Highlands Hammock State Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Highlands Hammock State Park
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Highlands Hammock State Park Location in Florida
Location	Highlands County, Florida, USA
Nearest city	Sebring, Florida
Area	9,000 acres (36 km2)
Established	1931
Governing body	Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Highlands Hammock State Park is a huge park covering 9,000-acre (3,640 ha) of land. It is located about 4 miles (6 km) west of Sebring in Highlands County, Florida, right off U.S. 27. This park first opened in 1931. That was four years before Florida even had a state park system! In 2018, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical site.

Nature and Wildlife

Incredible Plants

You can walk on special raised wooden paths called boardwalks through an ancient bald cypress swamp. This swamp is home to many amazing plants. You'll see tall cabbage palmettos, different kinds of ferns, and beautiful bromeliads and orchids. These plants are called epiphytes because they grow on other plants, like trees, instead of in the ground.

Some of the trees in the park are thought to be over a thousand years old! There's even one oak tree that might be the biggest in Florida. Its trunk is more than 36 feet (11 m) around!

Park Animals

Highlands Hammock State Park is full of interesting animals. You might spot White-tailed deer, large American alligators, and slow-moving gopher tortoises. You can also see many frogs, playful otters, and huge golden silk spiders.

Look up to see birds like pileated woodpeckers, red-shouldered hawks, and barred owls. The special Florida scrub jay also lives here. Sometimes, lucky visitors might even see a Florida black bear, a majestic bald eagle, or a graceful American white ibis. You might also spot gray squirrels, sneaky bobcats, and, very rarely, the shy Florida panther.

Park History

Back in 1931, some local people were worried that the beautiful hammock area would be turned into farmland. So, they bought the land to protect it. They wanted it to become a national park. This was a very early example of people working together to save nature. One important person who helped was Mrs. Margaret Roebling. She was the daughter-in-law of Washington Roebling, who helped build the Brooklyn Bridge.

Even though it didn't become a national park, Highlands Hammock became one of the first four Florida State Parks when the state park system started in 1935. During the Great Depression, a group called the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a camp here. They helped build many of the park's facilities and even started a botanical garden.

Florida Civilian Conservation Corps Museum

Inside the park, you can visit the Florida Civilian Conservation Corps Museum. This museum has fun, interactive displays that show what it was like when the park was being built in the 1930s and 1940s. You can learn all about the history of the CCC in Florida and across the United States. The museum building itself was built by the CCC!

Fun Things to Do

The park has a beautiful three-mile (5 km) loop drive. This road lets you get to the park's nine different trails. You can even use it for inline skating. There's also a longer eleven-mile (18 km) trail. You can ride your bicycle, go horseback riding, or just walk and look for wildlife on this trail.

If you love birds, this park is a great place for birding because it's part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Park rangers also lead tours often, so you can learn even more about the park.

You can stay overnight at the park's campground. It has places for RVs with full hookups, as well as areas for simple tent camping and youth groups. There's a nice picnic area with a playground nearby. You can also grab a bite to eat at "The Hammock Inn" restaurant. In the fall and winter, the Friends of Highlands Hammock group hosts a "Music in the Park" concert series on the third Saturday of each month.

Park Hours

Like all Florida state parks, Highlands Hammock State Park is open every day of the year, including holidays. You can visit from 8 a.m. until sundown.

Gallery

• 

  A building made by the CCC in the park

• 

  Bald cypress Swamp in the park

• 

  A Red-shouldered hawk in the park

• 

  A catwalk through the Bald Cypress Swamp