Amenities

Nature trails, bicycle trails, fishing pier, swimming, boat ramp, canoe/kayak launch, canoe and kayak rentals, guided canoe tours, camping, youth and adult group camping, RV camping, ADA compliant camping sites, picnic areas, grills, nature center, pavilion rentals, play equipment, rental space, self-guide pamphlets, audio stations, seasonal programs, pet-friendly, showers, restrooms, parking

Admission Fee:
2-8 people per vehicle
$5 Single occupant vehicle $4
Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass: $2
Sunset entrance: $4

Experiences

Oscar Scherer State Park is the Crown Jewel of Sarasota County’s Habitat Conservation Plan. A large acreage of scrubby flatwoods makes the park one of the best places to see Florida scrub jays, a threatened bird species found only in Florida. These highly intelligent birds often show off for hikers along the trails. The park protects scrubby and pine flatwoods that were once widespread throughout Sarasota County, but now are almost entirely consumed by development. The 15 miles of trails through these beautiful natural areas are ideal for hiking, bicycling and wildlife viewing. Trails range from a half mile ADA compliant trail to a five mile trail.

Canoeists and kayakers can paddle along South Creek, a blackwater stream that flows to Blackburn Bay. Canoe and kayak rentals are available, but motorized boats are not permitted in the park boundaries. South Creek leads upstream into the park habitats and downstream to Blackburn Bay and spoil islands along the Intracoastal Waterway. The creek provides freshwater and saltwater fishing. Anglers will enjoy fishing along the shores of Lake Osprey, which is also the park’s swimming destination. The nature center has exhibits and videos about the park’s natural communities.

History

During resource management work done in 1986, shell scatter sites were discovered in the southern portions of the park. Shell scatters are the remains of campsites used by Native Americans who paddled up South Creek to hunt in the woods. They brought baskets of shellfish to eat and left the shells “scattered” instead of in mounds. In the early twentieth century, turpentine processing was an important economic activity in the area. To extract resin from the longleaf pine to make turpentine, a “chipper” cut a pattern in the tree to extract the resin; this left a “catface” mark on the tree – some of which are still visible. When turpentining ceased around 1925, the Burrows family utilized the land for ranching and farming.

In her will, Elsa Scherer Burrows (1884-1955) left the family’s 460 acre South Creek Ranch to the state in memory of her father, Oscar Scherer (1856-1923), inventor of a process for dyeing shoe leather. After a year of preparation, Oscar Scherer State Park was opened to the public in 1956.

Habitats

Scrubby flatwoods, pine flatwoods, mangrove forests, blackwater streams, fresh and saltwater creeks

Acreage

1,400 acres

Watershed

Little Sarasota Bay

Who Owns and Maintains

Owned by the Trustees for the State; leased to and maintained by the Florida Park Service

Website

www.floridastateparks.org/OscarScherer

SCAT Bus stop and route

Route 17; U.S. 41 and Sorrento