and nature lover’s dream. Egrets, herons, woodpeckers, ibis, and dozens of other birds were spotted during our recent visits. Circle B is also known for eagles, armadillos, bobcats, and otters, to name just a few.
  2. It’s popular for nature photography. Visitors with fancy cameras and even tripods are commonplace at Circle B Bar Reserve.
  3. You will likely see alligators. We can’t promise you’ll see the massive gator crossing a trail as shown in this video from Tampa’s Fox 13 in 2018, but with the massive size of Lake Hancock onsite, you’re bound to see, at a minimum, gators coasting along in the water.
  4. You’ll help educate the kiddos on nature. There’s a Discovery Center to help everyone in your crew learn more about the reserve.
  5. Circle B Bar Reserve is a peaceful place to take a walk and get away from the digital world. Need we say more?
Landscape view at Circle B Bar Reserve. L
Egret at Circle B Bar Reserve, munching on a dragonfly.

Get Ready for Your Next Visit to Circle B Bar Reserve

So, what are some tips to keep in mind for visiting Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland? Here are a few pointers.

  • If you’re visiting with kids, plan your trail walk in advance. That’s because there’s a labyrinth of trails onsite, some of which are longer and less shaded in the others. You probably know what your kids can handle depending on their age, so check out the trail descriptions at this link. Some easier trails include the Shady Oak Trail, Alligator Alley, and Lost Bridge. (Our personal fave is Alligator Alley with the views of the massive Lake Hancock.) Look near the Discovery Center for a paper copy of the map. There also are maps on display at some points along the trails but we found them small and hard to read. So, grab a paper copy or take a picture of the map and then you can enlarge it with your phone. Of course, if you have any questions about where to go, staffers at the Discovery Center can help.  
  • Wear good walking shoes. You would think this would be obvious but during a recent morning visit, we saw two—TWO—grown men in separate groups who were barefoot. This is Florida, people! There are surely snakes all around, not to mention animal droppings and sharp sticks. Ow.
  • Bring water while you explore. Again, this seems obvious, but we don’t mind stating the obvious. Although you’re probably wise enough to think about water, what we didn’t think about during one recent visit to Circle B Bar Reserve is that we’d end up on a trail that would take us to another trail and before we knew it, we didn’t know where we were—and it was about 95 degrees outside. Thankfully, we did have some nice agua to keep us hydrated but if we didn’t, our little adventure would have been less pleasant, especially because we also had a big Nikon camera to lug around.
  • Respect any signs for trail closures. Sometimes, certain trails are closed for maintenance or to give the animals living there some space and privacy—such as during alligator mating season. Considering the size of some of those prehistoric creatures, we’ll give them all the space they need. The Circle B Bar Reserve link here will alert you to any trail closures.
  • Keep the pets at home. Pets aren’t allowed at Circle B Bar Reserve, surely because of the abundance of wildlife living there. Apparently, music and balloons aren’t allowed, either (we’re guessing for similar reasons). However, there are picnic areas, so if you’re OK having a lower-key celebration, this could be your park.
  • Respect the wildlife at a distance. When we lived in Lakeland a few years back, there was another park where people would go to see “Big Mama,” a 12-foot gator living there. We heard that people would try to get near Big Mama and feed her. We don’t know if everyone who did so survived, but suffice to say that the nice folks at Circle B want you to take your snaps of their resident gators and other animals from a respectful distance. See, socially distancing prepared you for this—and that’s what telephoto lenses are for!
  • Make a side trip to downtown Lakeland. If you’re visiting from outside of the area and want to make the most of your time, nearby downtown Lakeland has some cute restaurants and shops. It also has Lake Morton (famous for its resident swans) and Florida Southern College, with its Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
Heron at Circle B Bar Reserve.

Enjoy your visit to the beautiful Circle B Bar Reserve, and make sure to tag us on Instagram with any photos you take. Our account is @Florida_Culture. For more Florida travel tips, check out our other articles on this site or on our other website, Florida Culture. Happy travels to Circle B Bar Reserve.