E.G. Simmons Regional Park

Located three miles north of the community of Ruskin, E.G. Simmons Regional Park - also known as E.G. Simmons Park and E.G. Simmons Conservation Park - is a 469-acre conservation park which has an unnamed white-sand beach. This beach is also known as E.G. Simmons Regional Park Beach and Simmons Park Beach. This beach is situated along the shores of Tampa Bay. Coastal vegetation is also present near this beach. 

The beach in E.G. Simmons Regional Park has lifeguards on a seasonal basis. E.G. Simmons Regional Park also has many other amenities including barbecue areas, showers, restrooms, picnic areas, a pier, kayak and canoe launching areas, playground, and a boat ramp. 

The beach in E.G. Simmons Regional Park offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, wildlife watching, fishing, hiking, swimming, kitesurfing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, boating, jet-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, and surf-skiing. If you are planning to enter the water near E.G. Simmons Regional Park, we recommend being careful as it is known to have unpredictable rip currents. The water near E.G. Simmons Regional Park is also occasionally known to have high levels of microbial contamination. Depending on the time of the year, you can view many kinds of animals in the water near E.G. Simmons Regional Park includes manatees, dolphins, and sea turtles. If you like birdwatching, you can view many kinds of migratory and resident birds around the beach in E.G. Simmons Regional Park including American avocets ad western sandpipers. If you are planning to fish in the water near E.G. Simmons Regional Park, please make sure that you follow the local fishing regulations.

E.G. Simmons Regional Park has a scenic landscape primarily consisting of mangrove swamps - you can explore the park’s amazing biodiversity via hiking trails. In addition, the park also has inland canals, which offer a fantastic canoeing and kayaking experience. The park also has a campground which accommodates both tents and RVs. If you are planning to camp in E.G. Simmons Regional Park, you can visit the park’s webpage at Hillsborough County’s website for more information regarding the camping amenities and charges. 

Getting to E.G. Simmons Regional Park is easy - the park is present near 2401 19th Avenue North West. A parking lot is also present in this preserve. However, it is important to note that you need to pay a fee for entering E.G. Simmons Regional Park. E.G. Simmons Regional Park is open between 7 am and 7 pm during summer and spring. The park is open between 7 am and 6 pm during autumn and winter. 

There are many attractions near E.G. Simmons Regional Park. Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center is a wildlife center that is open between November 1 and April 15. This waterfront center is primarily known to be a great spot for watching manatees. This center also has informative exhibits that offer unique insight into the lives of these marvelous creatures. The center also has a touch tank where you can touch ray fish. In addition, the center also has a boardwalk and nature trails via which you can explore the vivid Floridian Gulf Coast landscape present around this center. The center also has a 50 feet high observation area. The International Independent Showmen’s Museum is a 20-minute drive away and has interesting historical exhibits about traveling circuses, shows, and theatre carnivals. These exhibits include one of the first Ferris Wheels in the United States, the outfit worn by the 9 feet tall circus artist Johann K. Petursson (also known as the "Viking Giant"), photos of early traveling carnivals and circuses, and antique wagons and trailers. If you are looking for another attraction near E.G. Simmons Regional Park, The Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center is a nature preserve that is spread over 160 acres. This preserve offers many amenities including canoe/kayak launching areas, hiking trails, picnic areas, and restrooms. The preserve is set along the banks of the Little Manatee River. The preserve also has a fossil museum (named Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum), a butterfly garden, a visitor center, and a fossil excavation site. The preserve also has fishing cabins built in the 1930s and an encampment belonging to the Native American Uzita people.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near E.G. Simmons Regional Park. Sunset Grill & Beach Bar offers an amazing waterfront dining experience. In addition, this restaurant also serves amazing dishes for dinner and lunch including seafood, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, and surf-and-turf. This restaurant also offers live music performances. Latitudes Apollo Restaurant & Lounge offers a variety of outstanding dishes for lunch and dinner including sandwiches, burgers, poultry dishes, salads, meatballs, and soups. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near E.G. Simmons Regional Park, Los Amigos Restaurant serves amazing Mexican dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near E.G. Simmons Regional Park, there are many great nearby options. If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star The Westin Tampa Waterside is 35 minutes away by car. This hotel offers many amenities including a pool, an exercise room, a restaurant, a cafe, and a bar. A more affordable hotel is the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ruskin - Sun City, an IHG Hotel that offers many amenities including a fitness center, a pool, a hot tub, and a lobby lounge. As another moderately priced option, the 3-Star Pirates Pointe Resort offers many amenities including a terrace, a dock, a pool (available for a surcharge), barbecue equipment loaner facilities, and rental facilities for kayak, canoe, and fishing gear. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near E.G. Simmons Regional Park, the 2-Star Comfort Inn Sun City Center-Tampa South offers many amenities including a hot tub, a seasonal pool, guest laundry facilities, and complimentary breakfast.