When planning a fun day with the family, it shouldn’t have to be complicated or expensive! Lake Mary, FL offers the perfect location for a stress-free day filled with quality time activities the whole family can enjoy. From picnics, books and bike rides, this Seminole County area offers great fun, free options all within walking distance. Here’s a breakdown of how my husband, 6-year-old son and I spent our most recent family day in Lake Mary.

GREENWOOD LAKES PARK

Located off Greenway Blvd in Lake Mary, Greenwood Lakes Park is where we kicked off our fun. This conveniently located park offers a spacious green landscape with beautiful trees and plenty of shade. The park’s 14-acre area makes it perfect for partaking in outdoor activities or even enjoying a blanketed picnic in nature. Throughout the park you’ll also find several benches for relaxing along with a large pavilion area with picnic tables and an option to BBQ. Public restrooms are also available for bathroom breaks and hand washing.

In addition to the large open space, Greenwood Lakes also houses a newly renovated playground designed for children ages 5-12. The play area is equipped with new swings and an endless jungle gym style design perfect for kids to enjoy! After playing for a while, we worked up an appetite and set up a small picnic in the open grass area.

SEMINOLE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Once our bellies were full, our next stop was a trip to the Seminole County Public Library located right next door! We loved that the building was close enough to visit on foot and that our vehicle could remain safely parked in the park’s parking lot. This second activity was a great way to cool down and digest while checking out a great selection of kid friendly books with our son.

Upon entering the library, we were kindly greeted by a staff member and offered hand sanitizer to maintain a healthy and clean experience while browsing for books. The layout of the library is designed for varying age groups which made it really easy for us to find their kid friendly options. The “Kid Zone” area was warm and inviting with its kid themed rugs and art decorations.

We spent most of our time in this area reading books with our son and playing games on their caterpillar rug. For older children or teens, there is also a large variety of books to choose from as well as a small computer area available for use.

We ended our time here by purchasing a few books from their “Sale” cart and checking out a few of their weekly virtual events calendar.

CROSS SEMINOLE TRAIL

Our last activity for the day was exploring the Cross Seminole Trail (also known as The Florida National Scenic Trail) which runs right through Greenwood Lakes Park. This 23-mile-long trail begins at the intersection of Aloma and Howell Branch and runs through varies Seminole County cities.

The trail is paved and is great for off road biking or moderate hiking. Large beautiful trees frequently cover the trail making it a tranquil and scenic trek. Being that the trail intersects directly into Greenwood Lakes Park, we once again were able to enjoy another activity without needing to hop in our car.

This one-of-a-kind location in Lake Mary makes for the perfect family fun day and we are looking forward to visiting again very soon!


Chantel Rodriguez is a Latina wellness entrepreneur, artist, and creative mind behind Choose Love Blog. Her content focuses on a down to earth approach to mindful living, healthy eating, and natural practices. In addition to her blog, Rodriguez is also the host of the wellness-focused podcast, The Wellness Beast.

Instagram: chooseloveart