Highlands Hammock State Park, State park and National Historic Place in Sebring, Florida

Highlands Hammock State Park is a protected nature area in Sebring spanning about 9,000 acres, home to ancient cypress groves, saw palmettos, and a wide range of native plants. Elevated boardwalks guide people through these natural communities, making it easier to explore the wetlands and hammock forests.

In 1931 local citizens, alarmed by plans to turn the hammock into farmland, acquired the land and pushed for national park status, with Margaret Roebling, daughter-in-law of Washington Roebling, among the driving forces. It never became a national park, but in 1935 it was one of the four original Florida state parks. The Civilian Conservation Corps then built a camp and headquarters there and added park facilities and the start of a botanical garden.

The on-site museum tells the story of the Civilian Conservation Corps workers who built the park during the Great Depression, showing how this federal program provided jobs across the nation. Visitors can learn how these workers shaped the landscape that exists today.

The park is open daily from 8 a.m. until sundown, including holidays. A three-mile loop drive links the nine trails and can be used for inline skating; an eleven-mile trail serves cyclists, horseback riders and wildlife viewers. The campground offers water and electricity, plus full, primitive and youth camping areas.

The park's old-growth bald cypress swamp is recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network, and elevated boardwalks pass cabbage palmettos, ferns, bromeliads and orchids growing as epiphytes. Some cypress trees are believed to be over a thousand years old.