Groveland, Florida
Some light pollution · Constellations, not much Milky Way
3 stays nearby →Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, a Dark Sky Park
Florida's first Dark Sky Park, more than 58,000 acres of open dry prairie at the head of the Everglades, where the way to see the night is to camp.
- How dark?
- Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
- Food & town
- Okeechobee · about 25 mi
- Certified
- Dark Sky Park · 2016
How dark is it, really?
Dark enough to see the Milky Way overhead on a clear night, though glow from nearby towns washes out the sky near the horizon. (For the detail-minded: Bortle class 4, an estimate.)
When should I go?
Pick a night when the moon is down. The next stretch of moonless evenings is Nov 6–11.
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 6–11 | None · darkest skies | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Leonids) |
| Dec 5–11 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Geminids) |
| Jan 4–9 | None · darkest skies | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Quadrantids) |
More dark windows, through Oct 2027
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2–8 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | The Milky Way core |
| Mar 3–9 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| Apr 2–8 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | The Milky Way core |
| May 2–7 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core, and a meteor shower peak (Eta Aquariids) |
| Jun 1–5 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 1–5 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 31–Aug 5 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core, and extra shooting stars (Southern Delta Aquariids and Perseids) |
| Aug 29–Sep 3 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Sep 27–Oct 2 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
Computed from public astronomical data for this location. Updated monthly. How it's computed
Milky Way season here: Early Feb to late Oct. In season now, through late Oct. Out of season until early Feb. In season now, through late Oct.
Meteor showers ahead: Leonids on Nov 17–18 (half moon, sets around midnight), Geminids on Dec 13–14 (thin crescent, sets early), Ursids on Dec 22–23 (full moon, up all night), and Quadrantids on Jan 3–4 (thin crescent, rises late)Lyrids on Apr 22–23 (bright moon for most of the night)Eta Aquariids on May 5–6 (none · darkest skies)Southern Delta Aquariids on Jul 30–31 (thin crescent, rises late)Perseids on Aug 12–13 (bright moon for most of the night).
Email me before the next dark window at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park.
About one email a month, a few days before the moon goes dark: the dates here, the moonlight, and what's worth staying up for. Unsubscribe in one click.
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What it's like
Few places in Florida sit as far from city lights as this one, and in 2016 it became the first park in the state to be named a Dark Sky Park. On a clear night, campers can pick out the Milky Way with the naked eye. Park staff describe visitors who come for the long prairie views and end up staying overnight for the stars.
Since the night is the point, plan to stay over. Along with a family campground, an equestrian campground, primitive sites, and glamping tents, the park has campsites with astronomy pads; check current availability on the park's page at the Florida State Parks website. Look there too for current hours, fees, and the rules for being in the preserve after dark before you go.
By day, the setting explains the darkness. Less than a tenth of Florida's original dry prairie is still intact, and the preserve holds the biggest surviving piece of it, a landscape that depends on regular fire and flooding and sits at the top of the Everglades watershed. Its open, nearly treeless horizons look more like the Midwest than Florida. Dozens of protected native species live here. Birders look for crested caracaras, burrowing owls, and the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow.
More than 100 miles of trails and fire breaks cross the prairie for hikers, cyclists, and riders, with park vehicles the only motor traffic, and there's no hunting.
Food, fuel, and supplies
Okeechobee, FL is about 25 mi away in a straight line, with groceries (La Fiesta Supermarket, ALDI, Walmart Supercenter and 1 more), 2 gas stations, and 8 places to eat on the map. The nearest gas is closer: RaceTrac, about 10 mi away. Nearest places to eat on the map: Subway (about 10 mi, in Yeehaw Junction, FL), Earl of Sandwich (about 15 mi), and Nathan's (about 15 mi).
Distances are straight-line and approximate. Places on the map may not be open. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
✓ Certification verified Jul 2026 against DarkSky International registry (Internet Archive capture) · darkness: Bortle 4, estimated (Sep 2026) · nearest town from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) (Sep 2026)
Dark sky places near Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
For a trip with more than one dark night: the closest within 150 miles, nearest first. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Dark Sky Community Dark Sky Park Big Cypress National Preserve
Dark · Milky Way overhead, hazy lower down
3 stays nearby →