Do not remove, deface, mutilate or molest any natural resources. For your safety, do not feed any animals. Intoxicants and firearms are prohibited. Hours of Operation Florida state parks are open from 8 a.m. until sundown 365 days a year. Pets Pets are not allowed in camping areas, on bathing beaches, in concession areas and may be restricted in other designated areas of the park.
Service dogs are welcome in all areas of the parks.
Paynes Creek State Historic Site is located one half mile east of Bowling Green. In the decade following the second Seminole Indian War, friction continued between the Seminoles and the white settlers who were continually encroaching on the land. The U.S. authorities attempted to eliminate this volatile situation by establishing a trading post for the Seminoles in the interior. They calculated the post would eliminate the necessity to pass near white settlements and would establish, for the first time, a contact point where the Seminoles could easily be reached whenever the need arose to communicate with them. Therefore, the Darling Store was established in the spring of 1849.