Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Exploring Okeechobee
A compact small city, Okeechobee retains a historic downtown with a nice plaza of parks lining the old shopping district.
At the Okeechobee Livestock Market, local ranchers host a weekly cattle auction where calves from surrounding ranches are sold.
Visitors come to enjoy the outdoors while fishing on Lake Okeechobee or exploring the surrounding natural areas on foot and by horseback and boating. Boat ramps are found at all of the county parks in the area.
Along the lake, the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail – which the Florida Trail follows – provides excellent access for cyclists and walkers on a paved segment that stretches southeast.
Parks in Okeechobee
Okeechobee has two state parks nearby. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is notable as one of Florida’s largest preserves.
It is also the state’s only International Dark Sky Park, drawing stargazers from around the world.
While Okeechobee has many small city parks, some of the larger county parks provide access to Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. All of them are great sites for birding.
Hiking Okeechobee
Hikes around Okeechobee treat you to the “Big Sky” that only this region of South Central Florida can offer, as well as some of the state’s best birding.
Hikes are in state parks and on water management lands.
The Florida Trail follows the curve of Lake Okeechobee to the east and west, and heads north along the Kissimmee River.
It affords more than 100 miles of backpacking easily accessed from this community in Florida’s heartland.
Okeechobee is home to the northern junction of the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee.
It is a short drive away from one of the state’s more popular backpacking routes, the 61-mile Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail.
Okeechobee is an excellent central location for day hiking nearby segments of the Florida Trail as well.
Since 1992, the Big O Hike (presently on hiatus) has brought hikers from around the state to do just that.
Kissimmee River segments
Lake Okeechobee segments WESTBOUND
Lake Okeechobee segments EASTBOUND
Biking Okeechobee
Cyclists have easy access to the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a 112-mile route around the lake, and are permitted to ride the unpaved trails of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park and Taylor Creek STA.
On the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, the route is discontinuous due to reconstruction of the Herbert Hoover Dike in multiple places. Road detours are necessary to complete a century.
Camping in Okeechobee
Our favorite place to camp near Lake Okeechobee is the Okeechobee KOA.
It is the largest KOA in Florida, with a nice mix of shaded and sunny RV sites as well as camping cabins, cottages, and tent sites.
For more than 20 years, the Big O Hike has used the Okeechobee KOA as a home base, which is how and where we met!
Much farther away from the amenities of town, camping is delightful at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park because of its remote setting and its dark skies. The sunsets and sunrises go on forever.
Other Outdoor Activities
Bass fishing is a huge draw for winter visitors, with many top notch fishing guides running fishing charters out of local marinas.
Along SR 78, Eagle Bay Airboat Rides offers an exciting way to see the marshes that once lined the lakeshore in this region.
Cut off from the lake shallows by the Herbert Hoover Dike, Eagle Bay combines open water and lush grasslands teeming with birds.
West of Okeechobee, the Brighton Seminole Reservation is home to one of the oldest and most celebrated Native American rodeos in the United States.
For more than 80 years, local cowboys have been showing off their skills at the annual Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo.
Lodgings in Okeechobee
You’ll find long-term rentals and RV parks along the lakeshore itself, a popular destination for snowbirds from Canada.
Several major chain hotels line US 441 not far from the lake.
Dining in Okeechobee
Okeechobee is home to a delightful diversity of homegrown restaurants focused on the bounty of Florida.
Mel Tillis got his start singing at the Speckled Perch, a small steakhouse.
Along Taylor Creek, Cowboys delights with their steaks and barbecue.
Seafood lovers shouldn’t miss Lightsey’s, which started as a small shack along the lakeshore and now occupies a much larger space along Parrott Avenue.
We love the diners, too. Breakfast is always fun at Pogey’s, named for a former sheriff, and Mom’s Place, a bustling speck of a storefront stuffed in a strip mall.
Downtown, Gladys’ Restaurant is the place to savor a cup of coffee.