At Bill Frederick Park, November Trades Daylight for a Fuller Saturday Calendar
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
Through October, the Turkey Lake gate has stayed open until 7 p.m. every day of the week. Starting Sunday, Nov. 1, it closes at 5.
That shift changes how the park fits into a week in Dr. Phillips. Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake, at 3401 S. Hiawassee Road, has spent the warm months as a park you could drop into after work. For November through March, the City of Orlando has stacked its programming onto Saturdays, so the hours you lose on weeknights come back as dated events on weekends. The rest of this post covers what's on the calendar, what it costs, and how to make the math work if your visits now land mostly on weekends.
The City posts two seasonal schedules for the park. April through October, it's open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. November through March, it's open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's closed December 24 and 25.
Nov. 1 falls on a Sunday this year, the same weekend clocks fall back. So the earlier closing time and the earlier sunset arrive together. Weekday visits after a standard workday are mostly over until spring. Mornings stay the same, with the gate still opening at 8 a.m. every day.
Daily entry is $5 per car, or $2 for a driver entering alone. Buses and 15- or 16-passenger vans pay $1 per person. That fee comes back later in this post, because how often you go now depends on the weekend.
The City's events calendar for the park puts six programs on four of the five Saturdays from Oct. 31 through Nov. 28. All of them are at 3401 S. Hiawassee Road.
| Date | Program | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Walk in the Park | 10–11 a.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Conservation Corner: Mysterious Monsters | 2–3 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Storytime in the Park | 11 a.m.–noon |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Conservation Corner: Flora for All | 2–3 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Nature in November | 10 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Walk in the Park and Conservation Corner: Flora for All | 10–11 a.m. and 2–3 p.m. |
The two days with double bookings are worth a closer look. On Oct. 31 and Nov. 28, a morning program and an afternoon program leave a midday gap that fits a picnic or a trail loop. On Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the afternoon session ends at 3 p.m., two hours before the gate closes. That gives you a full outing with relatives in town and still gets you home before dark.
The park has plenty to fill that midday gap. City listings include the Turkey Lake fishing pier, hiking and nature trails, bike and jogging trails, a paved walking path, and playgrounds for two age groups, 2–5 and 5–12. The park map labels the Nature Connect Trail, the Nature Trail, a bike-and-walk path and the Children's Farm. The City calls Turkey Lake one of Florida's top five rated fishing lakes. One amenity is out for now. The City's Turkey Lake Pool page says the pool is closed until further notice.
Nature in November is the biggest day on the park's fall calendar and the only one with free entry. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. The City lists live music, hayrides, guided nature hikes and farm tours, along with environmental and agricultural professionals from across Central Florida talking about wildlife, farming and conservation. Daily admission is waived for the day.
The farm tours are the rare part. The Children's Farm is on the park map, but the City's current directory doesn't list regular walk-up visiting hours for it. That makes Nov. 14 the easiest scheduled chance this fall to see that corner of the park with a guide.
Free admission on a Saturday with hayrides and live music will probably draw a crowd. A 10 a.m. arrival matches the start of the event, and the park has been open since 8 a.m. for anyone who wants a quiet trail loop first.
The City sells annual memberships through its WebTrac system. A 12-month individual pass is $28.30 and a 12-month family pass is $75.00. The City says the family membership covers up to eight people and includes free entry and access to non-rental amenities.
Set those prices against the daily fees and the break-even points are simple:
Now apply the winter schedule. From Nov. 7 through March 27 there are 21 Saturdays. A household that comes every Saturday and pays $5 at the gate each time, skipping the free Nov. 14, makes its 15th paid visit on Feb. 20. Every Saturday after that through the end of March costs nothing extra on the family pass. The pass runs 12 months, so spring and summer visits come on top of that.
For a weekday walker who visited alone all summer, it's slower. At $2 per solo entry, the individual pass takes about 15 visits to pay off. Those visits are harder to fit in once the gate closes at 5 p.m.
Bill Frederick Park has three permanent 18-hole disc golf courses, The Original, The Turkeynator and The Woods. The PDGA course directory describes The Original as manicured and advanced-level, The Turkeynator as challenging from the blue tees, and The Woods as a tight-woods course.
October kept the courses busy with events. The City's disc golf closure list shows them closed Oct. 16–18 for the Dragon Boat Festival and again Oct. 24–25 for an Orlando Disc Golf Tournament. The second closure was the 2026 Orlando Open, which the PDGA lists as a Pro/Am B-Tier event. The organizer's event listing describes three 18-hole rounds and divisions ranging from MPO and FPO to amateur 70+.
As posted in mid-October, the closure list showed no dates after Oct. 25. That points to November as the first stretch of open weekends on all three courses in more than a month. The park page notes that disc golf may close for special events, so check the list before you head over.
The same Saturday-centered season works for out-of-town guests. The City rents five overnight cabins at the park, each sleeping up to 10 people, for $50 per day. Family campsites cost $25 with full hookups and $20 with partial hookups, tax included. A cabin over Thanksgiving weekend puts visiting family a short drive from home and steps from the Nov. 28 programs. Reservations go through the City's park reservation page.
The first day of the earlier closing time also brings the neighborhood's biggest fall food event. The Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips Foundation presents the 19th annual A Taste of Dr. Phillips on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Dellagio Town Center, 7924–8075 Via Dellagio Way. The event is for guests 21 and older, and the foundation's announcement on PR.com lists VIP entry starting at 12:30 p.m.
The announcement promises unlimited tastings from more than 20 restaurants. Confirmed names include American Social, Blue Martini, Capital Grille, DragonFly Robata Grill & Sushi, Eddie V's, Fleming's, Chima Steakhouse, Burntwood Tavern, Rocco's Tacos, Norman's, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, The H, Nola's Ice Cream, Pho Bar, London House, Bar 17 Bistro and Vines by H. The Down Brothers play classic rock and pop covers around Dellagio's fountain.
All proceeds support local charitable causes through the foundation, a 501(c)(3). Over the event's history, the foundation reports supporting more than 40 organizations and contributing more than $600,000 to local communities. Past beneficiaries include Second Harvest Food Bank, the Orange County Library System and the Dr. Phillips YMCA Family Center. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite, and more details are at atasteofdrphillips.com.
The two schedules fit together on Nov. 1. A morning at Turkey Lake from the 8 a.m. opening, then the 1 p.m. start at Dellagio, uses the first day of winter hours fully, before the park gate closes at 5.
At Glasstone Real Estate, we follow Dr. Phillips through calendars like this one, from the seasonal park hours to the Saturdays that fill up when the evenings get shorter. If you'd like local updates like this along with our listings, Receive Exclusive Listings and we'll keep you posted, in English or Portuguese.
