Fort King National Historic Landmark

I’m so glad they’ve reconstructed this incredible national site! It’s one of the most important places in Florida’s history—especially during the Second Seminole War. Walking through it feels like stepping back in time. If you’re visiting Florida and want to truly experience its past, you have to stop here. It’s a fascinating, powerful place that brings history to life!

Fort King is a unique and historically significant archaeological site well worth a visit. I recommend reading about its history and taking a short hike while you are there.

Very hot and no shade but awesome to see a piece of history. The fort offered information about the wars, along with people-accurate displays. There were also trails, though we decided it was too hot so we didn't explore there.

Visited here after spending the most of the day elsewhere on a federal holiday, and found the visitor center closed. The fort itself was open and was a nice and quiet space to walk around and check out. The informational signs were plentiful and in great shape. According to available information, much more is available to participate in at other times during the week or of you have additional time to check out the trail, but not while we were there.

A reconstruction of an old Florida fort. A lot of information given on the Seminole wars. There is a walking trail with a bench or 2 to rest. I loved the garden. Make sure to visit it.

6/14/25 walked at Fort King with Bronco, Fletcher, Ashley, did a little over a mile walk, shaded trail, nice historic site!

Beautifully reconstructed 19th century fort with so much history! As you walk in and around the fort, you can imagine what life must have been like for the soldiers stationed there. This is a great stop for families, and admission is free!

We visited on a weekday in February 2024. Fort King is free to visit, which is nice. Unfortunately, the visitors center is only open on Friday and Saturday. So we missed out on that part. I don't know if other things like the blacksmith shop would be open as well, or not. But it also was locked up for our visit. Other than the fort itself and other outdoor exhibits, nothing was going on during our visit. So if you would prefer to see all that is available, go on Friday or Saturday. There are multiple exhibits that are open and can be experienced on your own. You do have to do a good amount of reading to really get the most out of it. But that's up to you. We didn't walk around the trails as we were tight on time. But they looked nice. There were restrooms behind the welcome center, and a water fountain in the front of the welcome center on the left side. So even though the welcome center is closed mid week. They do have restrooms available. Even though we missed out on some of the experiences that are available on the weekends. We still had an enjoyable visit. Since it's free to visit, we may stop back again to try to visit on a weekend.

I love going to historical spots and learning about the past. Fort King has the fort and it has the inside museum, which is small but has plenty to check out. The fort itself is awesome to explore, but once you walk inside it's bare, would be nice to see a wagon or the setup they might have had back in the days. Overall, a great stop for any history buff.

Wall in Ocala, Florida on business, I came across this very cool park and that commemorates Fort King, named after Colonel William King and first occupied in 1827. On December 28th, 1835 Warriors led by Osceola ambushed and killed General Wiley Thompson in for others at this Fort. We need to remember history. We need to remember the path that lettuce to where we stand today. Whenever I see a spot like this, I try to pull in and learn a little bit about the past. In addition to the forks there's a Pleasant area to walk and enjoy a bit of peaceful Solitude. There is also a visitor center. There is a sign here that designates it as a monarch waystation. It stated that the site provides milkweeds, nectar sources, and shelter needed to stain monarch butterflies as they migrate through North America. There is a hiking trail for you to also walk. Also, according to the map there is a soldier cemetery site located on property. If you find yourself in Ocala, I strongly recommend finding yourself at this park. You can see history, you can see where our path was created and in the process you can learn a little bit more about yourself. Even if you are remotely close to Ocala, I would recommend getting off the highway and checking this place out.

Loved this park! The guides were so wonderful - Sam is lovely. It was a gloomy and rainy day but they were cheerful and it is evident that they love what they do. The fort makes you feel like you're walking through history. Will absolutely come back!

Short nature walk and a look inside a replica historic fort. Easy to access from the road.

Such great history that you can access for free. Letting the kids play around the fort was a fun treat to the day.

While I was on a day-long historical tourism trip around central Florida visiting Dade Battlefield and returning back to Jacksonville, I decided to swing by Fort King park (because that was the original destination of the US Army Troops that were killed at present-day Bushnell in 1835). Expecting to only see a monument I was pleasantly surprised to see a fort, it was massive. The walls and battlements were complete and the interior structures were still under construction. Fortunately, we were the only visitors in the middle of the Friday and got the royal treatment from the volunteer tour guides who were absolutely fantastic. If you like Florida history Ft King is a definite stop and will be even better when the construction is complete.

Very easy to find. Exceptionally neat and clean grounds. Guides were knowledge and friendly. Signage easy to read and explained the Seminal War and the Forts place in history. The full size replica Fort is impressive and authentic(according to the guides who have studied the original plans). The interior is empty, would be nice to have replicas of original accoutermunts. Perhaps, a wagon or two etc. I highly recommend a visit.

Can't wait for the park to be built! Very interesting displays and the rangers are extremely knowledgable. You can even watch and talk to the archaeologists as they search for the original fort!

Went there on a Sunday and the visitor's center was closed. But, there was a bulletin board that showed a map of the trail. Very informative with various stopping points with placards displaying information. Nice 1 mile stroll with the doggy.