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Apollo Beach Nature Preserve

Apollo Beach Nature Preserve is a dog-friendly destination in Apollo Beach, FL. This 63-acre nature preserve is home to a variety of aquatic species and seven acres are dedicated to outdoor recreation, including a 2-acre sandy beach for picnicking. Please note that swimming is not allowed. Leashed dogs are welcome but are not permitted on the observation tower. Visit Website

Or call (813) 672-7876 for more information.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating

Apollo Beach Nature Preserve has received a rating of 3.4 out of 5 bones by 8 canine critics on BringFido.


Visitors generally found the Apollo Beach Nature Preserve to be a pleasant and scenic location, though some noted concerns about the beach's cleanliness and restrictions on dogs entering the water. Some travelers enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere and their dogs' ability to play in the sand, while others were disappointed by the limited water access.

AI-generated from the text of reviews

  • Daphne
    Aug 23, 2023
    learn to read

    people skip the part of the name "nature preserve" and then get mad and wonder why they wont let you or your dog swim. Its a Nature Preserve not a regular beach or even a dog beach. It's pretty clear on their website as well as this one.

    Our dogs are welcome on leash, not in the water, and not on the observation tower. That said, its gorgeous and a great place to relax!

  • Ann
    Feb 22, 2023
    Dont waste your time

    We took our 2 dogs there this morning 2/22/2023 Its local for us but have not been for a while. A Hillsborough county employee that was manning the beach told us no paddling there Dogs not allowed to get wet. In fact dont put your feet in the water. what a disappointment. My dogs love to run into the water. There was no explanation other than Hillsborough county will not let you.

  • Cindy
    Feb 5, 2022
    Cooper loved it!

    Easy parking and access to beach. The beach was not crowded. We enjoyed our time here.

  • Dennis
    Oct 27, 2019
    Loved it

    Go early its usually not crowded..found a secluded spot and my pitty was able to play..he loved it...im going back today😎 4bones

  • Nichole
    Jul 13, 2019
    Not The Cleanest Beach

    We stopped at this beach because it was dog-friendly, but it was a bit of a disappointment. It just didn’t seem very clean at all.

  • Francesca
    Feb 16, 2018
    No poop bags

    Took my dogs here on the last day of our Florida road trip thinking we saved the best beach for last... Sad to say we were a bit disappointed. I honestly don’t know how this beach got 5 bones, I wouldn’t give it more than 3! There was no shower to rinse off before a four hour car ride back to Miami, and the dispensers for bags were all completely empty- no way to pick up their poop! The beach itself is pretty out of the way and is fairly small though at least cute and we had a pleasant enough experience, but there were nearly a dozen people fishing right where people were swimming, so we couldn’t really go in the water (Rule No. 1 of fishing etiquette: Never where people swim!) What’s the point of taking your dog to beach if you can’t go in the water? On top of that, there’s a ton of speed boats coming through (the beach smelled strongly of gasoline) and a huge factory right across the water spewing dirty smoke and exhaust into the air... We definitely won’t be going back!

  • Ashley
    More than a year ago
    Apollo Beach

    LOVED IT! We found a secluded area where our 3 large breed dogs could run and play without causing a disturbance. The water was calm and the beach was very nice. Will be back!

  • Matthew
    More than a year ago
    Beautiful beach restoration

    This was the first beach we took our new rescue dog, unfortunately we found out she is terrified of water. She did really well walking along the paved trails, though. She even enjoyed playing in the sand, just won't get too close to the water. Excellent park.

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Area Info

Apollo Beach Nature Preserve