W.p. Franklin South Recreation Area

WP Franklin South Recreation Area is a day use area on the Caloosahatchee River adjacent to the WP Franklin Lock and Dam. Visitors can watch boats traversing the 152 mile Okeechobee Waterway that spans South Florida from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, enjoy the exhibits at the visitor center, or just relax with a picnic lunch. The area has a visitor center, boat ramp, volleyball and horseshoe courts, a playground and several covered picnic sites, with flush toilets and drinking water available. Two group picnic shelters each have water and electricity, six picnic tables, a large charcoal BBQ grill, and room for up to 50 people. Boating, canoeing and kayaking on the Caloosahatchee River are popular activities, and anglers can try their luck at catching both freshwater and saltwater fish. Lee County Manatee Park is six miles west on Palm Beach Blvd and Hickeys Creek Mitigation Park two miles east; Gulf of Mexico beaches and the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge are 30 miles to the west.