Orlando Wetlands Park

Ok, so I have like a million different articles I’m working on, but I visited this park yesterday and HAD to write about it. This is THE Florida experience in Orlando. Disregard every other thing I’ve ever written about, the wetlands are the city’s shining star, and they accept that with pride.

Orlando Wetlands Park is about 25 miles outside the city’s central business district. It takes about half an hour to reach, but feels an entire world away! It’s managed by the city of Orlando’s Parks and Rec, the same department responsible for up-keeping Lake Eola and the other urban parks.

This park is quintessential Florida; swamps, gators and cool birds! After I left, I was feeling so Floridian I bought an entire Key Lime Pie just to soak in the extra vibes… The logic’s flawless in my head!

Let me show you around the park!

We will start by explaining the purpose of the park. Yes, the wetlands are manmade. They were artificially created as a further water treatment step in the re-purification of Orlando’s wastewater. After passing through an initial processing facility in Seminole County, the water is pushed into the human created marshes through a southwest pump. Here, the plants remove nutrients from the water, further purifying it while helping them. This step in natural treatment takes about 40 days, as the water slowly flows back into the St. John’s River.

The park is free to visit, so there’s absolutely no excuse to not go there. It’s so large, they even have free tram tours that go around, until 3 p.m.

Naturally, you’ll start your journey at the small parking lot. I could see parking being an issue, so I would recommend coming earlier or later in the day. The park closes at sunset, when the gorgeous colors flush the marsh in orange and pink hues. Coupled with lighter crowds, I’d recommend around then.

There’s a HUGE visitor center that looked to be currently under construction. There were fences around it and a ton of material strewn about, but the website says it’s open… The building is gorgeous and, on completion, will provide sweeping views of the marshland.

For now, there’s a few display cases by the lot with some sparse artifacts and information. The glass is pretty weathered, bearing them almost unreadable. Thankfully, maps are abundant in the slots below.

From the visitor center, you’re met with a dirt path that spans the park. Each trail is an unpaved, dusty road in the direct sun. As I was here in January, it wasn’t an issue, but be warned come summer. All of them are accessible by bike or foot.

The park has a small woodland trail, but most people are here for the boardwalk. At half a mile, its trek over water was inaccessible before its December 2022 opening. The city has said the new path has already been responsible for drawing a large crowd.

The boardwalk is also part of the dedicated 2.5 mile birding trail, which winds around Alligator Alley to Otter Boulevard. Yes, the roads all have themed names… it’s fantastic. I took the birding walk, and had the park not closed, could have easily stayed, spending more time exploring.

But of course people aren’t here to see the pathways, the park is bustling with plants and animals! It’s a great place to get a sampling of what the Everglades are like only a couple hundred miles south.

The wildlife here is insane! At one point I saw seven alligators in my frame of view. I even had to skirt around a few lounging aside the trail. It was kind of scary… The wetlands attract over 200 bird species, including the elusive pink Spoonbill. Similar to flamingos, these birds get their coloring from the shrimp they eat.

Watching a flock lounge on treetops has to be one of my favorite Orlando moments ever. There were so. many. birds. If you have ornithophobia, this may not be the place for you. Here’s a perched vulture on a bare palm.

There were also a ton of water-based duck like things. These guys were LOUD. Also note the alligator in the vicinity.

Actually, let’s take a look at some of the alligators I saw:

The first one couldn’t have been more than five minutes after I started walking.

And the next was a few steps after:

Here’s one aside the path! The mother ahead of me yelled at her adult daughter for stopping to take a picture.

And another on the side of the path…

And finally, the smallest gator I have ever seen. It was SO cute!

About halfway around the birding trail was a mound of dirt. The website says it’s 30 feet, but it feels so much higher. It’s a STUNNING view from the top!

I could still see all the gator heads moving around the water. Had we been ten feet higher, I’m sure you could see all the way out to Kennedy Space Center and the Orlando skyline.

Across from the swap, the water gives way to swaying tall grasses that lead to a pine forest.

Overall, it was a great place to take a walk. It’s a nice escape from the craziness of Orlando and a good way to touch roots with the old Florida.

Orlando Wetlands Park, congratulations! You’re the first place to ever receive a unique write-up on here and are awarded my favorite place in Orlando.