Emerson Point Preserve, Nature reserve on Snead Island in Manatee County, Florida.

Emerson Point Preserve is a nature reserve on a peninsula between the Manatee River and Tampa Bay, featuring coastal habitats, mangrove forests, and tidal wetlands. The property includes several hiking trails, kayak launch points, and picnic pavilions for visitors to use.

The preserve contains the Portavant Mound Complex, a group of shell mounds built thousands of years ago by indigenous peoples. These structures reveal that the area was a significant settlement site for early communities over a long period.

The Portavant Mound Site holds shell mounds built by Native Americans, and the preserve takes its name from the Emerson family who once owned this land at the tip of Snead Island. Visitors today walk among the mounds and fish and paddle the waters off the point, continuing uses of the shoreline that long predate the park.

The preserve is open from sunrise to sunset and offers easy access via several marked pathways. Visitors should wear proper footwear and be prepared for uneven terrain and damp conditions.

The observation tower stands within a 365-acre preserve at the western tip of Snead Island, west of Palmetto. From it you can see Terra Ceia Bay, Tampa Bay and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The land around it holds Native American mounds of the Portavant Mound Site.