15 Best Things To Do In Brooksville, Florida

1. While away the day at Tom Varn Park

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

An expansive park that’s perfect to visit on a sunny afternoon, Tom Varn Park features plenty of open green spaces and splendid woodsy areas. Any child will go crazy over the elaborate playground that offers traditional equipment such as swings and slides along with a huge wood-climbing structure featuring various miniature steeples. If you want to get some exercise, there’s a small network of paved walking trails that snake around a tranquil pond and tall trees. You can also take advantage of a nifty fitness course and a nicely maintained softball field and basketball court. There’s even a snazzy racquetball court.

Tom Varn Park

Address: 301 Darby Ln, Brooksville, FL 34601

Opening hours: 24 hours (daily)

Price: Free

2. Sample tasty vino at Sparacia Witherell Family Winery & Vineyards

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Operated by a gregarious Italian-American clan from New York, Sparacia Witherell Family Winery & Vineyards is a real jewel in Brooksville. The vineyard is gorgeous and produces a variety of yummy local, fruit-enhanced wines. Sparacia Witherell Family Winery & Vineyards is dedicated to sustainable agricultural techniques and believes in minimal intervention when it comes to producing wine. This winery provides fun tastings in an enjoyable scenic setting. In the evening, have some Sicilian Punch and Fratelli while you admire the natural beauty and listen to local live music. You can also indulge in tasty cuisine from food trucks on the premises.

Sparacia Witherell Family Winery & Vineyards

Address: 21509 Snow Hill Rd, Brooksville, FL 34601

Website: Sparacia Witherell Family Winery & Vineyards

Opening hours: Sun: 12pm - 6pm; Wed - Thu: 12pm - 6pm; Fri - Sat: 12pm - 10pm (closed on Mon & Tue)

3. Enjoy simple pleasures at Hernando Park

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Comprised of only 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares), Hernando Park may be small but it affords a nice outdoorsy diversion on a temperate day. Situated in the center of Brooksville, this public park offers an attractive amphitheater where entertaining, community-enhancing programs are held. There are also expert tennis courts if you want to practice your serve and backhand shots, or head over to the shuffleboard space for a change of pace. A nifty playground will wear out any little ones in tow, and if you want to have a cookout, there’s a collection of sturdy picnic tables and sufficient barbecue grills.

Hernando Park

Address: 205 E Fort Dade Ave, Brooksville, FL 34601

Website: Hernando Park

Opening hours: 6am - 11pm (daily)

Price: Free

4. Stroll the splendid McKethan Lake Nature Trail

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

If you want some low-impact exercise in a scenic and serene setting, then McKethan Lake Nature Trail is a great destination. This trail loops around lovely McKethan Lake and is about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in distance. It’s ideal for those who want an easy walk in the middle of nature. The sights of slow-moving alligators, croaking frogs, white-tail deer, delicate cranes, and more offers a nature lover’s paradise. Birdwatchers can expect glimpses of woodpeckers, cardinals, and hawks flying overhead. This trail offers picnic tables and handy restrooms, plus there are swings and a tiny climbing tower for the kids.

McKethan Lake Nature Trail

Address: Brooksville FL

Opening hours: 24 hours (daily)

5. Test your climbing abilities at FLG X Adventure Course - Tampa

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

If you want to swing, soar, and climb through magnificently tall ancient trees, then FLG X Adventure Course - Tampa is the perfect place for a rare outdoor experience. Touted as the most challenging obstacle course in the state of Florida, FLG X Adventure Course - Tampa offers a one-of-a-kind, exhilarating adventure you may never forget. This exciting tourist attraction provides courses equipped with zip lines, towering walls, rope swings, hanging nets, precarious bridges, and more. This diversion is great for families too with junior-sized obstacles and a Little Ninja Course that accommodates children ages five to eight.

FLG X Adventure Course - Tampa

Address: 6440 Cedar Ln, Brooksville, FL 34601

Website: FLG X Adventure Course - Tampa

Opening hours: Mon: 9:30am - 11:30am; Thu - Sun: 9:30am - 11:30am (closed on Tue & Wed)

Price: 53 USD

6. Shop essentials and more at Brooksville Square

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

A convenient outdoor shopping mall with a nice selection of retail shops, Brooksville Square is the go-to destination for everything from everyday necessities like groceries to handy fast-food items for a quick and easy dinner. If you want to enjoy a leisurely meal, you can dine at the tasty Chinese eatery, then work off some calories at the well-appointed fitness facility. While your dirty clothes go through the rinse cycle at the venue’s laundromat, check out Brooksville Square’s bookstore. This mall, residing on 9.4 acres (3.80 hectares) of land, offers convenience for any shopper in Brooksville.

Brooksville Square

Address: 19456 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601

Opening hours: 24 hours (daily)

7. Swing a golf club at Brooksville Country Club

If you desire a rare golfing adventure, then don’t pass up the chance to play at Brooksville Country Club. The course is a premier sports opportunity with the front nine providing a rolling green landscape and lots of eye-catching, tree-lined fairways. However, it is the back nine of the course that really impresses golfers with dramatic fairways that entwine through amazing age-old oak trees. The final nine holes turn around and in between the rock walls of a fascinating abandoned limestone mine. There’s no doubt Brooksville Country Club is as challenging as it is entertaining for golfing fans of every skill level.

Brooksville Country Club

Address: 23446 Links Dr, Brooksville, FL 34601

Website: Brooksville Country Club

Opening hours: 7am - 5pm (daily)

8. Nosh on Southern grub at Florida Cracker Kitchen-Brooksville

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Displaying a rusty, bygone-era pickup truck at the entrance, Florida Cracker Kitchen-Brooksville boasts a laid-back atmosphere that’s irresistible. This popular eatery serves delicious and hearty home-style cuisine, so no guest ever leaves hungry. Top-grade breakfast burritos such as Cowboy Burrito with juicy beef brisket or a large sweet homemade cinnamon roll with a hot cup of coffee are enough to get you going in the morning. At lunch, you must sample Florida Cracker Kitchen-Brooksville’s signature plate: the World Famous Thousand Island Shrimp and Grits dish or the yummy classic chicken and waffles.

Florida Cracker Kitchen-Brooksville

Address: 966 E Jefferson St, Brooksville, FL 34601

Website: Florida Cracker Kitchen-Brooksville

Opening hours: 7am - 2:30pm (daily)

9. Explore all Withlacoochee State Trail has to offer

Withlacoochee State Trail is a 75-kilometer (46-mile) long paved trail along a historic railroad. Along the way are the Withlacoochee State Forest (which is only 10 minutes from Brooksville and has several scenic trails and some campgrounds) and the Withlacoochee River with a canoe trail. The trail is often used for running and walking, biking, and even skating/rollerblading. There’s also a horse trail that runs parallel to the paved trail. Also along the way are some geocaching sites, and plenty of spots to view wildlife.

Withlacoochee State Trail

Address: 3100 S. Old Floral City Road, 34450 Inverness, FL

Website: Withlacoochee State Trail or Withlacoochee State Forest

10. Go berry picking, pumpkin picking, and more at a farm

There are a couple farms in Brooksville that have activities for the public. Sweetfields Farm grows blackberries and other fruits and vegetables like watermelon, green beans, kale, tomatoes, peppers, and more, plus sunflowers! In the spring they have a sunflower maze, and you can pick the blackberries and vegetables; in the fall they have a 2-hectare (5-acre) corn maze, and you can go pumpkin picking in their pumpkin patch. At another farm, JG Ranch, you can pick strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries, depending on the time of year; they also have sweet corn and watermelon.

Sweetfields Farm

Address: 17250 Benes Roush Road, 34604 Masaryktown, FL (15 minutes from Brooskville)

Website: Sweetfields Farm

JG Ranch

Address: 17200 Wiscon Road, 34601 Brooksville, FL

Website: JG Ranch

11. Spend the day at Boyett’s Grove

There’s so much to do at this “citrus attraction.” Yes, there’s citrus - they sell several different kinds of citrus trees, from lemon and orange to kumquat. But that’s not all; there’s a wildlife park where you can feed the animals (they have an interesting variety of animals, like kangaroos and zedonks), an aquarium of Gulf fish, an aviary of tropical birds, mini golf, a dinosaur cave, the DinoMight Gold Mine where you can pan for “gold,” an art gallery, an ice-cream parlor, and a gift shop.

Boyett’s Grove

Address: 4355 Spring Lake Highway, 34601 Brooksville, FL

Website: Boyett’s Grove

12. Check out the Heritage Museums

The Hernando Heritage Museum Association has three museums. The first, the May-Stringer House, is a 4-story 19th century home; the original home was built by the May family where they ran a plantation, and when it was later owned by a Dr. Stringer, he added on to the house and practiced medicine there; there are now 14 rooms, and many have their own theme, including an 1880s-themed doctor’s office.

As a bonus, on Fridays and Saturdays, the May-Stringer house does ghost tours! It’s appointment only, so be sure to make a reservation if you want a ghost tour. The heritage museums also include an original train depot museum, built in 1885, and a one-room school house.

Heritage Museums

May-Stringer House: 601 Museum Court, 34601 Brooksville, FL

1885 Train Depot: 70 Russell Street, 34601 Brooksville, FL

Countryman Family One Room Schoolhouse: 66 Russell Street, 34601 Brooksville, FL

Website: Heritage Museums

13. Visit the Chinsegut Hill Museum

This plantation manor house, with its huge double porches, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1845, was once a corn and sugar plantation, and has a long history. Today you can take a guided tour of the museum in the manor, and you can also spend the night there in one of their cottages! They also host a few events, such as luncheons and dinners with historical presentations. And, if you want to host your own event, they do weddings, and retreats for groups and business.

Chinsegut Hill Museum

Address: 22495 Chinsegut Hill Road, 34601 Brooksville, FL

Website: Chinsegut Hill Museum

Website: Chinsegut Hill Retreat

14. Immerse yourself in nature

There are a number of trails and recreational areas to hike and camp in. The Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area has trails and boardwalks surrounded by wetlands for walking, as well as a conservation center that offers many programs, and even has a butterfly garden. Other popular spots near Brooksville include the Mutual Mine Recreation Area Campground, which is near an old (abandoned) phosphate mine, and the Tucker Hill trailhead, which is one of the Croom Loop loop trails.

Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area

Address: 23212 Lake Lindsey Rd., 34601 Brooksville

Website: Chinsegut Wildlife and Environmental Area

Website: Chinsegut Conservation Center

15. Golf at one of seven golf clubs

The most popular golf courses are the World Woods Golf Club, the Brooksville Country Club, the Hernando Oaks Golf and Country Club, and the Silverthorn Golf and Country Club are the most popular golf courses. World Woods has two different 18-hole golf courses and one 9-hole short course, and it’s ranked as the top golf club in Florida. There’s also a restaurant called the Grill Room that serves a continental breakfast for those staying in the villas, and lunch during the day.

World Woods Golf Club

Address: 17590 Ponce De Leon Boulevard, 34614 Brooksville, FL

Website: World Woods Golf Club

Fun in Florida

Hiking, golfing, berry picking, historical houses and locations, and more, there’s a lot to do in Brooksville. To me, it sounds like a great place to go with friends for the weekend or to take your kids. Or maybe if you’re ever in that part of Florida, it might be a nice place to stop by for the day.