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Dark-sky places in Florida

Florida has three certified dark-sky places. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park north of Lake Okeechobee and Big Cypress National Preserve west of Miami protect the state's darkest skies, and the city of Groveland near Orlando is a certified Dark Sky Community.

Certified dark-sky places in Florida

PlaceDesignationManaged byNearest city
Big Cypress National PreserveInternational Dark Sky Park (2016)National Park Service51 mi SE of Bonita Springs
Groveland, FloridaInternational Dark Sky Community (2023)Local government of Groveland, Florida22 mi SW of Apopka
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State ParkInternational Dark Sky Park (2016)Florida State Parks (Florida DEP)35 mi SW of Palm Bay

Designations by DarkSky International. Check each place's own site for opening hours, fees and night access before you go.

Moon-free weekends for a Florida stargazing trip

Friday and Saturday nights when the Moon is down for most of full darkness, worked out for Jacksonville; dates are the same across the state, give or take a night.

  • November 2026: Nov 6–7, Nov 13–14
  • December 2026: Dec 4–5, Dec 11–12
  • January 2027: Jan 1–2, Jan 8–9, Jan 29–30
  • February 2027: Feb 5–6, Feb 27
  • March 2027: Mar 5–6, Mar 12
  • April 2027: Apr 2–3, Apr 9–10, Apr 30
  • May 2027: May 1, May 7–8, May 28–29
  • June 2027: Jun 4–5
  • July 2027: Jul 2–3, Jul 9, Jul 30–31
  • August 2027: Aug 6–7, Aug 27–28
  • September 2027: Sep 3–4, Sep 25
  • October 2027: Oct 1–2, Oct 23, Oct 29–30
  • November 2027: Nov 26–27
  • December 2027: Dec 3, Dec 24–25, Dec 31

Stargazing in Florida

Florida’s dark skies survive mainly in its large protected wild lands. The darkest are in the south and center of the peninsula. Big Cypress National Preserve, together with neighboring Everglades National Park, keeps a dark buffer between the Miami and Naples-Fort Myers areas, though some glow from both reaches it. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park protects the largest remaining stretch of Florida dry prairie, far from the big coastal cities. Both became International Dark Sky Parks in 2016. Groveland, west of Orlando, became a Dark Sky Community in 2023 after adopting a citywide outdoor lighting ordinance.

Groveland, Florida

Groveland is a fast-growing city of more than 23,000 people in Lake County, about 30 miles west of Orlando. Its Dark Sky Community certification rests on a 2022 outdoor lighting ordinance that requires responsible lighting in both new homes and businesses, along with a citizen-science program that measures sky brightness across the city. It is not a remote dark site: think of it as a place showing how a growing Central Florida suburb can limit skyglow. For a truly dark sky, residents and visitors can head south to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, Florida’s largest protected dry prairie.

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress is a vast cypress swamp, pine and prairie preserve of more than 729,000 acres west of Miami, home to Florida panthers, black bears and orchids. There is no entrance fee, and the preserve has eight campgrounds, which make it easy to stay after sunset. The Park Service calls its sky one of the darkest in the eastern United States and runs ranger-led astronomy programs with partners; check the preserve’s schedule for dates. Expect some glow on the horizon toward Miami and Naples.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park covers more than 50,000 acres of open dry prairie, with more than 100 miles of trails for hikers, cyclists and riders. The park closes at sunset, so stargazers usually camp. Besides a family campground, it has a small astronomers’ campground of five tent sites where only red lights are allowed after dark, so telescopes and cameras aren’t disturbed. Campers get the entrance gate combination for night access. DarkSky International notes that more than 7 million South Floridians live within a three-hour drive.

Questions and answers

Can I stay after dark at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve?

The preserve closes at sunset, so camping is the usual way to stargaze. It has a small astronomers' campground where only red lights are allowed after dark.

Does Big Cypress National Preserve charge an entrance fee?

No. The Park Service charges no entrance fee for the preserve, though some campgrounds and permits have fees.

Why do Florida's dark-sky parks ask for red lights?

Red light preserves night vision and does not spoil long camera exposures. Kissimmee Prairie requires red-spectrum lights after dark in its astronomy campground.

When is the best time to stargaze at Florida's dark-sky places?

Choose nights near the new Moon, when moonlight does not wash out faint stars and the Milky Way. The moon-free nights on this page and our Moon phase calendar show when those fall, and our meteor shower calendar lists the best peaks to plan around.

Dark-sky places in other states · Northern lights in Florida · Tonight's sky in Florida

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