City: Tampa Bay, FL

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (813) 987-6771

Address: 15402 U.S. 301 N.

Description: Hillsborough River State Park, located in northeastern Hillsborough County and built in the 1930s with New Deal funds, is a good choice for people who want to ease into roughing it. An in-ground, man-made swimming pool (as opposed to ye olde swimming hole complete with alligators, snakes, and other critters), the Outpost concession area to keep shopaholics from going into withdrawal, and a full-facility camping area provide a semblance of civilization in a back-to-nature setting. Go canoeing, kayaking, or bicycling—bring your own or rent one at the Outpost. Do some fishing, hiking, or bird-watching. Visit Fort Foster, the only standing replica of a Second Seminole War fort in the United States, or the Interpretive Center to learn more about the history of the area. Gather around the communal campfire each Friday evening for a ranger-led program about the park. And in October, Hillsborough River State Park becomes the Haunted Woods, complete with ghostly terrors—all in good fun, of course. The daily entrance fee is $4 per vehicle with up to eight people per car. Camping fees are $20 per night, plus tax. The fee to use the swimming pool (not open all year) is $2 per day for everyone ages 6 and up (ages 5 and under are free), and the tour of Fort Foster costs $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 12 (ages 5 and under are free). Fort Foster tours are conducted Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m., weather permitting.