Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake: 183 Acres of Outdoor Fun in MetroWest
Disc golf, camping, fishing, and a pool — Orlando's biggest community park hides in plain sight off Hiawassee Road
Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake is a 183-acre City of Orlando community park located at 3401 South Hiawassee Road in MetroWest, Orlando, FL 32835. Originally opened in 1978 as Turkey Lake Park, it was renamed in 2004 to honor former Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick. The park features two 18-hole disc golf courses, a swimming pool, a 36-site RV campground with five cabin rentals, tent camping, a children's farm with barnyard animals, fishing piers on Turkey Lake, and roughly 2.4 miles of combined paved and natural-surface trails. Entry fees are $2 per person on foot or bike and $5 per vehicle, with park hours of 8 AM to 5 PM November through March and 8 AM to 7 PM April through October.
Most people moving to MetroWest spot the golf club and Valencia College in their first week. The 183-acre city park tucked behind Hiawassee Road takes longer to find — and that's what makes Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake one of the better-kept secrets in southwest Orlando.
Here's the thing — it's the City of Orlando's largest community park. Bigger than Lake Eola, bigger than anything else in the city's directory, sitting between MetroWest and the Turnpike while everyone else queues at the theme parks down the road.
From Turkey Lake Park to Bill Frederick Park
The park opened to the public in 1978 as Turkey Lake Park — with a working orange grove on it. Over 2,000 producing trees, in fact. When the city added a campground in 1980, the trees were relocated rather than bulldozed, and the campground opened in 1981.
In 2004, the City of Orlando renamed the park for Bill Frederick, the mayor who served Orlando from 1980 through 1992. Frederick is the guy responsible for the original Orlando Arena, the billion-dollar expansion that turned MCO into a real international airport, and the Lake Eola renovation. If you've used any of those, you've benefited from his fingerprints.
What's Actually Inside 183 Acres?
Disc Golf (Two Full 18-Hole Courses)
Ask anyone in Orlando's disc golf community where to play and Bill Frederick comes up immediately. The park hosts two full 18-hole courses (T-1 and the newer T-2), and depending on who you ask, a partial third layout. T-2 is widely considered the better designed of the two, with an over-water hazard that has eaten more than its share of plastic. It's free with park admission — one of the best disc golf values in Central Florida.
Camping: Cabins, Tents, and 36 RV Sites
The campground sits at the back of the park along the lakeshore — surprisingly quiet considering you can hear the Turnpike when the wind shifts. There are 36 RV sites with paved pads (full hookups around $25/night, partial around $20), plus tent camping and five rustic cabins. The cabins are exactly what "rustic" implies: mattresses, bare floors, one outlet, and a walk to the bathhouse. Bring your own bedding. At those prices, 15 miles from Disney, it's a strong play for visiting family who don't want a hotel.
The Pool, the Farm, and the Drone Zone
The community pool charges a separate daily fee on top of admission. Honest note: pool hours are lifeguard-dependent, and reviews consistently mention showing up to find it closed. Call the gate house at 407-246-4486 the morning of your visit before loading the kids in the car.
The children's farm has horses, turkeys, goats, and other barnyard residents. The city is careful to call it a "farm," not a petting farm — animals are there to look at, not handle. There's also a designated Drone Zone with outlets at the pavilion for charging battery packs on site, which has built the park a quiet following with Orlando's drone hobbyists.
Trails and Turkey Lake
A 2.4-mile loop combines the paved bike path with a natural-surface nature trail along the park's western edge through sand pine scrub. It's not wilderness — you can hear the Turnpike most of the way — but for an in-town park, it's a legitimate stretch of legs. Turkey Lake has fishing piers, four jon boats for rent (Thursday through Sunday mornings only), and the City of Orlando bills it as one of the top-five rated fishing lakes in Florida. That ranking is city marketing copy, so take "top-five" with a grain of salt — but bass and panfish action is real and locals do bring kayaks.
Why MetroWest Residents Care
If you live in MetroWest, this park is your backyard. Most of the residential clusters — Stonebridge, The Hamptons, Veranda Park, Madison at MetroWest — are within a 5-minute drive of the Hiawassee entrance. For a community built largely between 1995 and 2002 with a high condo and townhome share, having 183 acres of city park across the street is a significant amenity that doesn't show up in MLS photos.
The park also pulls heavily from Dr. Phillips to the south, especially Turkey Lake Road corridor neighborhoods where Tibet-Butler Preserve is a longer drive. Windermere and Gotha residents use it too. All four communities lean on Bill Frederick when they want a real outdoor day without driving to Wekiwa Springs State Park or Kelly Park at Rock Springs.
Getting There and What It Costs
The address is 3401 S Hiawassee Road, Orlando, FL 32835. From I-4 take Exit 75B onto Kirkman Road north, then west on Conroy Road, then north on Hiawassee. From Florida's Turnpike, you're essentially right next door.
- Hours: 8 AM–5 PM Nov–March; 8 AM–7 PM April–October
- Day-use fee: $2 per person on foot/bike; $5 per vehicle
- RV camping: $20–$25/night depending on hookups
- Phone: 407-246-4486 (gate house — call ahead for pool status)
- Pets: leashed and registered at the gate; not allowed at the pool or farm
The Real Deal: Honest Pros and Cons
Real estate is our job — so here's what actually matters for where you live.
The Pros
- Genuinely large green space (183 acres) inside city limits — there's nothing else comparable in southwest Orlando
- Two strong disc golf courses with national-tournament-level design
- Camping options 15 miles from Disney for a fraction of theme-park-hotel pricing
- Day-use fees are absurdly low ($5/carload)
- Real wildlife — gators, herons, ospreys, the occasional eagle
The Cons
- Turnpike noise is real and constant, especially along the western trail
- Pool hours are unreliable — staffing-dependent, and the pool is sometimes closed for weeks
- Some campground restrooms are showing their age; bring shower shoes
- The "children's farm" is look-only — if your kids expect to pet animals, manage expectations
What the Locals Know
The locals' move is the early-morning walk. Get in when the gates open at 8 AM, do the 2.4-mile loop, and you're back home before the Turnpike noise really builds. The disc golf crowd starts arriving by 9, campground families by 10, and weekend pavilion reservations push attendance higher by midday. Off-peak is the only way this park feels secluded.
Second tip: pavilions are bookable for birthdays and gatherings, and they fill fast for spring and fall weekends. Reserve at least a month out through the City of Orlando's parks portal — the covered pavilions near the playground are the most requested.
Third: if you're an aspiring camper but not ready to buy gear, the cabins are about as low-commitment as it gets. Not pretty, but at $30-ish a night with the kids 15 minutes from Universal, it's a reasonable test run.
For current hours, pavilion reservations, fees, and event schedules, visit the official Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake page on the City of Orlando website. ✈️
Thinking about a home in MetroWest, Dr. Phillips, or anywhere on Orlando's southwest side? Browse MetroWest homes for sale, check our Lake Eola Park guide for another iconic Orlando green space, or reach out to David Myers for relocation advice that goes beyond the listing photos.
