Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs Florida covers approximately 8700 acres and is the largest natural area within Pinellas County. Established in 1992, Brooker Creek Preserve is located off of Keystone Road and consists mostly of forested wetlands. It is one of my favorite places to visit since your chances are excellent of running into wildlife here. With over four miles of hiking trails and well over nine miles of horse trails, this is a great place to connect with nature.

Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center offers educational classes, exhibits, workshops, presentations, public outreach activities and guided hikes through this vast natural setting. The physical Center is a three building complex with over 25,000 sq ft which includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, a 6,000 sq ft exhibit area and an auditorium that can handle two hundred visitors. The Center also offers the public assistance with such things as identification of local plants, landscaping with local plants and retention pond reclamation. There are educational programs for the entire family and also specifically for children of various age groups. Schools also take advantage of all that Brooker Creek Preserve’s Environmental Education Center has to offer by bringing children out on field trips from the local public and private schools.

One of my personal favorite things that the Education Center does is offer various summer camps for the local children. What better way to become familiar with the habitat and have a great time doing it?

Looking for something to do on the weekend? Brooker Creek Preserve also offers guided tours on Saturdays. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult and pre-registration is required. The winter months are a wonderful time to take advantage of these tours and those weeks when the kids are off for the Holidays lend plenty of time to take advantage of this great opportunity to get to know more about Brooker Creek Preserve!