By Ella Martin
Have you ever been stuck at home and wanted to find something to do with your family or friends? Or have you ever wanted to go outside and get exercise, but didn’t know where to go? If so, you should turn to ‘FishHawk Family Fun!’, a Facebook page created by local active-duty military and dad of four Colonel Jeremy Hall that highlights different activities and unique hidden attractions that are within an hour or so of FishHawk.
The page came to life about five years ago and was originally called ‘A New Playground for FishHawk.’ Hall explained that the original purpose was to try to persuade the community into changing the broken fountains at Park Square into a playground similar to the structures at the Common Ground Playground in Lakeland.
However, two years ago, Hall decided to change his focus and renamed the page FishHawk Family Fun!, and Hall stated that now the main purpose of the page is to encourage families to live an active, fun and healthy lifestyle. Through lots of research and his own personal time, Hall finds different local attractions, visits them and then makes a post on Facebook sharing his experiences. He also posts friendly reminders to get outside, stay active and eat healthy.
“FishHawk Family Fun allows me to express my creativity while helping people with the information I provide,” said Hall.
Other members of the group are also able to share about attractions they have visited and post upcoming local events. The highlighted attractions range from flower picking, mountain biking, glamping, elephant interactions, dining spots and so much more. One attraction mentioned on the page is the Myakka Elephant Ranch, which is located in Myakka City a little less than an hour from FishHawk. At the elephant ranch, you can interact with elephants by washing, feeding and petting them.
Some of Hall’s favorite attractions include Balm Boyette (mountain biking), Alderman’s Ford Park (hiking) and Heroes Paradise (laser tag).
This page is great for kids, families and singles. It currently has over 2,800 members and is still growing. FishHawk Family Fun! is free and anyone can join. To find it, visit www.facebook.com/groups/Parks.and.Playgrounds.of.FishHawk/.
