Little Manatee River State Park is a 2433 acres (984.6 ha) Florida State Park

Florida State Parks

The Florida State Parks encompass the majority of the lands that fall under the authority of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. There are 160 such entities, including nature reserves, recreation areas, and historic sites, which can be found in every corner of the state...

 located 5 miles (8 km) south of Sun City

Greater Sun Center, Florida

Greater Sun Center, known more commonly as Sun City Center, is an unincorporated census-designated place located in southern Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. It is located south of Tampa and north of Sarasota on I-75. As of the 2000 census, the population was 16,321...

, off U.S. Route 301

U.S. Route 301 in Florida

U.S. Route 301 in Florida runs from the Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The road is a spur of U.S...

 on Lightfoot Road and along the Little Manatee River

Little Manatee River

The Little Manatee River flows almost , from east of Fort Lonesome, Florida through southern Hillsborough County, Florida and northern Manatee County, Florida into Tampa Bay. It has a drainage basin of . It flows along the Little Manatee River State Park for part of its route...

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Activities include kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and horseback riding, as well as camping, walking, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Among the wildlife of the park are Florida Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

The Florida Scrub-Jay is one of the species of scrub-jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird endemic to the U.S. state of Florida. Because of this, it is heavily sought by birders who travel from across the country to observe this unique species...

s, warblers

New World warbler

The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....

, Raccoon

Raccoon

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...

s, Nine-banded Armadillo

Nine-banded Armadillo

The nine-banded armadillo , or the nine-banded, long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos...

s, Bobcat

Bobcat

The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...

s, American Alligator

American Alligator

The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...

s and North American River Otters.

Amenities include a 6.5 miles (10.5 km) hiking trail, 12 miles (19.3 km) of hiking and equestrian trails and four equestrian campsites, a full-facility campground, a primitive campsite along the trail and a youth/group campground. There is a picnic area along the river with tables, grills, and pavilions. The park is open from 8:00 am till sundown year round.