Southeast Florida is a great place to live if you enjoy the outdoors. Everyone knows about our miles and miles of beaches and palm trees, but some people are unaware that Palm Beach County also has some beautiful state parks. Here are two of our favorite state parks in South Florida.

Jonathan Dickinson

Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound offers miles of coastal sandhills, upland lakes, and scrub forests, as well as the pristine Loxahatchee River, make this park a unique spot to explore by foot or water. Historical interests include a secret WWII training camp, story of the shipwrecked Quaker merchant who is the park’s namesake, and Trapper Nelson, the legendary Wild Man of the Loxahatchee.

John D. MacArthur

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach boasts tangles of mangrove swamps, trails that meander through canopies of trees, and a vast walkway that traverses a lagoon – never mind almost two miles of unspoiled beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

Nestled on a barrier island, this is the only Florida state park in Palm Beach County. It also offers swimming, fishing, educational programs, special events, kayak rentals, and exceptional snorkeling, as well as a nature center, gift shop, playground, and picnicking facilities. If you visit during June or July, make sure to go on a guided sea-turtle walk, where you can watch a mother sea turtle lay her eggs under the cover of darkness.

If you live in South Florida, there’s a lot to see. Don’t just settle for the beaches! Go and check out some of our great state parks.