Park pleasures

From fishing to picnics to softball to nature strolls, you'll find it in a Hernando park.

By JOY DAVIS-PLATT

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 23, 2000

Once the bait dips below the water's surface, Petey Larkin has trouble believing it's still there.

Recently, the fledgling fisherman got a lesson in the fine art of waiting from his grandfather at Jenkins Creek Park near Weeki Wachee.

"You can't be impatient," said Earl Williams, calmly baiting the 5-year-old's empty hook. "When you come out here, you just need to relax."

Long a favorite local fishing spot, the brackish waters at Jenkins Creek are just one of the attractions that parks have to offer Hernando County residents.

As summer begins and outdoor activities become a bigger part of daily life, Hernando County's recreation areas -- county, state and municipal -- get much more use. Whatever your interest -- fishing, picnicking, softball -- you're likely to find it in a Hernando park.

Pat Fagan, the county's parks and recreation director, is proud of the county's wide range of recreational offerings -- from places like Alfred McKethan Park, where a quarter-million visitors a year enjoy volleyball, playgrounds and swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, to Jenkins Creek Park, which, for the most part, has been left in its natural state.

"Hernando County has just so much natural beauty," said Fagan. "We have a lot to be proud of here. I would like to see everyone go out and take advantage of what we have to offer."

Just beyond Jenkins Creek Park is Hernando Beach Park, a picturesque area where stands of palm trees surround a swimming hole equipped with a floating dock. Nearby, covered picnic tables stand in a row along the white sand. The smell of cookouts on the barbecue grills is common during the summer.

The park has bathroom and shower facilities. For large gatherings, there are several picnic pavilions in woods adjacent to the beach area.

Hernando also has much to offer those who prefer the natural beauty of untamed Florida.

Gnarled oak branches hang over the one-lane road leading into the McKethan Lake Day Use Area north of Brooksville. Large picnic pavilions stand in shaded areas near a swing set with a prime view of the lake.

The walking trails, carpeted with a deep pile of brown leaves, wind for miles through the dense woods of the Withlacoochee State Forest. Early in the day, dappled sunlight shines through the low-hanging Spanish moss, and there is a cacophony of summer insects and chirping birds.

There is a small admission charge for state-run areas such as McKethan and Silver lakes, and groups must call for a free permit, said Lynne Bolton, recreation coordinator for the Division of Forestry.

"That's how we track what's going on," said Bolton, who oversees the Withlacoochee forest in Hernando County. "Large groups can have a large impact on the land in a very short time."

Another way to see Florida's wild side is on the Withlacoochee State Trail.

In Hernando, the trail cuts a 14-mile path through 228 acres of the Withlacoochee State Forest and the Croom Wildlife Management Area. It continues into Pasco and Citrus counties. Most visitors choose to bike the paved trail, says Bob Seifer, a manager with the Florida Parks Service, but pedestrians and equestrians are more than welcome.

"The Hernando County portion of the trail is very rural," he said. "In the early mornings, you can see all kinds of wildlife out there."

Hernando County recreation director Lita Hart said her office receives the most compliments on Lake Townsend Regional Park near Istachatta, with its walking and horseback riding trails, picnic areas and playground.

"A lot of people are very surprised when they go out there the first time," Hart said. "It's the county's best-kept secret."

If well-manicured lawns and graceful shade trees appeal to you, Hernando has that, too.

The jewel of Brooksville's Tom Varn Park is a large wooden play set with rounded turrets and plenty of space to climb. Nearby are racquetball courts, a softball complex, basketball courts, picnic areas, pavilions, jogging trails, tennis courts and horseshoe courts.

At Hernando Veterans Memorial Park in Spring Hill, the playground equipment is in crayon colors. The 21.5-acre park has lighted multipurpose fields, baseball fields, playground, picnic tables and an exercise trail.

In recent years, facilities such as Anderson Snow /Park in Spring Hill have benefited from impact fees, one-time charges on new homes and businesses that go toward capital improvements, said Fagan. The facility now boasts a baseball complex with six fields, concession stand and restrooms. Landscaping and building costs were all paid for with impact fees.

Another facility to benefit from impact fees has been Ridge Manor Community Park. The 40-acre site has three baseball fields, a playground, basketball courts, volleyball court, picnic shelters, walking trails and restrooms. The park is in its third year of construction, and Fagan estimates it will continue to grow for another decade.

"For the last eight years, we've done a lot of the major construction and repairs and improvements to bring Hernando County's parks up to date," said Fagan.

Much of that construction has included work to bring parks up to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing wheelchair access to shelters and restrooms.

"We're very proud for the public to see where their money is going," said Fagan.

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