Ocala · East Fort King St. · Second Seminole War site
Fort King National Historic Landmark
Walk a rebuilt 1830s Army fort, a seep spring and part of the old military road at a key site of the Second Seminole War, now a city park east of downtown Ocala.
Opens the City of Ocala’s Fort King page. The grounds are open daily; the visitor center opens on Fridays and Saturdays.
Details checked October 2026
Type
National Historic Landmark
City park with a replica fort and visitor center
Admission
Free
No fee posted; some programs charge
Hours
Sunrise to sunset
Or 7 pm; visitor center Fri–Sat 10–5
Time needed
About a 1-mile walk
Trail and fort loop, per Florida Hikes
Parking
On-site lot
No RV rules posted; residential area
Built
1827
Named for Col. William King
What you’ll see
A frontier fort, rebuilt where it stood
A short trail ties the site together: the replica fort on the hilltop, a blacksmith shop, the seep spring that drew the Army here and a stretch of the old military road.
Photo: KimberlyTheLibrarian on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start here
The replica fort
The replica of the second Fort King stands on the original hilltop and opened in 2017: a log palisade about 162 by 152 feet with 16-foot walls and two blockhouses. Signs explain how the post served as the Army’s headquarters for much of the Second Seminole War. The fort’s interior is open only when its gates are open, so check before you plan to go inside.
RV tip: come on a Friday or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. if you want the visitor center and archaeology center open, too. Bring water; reviewers warn it gets hot.
More to see
- The visitor centerArtifacts found on the site, such as early-1800s ceramics, military buttons and clay pipes, plus historical videos and a gift shop. Open Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The blacksmith shopA log blacksmith shop finished in 2023, built with more than 2,000 hand-forged nails.
- Seep Spring and the military roadAn interpretive trail runs from the hilltop down to the seep spring that gave the Army a sure water source, along part of the old road that ran south to Fort Brooke at Tampa.
- Festival at Fort KingA free living-history weekend with reenactments, cannon and musket demonstrations and artisans, December 5–6, 2026, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free shuttles run from parking nearby.
Why go
A small park with a big story
The U.S. Army built Fort King in 1827 and named it for Col. William King. On December 28, 1835, the same day as the Dade Battle to the south, Osceola and his warriors killed Indian agent Wiley Thompson outside the fort, and years of fighting in the Second Seminole War followed.
The fort was burned in 1836, rebuilt in 1837 and abandoned in the 1840s; its mess hall later served as Marion County’s first courthouse. The site became a National Historic Landmark in 2004, and the City of Ocala, which owns it with Marion County, opened the replica fort in 2017.
It pairs easily with Silver Springs or the Appleton Museum, both a few minutes away. The grounds are open daily, so it fits into almost any day of an Ocala stay.
Photo: KimberlyTheLibrarian on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why it made our list
- The site of a key 1835 attack in the Second Seminole War
- A full-size replica fort with blockhouses
- Grounds open daily, sunrise to sunset
- A seep spring and the old military road
- A free living-history festival each December
For RVers
Visiting Fort King with an RV
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Come in the tow vehicle
Fort King sits in a residential area east of downtown, and the city doesn’t post RV or bus parking rules for its lot. Drive over in your tow vehicle, or call (352) 368-5533 first.
Check the visitor center days
The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset or 7 p.m., whichever comes first. The visitor center and archaeology center open only on Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Leashed dogs welcome outside
Visitor guides say leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds; only service animals go inside the visitor center. Bring waste bags, and leave dogs at camp on reenactment days, when cannons and muskets fire.
Event-day parking
During the December festival and other big events, the city runs free shuttles from a field about a quarter mile east of the fort, with an ADA tram. Don’t plan to park a rig at the fort on event days.
What visitors say about Fort King National Historic Landmark
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 25–28, 2026.
Fort King was a typical U.S. Army frontier fort
The City of Ocala, describing the site · ocalafl.gov
What visitors often mention
Recurring themes in Google’s review topics
TrailsVisitor centerReenactments
Google’s review topics point to the trails (91 reviews), the visitor center (32), the reenactments (28) and the artifacts (19). Checked October 25, 2026.
Fort King through the years
Dates from the City of Ocala, the Trail of Florida’s Indian Heritage and Wikipedia’s Fort King article.
Good to know
GroundsFree sunrise to sunset
Festival at Fort KingFree December 5–6, 2026
Festival Student Day$3 per student, December 4
On siteVisitor centerBlacksmith shopTrailsPicnic area
The city’s pages don’t list a general admission fee; visitor guides and local press describe the grounds as free. Festival details from the City of Ocala, checked October 25, 2026. Some classes and programs charge a fee.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Fort King National Historic Landmark
- Address3925 E. Fort King St., Ocala, FL 34470
- HoursSunrise to sunset
Or 7 pm; visitor center Fri–Sat 10–5 - Phone(352) 368-5533
- AdmissionFree; festival details
- Getting thereThe park is on E. Fort King St., east of SE 36th Ave. and east of downtown Ocala.
- ParkingAn on-site lot near the fort, with overflow at the Klein Lot, 50 NE 41st Ave., about a 1,000-foot walk. No RV rules are posted.
A Tripadvisor reviewer found the visitor center closed on a Saturday in July 2026, so call (352) 368-5533 before a visit timed for it.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Fort King National Historic Landmark
These are the Ocala-area parks we have visited and written up, closest first. Several are about 15 minutes from the fort.
Wild Frontier RV Resort
An oak-shaded park on Ocala’s north side with a heated pool, a lodge-style clubhouse and a big dog park.
Southern Springs RV Resort
A new, gated 55+ resort off I-75 Exit 352 with landscaped concrete sites, a heated pool and pickleball.
Santos Trailhead & Campground
A small state park campground with about two dozen water-and-electric sites, right at the trailhead.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Grounds open daily
Ready to walk the frontier fort?
Come on a Friday or Saturday for the visitor center, bring water, and leave the rig at camp.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: KimberlyTheLibrarian (blockhouses, palisade and blacksmith shop), C. Rutkosky for Fort King National Historic Landmark (the replica from above) and Lisadays (blockhouse, 2017), all CC BY-SA 4.0, and IAthena6 (the reconstructed fort; CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: ocalamarion on YouTube. Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Fort King National Historic Landmark unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the City of Ocala’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the City of Ocala and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Fort King National Historic Landmark at ocalafl.gov or (352) 368-5533. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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