North Port has a unique park that you should explore, The Garden of Five Senses. The park was the vision of late Jean Bruhn, former Parks & Recreation Advisory Board member, who sought to develop and maintain a sensory garden that fosters an appreciation of nature, landscaping, preserving our natural resources and promoting environmental education through a natural interpretation and use of all our senses. It was also Jean’s dream to facilitate and support special programming that will broaden public participation in outdoor recreation and improve recreational access for those with physical or mental disabilities. The conceptual master plan for the Garden of the Five Senses was completed in 2003 and the park opened in October of 2007.

The park is also home to the Boundless Adventures Playground, which opened in December of 2018. This playground is the City of North Port’s first designed for all children, including those with physical, developmental, cognitive and sensory disabilities.

Next to the playground is a paved walking trail, constructed from flexi-pave (environmentally friendly product composed in part from recycled waste tires). The trail opened in the summer of 2020. In September 2020, the Parks & Recreation Department, in partnership with the Sarasota County Libraries, started offering visitors a chance to enjoy a Story Stroll, so they could enjoy a book with family or friends as they explored the trail. Every 4-6 weeks a new story is featured. Courtesy of City of North Port Park & Recreation.