The Florida Park Service is the part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. They operate the Florida State Parks. The National Recreation and Park Association gave them the Gold Medal honoring the best state park system in the country in 1999 and 2005. The parks are open all year. Some have many things to do other than fishing, hiking and camping. Many parks have facilities for bird watching or horseback riding; there are several battle reenactments; and freshwater (not salty) springs and beaches are some of Florida's very beautiful places.