The Celery Fields and Sarasota's Hiking "Mountain"

Located east of I-75 along Palmer Boulevard in Sarasota, the Celery Fields is a 360+ acre site owned by Sarasota County. It serves as the County's primary flood mitigation zone. 

While most of the acreage is relatively flat, it also features Sarasota's only "hiking mountain", a 75-foot-high hill with trails and palm trees. It will give you a good workout and a panoramic view of Sarasota in all directions. 

In the background, you might also hear the distant roars of lions and tigers residing at the nearby Big Cat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary next door.

The Celery Fields were originally wetlands that were drained for agriculture, specifically celery. In the 1990s, after record-setting rains, Sarasota County purchased the land to avoid future flooding of Phillippi Creek downstream. Since then it's developed bike trails, the hiking and observation hill, and provided habitat for many bird species. 

After a vigorous hike or bike ride at the Celery Fields, you can get a good meal and enjoy live music at J.R.'s Old Packinghouse Cafe, on Old Packinghouse Road, just south of Palmer Boulevard, a couple of miles west of the Celery Fields. The cafe's building was originally a celery-packing warehouse for the celery fields nearby.