Wellen Park's Outdoor Life Now Has a Second Address on Manasota Beach Road

For most of Wellen Park's short history, getting outdoors meant Downtown Wellen. You parked near the restaurants, walked the 2.8-mile Grand Lake Trail on its paved and shell paths, and maybe stopped for lunch afterward. This year the outdoor map gained a second center, farther south along Manasota Beach Road and Preto Boulevard. Three nature trails, a fire-station-themed playground and a working firehouse now share that part of the community, and they all opened within a few months of each other.

Nearly all of it was promised in one announcement. On March 31, 2025, Wellen Park put out a release describing three new parks and about 10 miles of nature trails, each with a target date. By this winter those projects are open. A few came in later than planned, and two have different names now, which makes them harder to find than they should be.

What the 2025 plan promised, and what it's called now

Here's how that 2025 announcement lines up with Wellen Park's current parks and trails page.

The trails opened together at Wellen Park's National Trails Day celebration on June 6, 2026. That day included guided walks, a bike ride on the new Oakheart Trail and a raffle for a beach cruiser. A third trail, The Greenway, opened alongside the two that had been announced. Together the three add more than six miles of new paths.

Oakheart is the anchor of the south side

Oakheart is the largest of the three trails and the reason the south side is worth a drive. Town Chronicle describes it as a 3-mile trail linking the Brightmore, EVERLY and Lakespur neighborhoods, with direct access to Wellen Park High School. Wellen Park's own page says "more than three miles" of natural-surface trail, with shell paths and boardwalks.

Oakheart is built around water. When the trail was announced, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune placed it along a 50-acre lake, wetlands and preserves bordering the EVERLY and Lakespur neighborhoods. Now that it's open, the West Villages Sun describes a dedicated fishing pier and a scenic dock overlooking a mature lake, and Town Chronicle notes that the route passes through wooded areas. No other walk in Wellen Park has a fishing pier on the route, which sets Oakheart apart from the Grand Lake loop downtown.

The trailhead is the reason Oakheart works as a destination. It sits off Playmore Road and has restrooms, water fountains, bike racks, shaded table seating and vehicle parking. The West Villages Sun calls the vehicle parking limited, so on a cool weekend morning this season, a bike may be the easier way to arrive.

Buttonwood is the sunset walk

Buttonwood runs about 2.5 miles along Manasota Beach Road East. It winds through wetlands and has elevated boardwalk sections under mature tree canopy. The 2025 plan described it as a shell path and boardwalk trail. The West Villages Sun notes that it faces west, so late-day walkers get sunset views.

Buttonwood also has the most direct neighborhood tie-in of the three. It connects directly to Palmera, and the 2025 plan called for a gated entry into that community, so for Palmera residents it's effectively a trail that starts at home. Between the two trails, Oakheart is the morning walk with the lake and the pier, and Buttonwood is the evening walk under the canopy.

The Greenway is short and points toward downtown

The Greenway is the smallest addition at roughly 0.75 miles. It's a neighborhood path that connects nearby neighborhoods to Downtown Wellen and has a pollinator garden along the way. Oakheart and Buttonwood give the south side places to go. The Greenway makes it easier to reach downtown on foot. All three appear on Wellen Park's trail and pathway map alongside existing loops like the West Villages Loop and the Grand Lake Loop, though the map notes that it's illustrative and not to scale.

Wellen Park president Rick Severance described the purpose of the new trails when they opened. In comments reported by Town Chronicle, he said:

"They create new ways for residents to move throughout the community, spend time outdoors and experience Florida's natural beauty as part of everyday life."

A playground and a firehouse share the south side

The south side also has a new playground. The 2025 plan called it Park 87 and described custom fire-station-themed play equipment, a multipurpose lawn, shaded areas, a covered pavilion with restrooms, dedicated toddler areas, a rope obstacle course, spinners, a Universal Carousel and a swing set with ADA-accessible seating. Wellen Park now lists it as Station Park, a community playground near Manasota Beach Road.

The theme comes from the building next door. The plan placed the playground beside Wellen Park's future Firehouse No. 87, and that station is now open. According to the City of North Port, Fire Station 87 at 17890 Preto Blvd. went into service in June 2026. In August the city marked its official opening with a traditional hose uncoupling ceremony in place of a ribbon cutting.

The way the station was paid for helps explain why this part of Wellen Park filled in so quickly. The city says the $10.2 million project covered the station, apparatus and equipment, and the developer provided all of the funding under its agreement with North Port. Wellen Park will be reimbursed through impact fees as they're collected in the community. Station 87 brings North Port Fire Rescue to seven stations. Fire Chief Scott Titus called it "a direct response to the growth we're seeing in Wellen Park."

Wellen Park's parks page also lists Fetch Paw Park, a 2-acre fenced dog park with agility equipment, shade, seating and room for dogs to run. That matches the size and description of the Grand Lake Dog Park in the 2025 plan. The Blue Heron Bark Park, with its drinking fountains, agility stations and walking trails, is still on the list as well.

Before your first south side morning

The rules Wellen Park posted for the trails' opening cover most of what you need:

• Leashed dogs are welcome, and owners clean up after them.
• Trails are open dawn to dusk.
• Motorized and electrically powered vehicles are prohibited, and bicycle etiquette applies.

If you want to string the new pieces together, here's one sequence that works:

1. Park at the Oakheart trailhead off Playmore Road early, before the limited lot fills, and walk out to the fishing pier and observation dock on the 50-acre lake.
2. Head over to Station Park near Manasota Beach Road if you have kids or grandkids along, and pass Fire Station 87 on Preto Boulevard.
3. Come back in the late afternoon for Buttonwood, where the west-facing stretch along Manasota Beach Road East gets the sunset.

Wellen Park's winter calendar also has a reason to be out on two wheels after dark. A Glow Bike Ride is listed for Saturday, December 5, the same day as Holiday Dueling Pianos at Solis Hall. The Wellen Park Half Marathon and 5K is listed for Saturday, February 27. If downtown is more your speed, our look at what's opening and recurring in Downtown Wellen and our post on CoolToday Park's year-round calendar cover the north side of the map.

I've watched Wellen Park grow one village at a time, and I always enjoy hearing which new trail or park my neighbors have adopted. If you've walked Oakheart or Buttonwood and you're wondering how the newer south side villages compare to your corner of Wellen Park, I'm happy to talk it through over coffee. Julie Willett is always glad to hear from neighbors.