I recall this first time that visited this park was in 2019. I wasn't aware that this park existed. I found this particular park to be very historical with many item from years past still there. I do believe that many civil war members used this as a meeting and resting place. I recall during my first visit a portion of this particular park was flooded. The area was adjacent to the fountain. Also, there were a few homeless individuals sleeping throughout this particular park, which takes away from the scenery of this particular park. I do hope that the COJ can resolve this discrepancy soon. Also, another minor issue that I noticed that particular day was there were a couple of dog owners who forgot to pick up after their dogs, which is also unsanitary and takes away from this attractive park. I do believe that this park has great potential to stay beautiful, if folks just take the time to keep it clean. read more

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This is a family decent dog park in downtown. The fact that it is free is what brought us to check it out. We weren't disappointed. We hadn't expected 5-star quality, being free and all, and we didn't receive it either. But it was nice nonetheless. This place is a simple, open green space with nice Palm trees and a paved walkway around the perimeter. There is a water fountain bowl for the dogs as well as a hosing station for those days after it rains. When it does rain were told the whole green is swampy and the dogs get soaked/muddy. I'm sure the dogs love this but I'm not crazy about it. There are also benches periodically around the walkway. Anyway, it was a beautiful day today and our dog really enjoyed the chance to stretch his legs in an area bigger than our tiny box of a yard. This park is in downtown, so it may not seem like the safest of neighborhoods to suburbians like us, but we didn't feel threatened at all, and there were others here, too. The people were friendly and the dogs played nice. The entrance is a double gateway, which is a nice touch. They also have doggie waste bags on a stand as you walk in in case you forgot (and the space looked like pet owners pick up after their dogs). We're really glad we checked this place out - well be back for sure, maybe with Yelp friends next time! read more

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3.5 Stars: Nice large park, with amenities, paved walked ways, though lacking poop bags = smelly. (All based on initial visit only at this time) Pros: - Large and small dog park - Paved walkways in both - Lots of seating, 1/2 with roofs, and 1/4 with trees for shade - Lots of area to run - Well cut grass - Free - Large park with paved trail all the way around the park - Amenities: Water fountains, for people and pups, pup swimming pools, hoses, many toys Cons: - 5 out of 5 doggy poop bag stations were empty; poop all over the grass (main reason to lose points, all the poop was outrageous) - small dog park with large gate unable to fully close - No Restrooms - Doggy pools beat down and broken read more

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I love this dog park so much! Its centrally located, very large, well maintained, always active with other dogs and best of all its COMPLETELY FREE! There are several reason why I go and I high recommend you try this dog park. I love that there are several dog waste stations strategically placed throughout the park. There are also water fountains for you and your puppy, a puppy pool, and water hose. There is also a separate section for small dogs or you can bring them over to the main dog area. Please keep in mind, that if it has rained with in the last 3 days, the dog park can be pretty muddy and at times flooded in some sections. For the most part it doesn't stop me from bring my Chloe out there but bring a towel just in case. The dogs tend to love to play in the mud. read more

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This is the very best dog park I have ever been to! It is pretty and large. Well maintained with hoses and water to boot! My Ratties loved it! Sofia even used the pool and she never does that! read more

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This dog park is beautiful. I went with my friend who had a dog and I sat there wanting a dog just so I could come back. So many dogs for her dog to play with. So much running room and there's even a smaller park for smaller dogs. There's a washing station for when your pup rolls around in mud and tons of places for the humans to sit and enjoy watching the puppers run. I will say you're going to read other reviews that say the park is nice but the area is not safe. I'm going to be very honest, Springfield has a bad rap for being unsafe. But if you really pay attention you'll see that there is a ton of revitalization. Hints why the park is so nice. If you want a place to be nice you can't flee from it you have to go in and change it. I'll keep going there just to bring life back to it. If you're a single female than you need to watch yourself wherever you go. Be smart don't go some place by yourself anyways, to anywhere. Don't run away from it look at ways you can make it better because it's not just a neighborhood, it's still a part of Jacksonville. Look up SPAR (Springfield Preservation and Revitalization) go to Uptown, Sailors and Sparrows, Sweet Pete's, visit the many beautiful houses during the home tour. read more

Someone recommended this place to me. It's nice, decent, and free. Make sure you watch your dog with other dogs especially through the fence! My puppy is so sweet and friendly. He went up to the fence from the small dog park side to sniff two large Malamute mix dogs and one of them snapped at him. My puppy ran away crying really loud! The woman had the nerve to say her dog doesn't like puppies! Well woman put your dogs in the large dog park where they belong and not on the basketball court! Later that night we went home and found out he was bleeding on his nose. The next day I was worried about him having bacteria in his nose that I took him to the vet where they showed me that he got bit twice! He was only 10 weeks old when this happened! I just hope this doesn't scare him for life from large dogs cause he loves everyone. read more

This is a really great, public (and therefore free), overall clean dog park! Will be coming back weekly! Perfect for our lab who lives in an apartment. She had plenty of room, and lots of new friends! read more

Confederate Park - Bella running her heart out! - Dog Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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I'll keep my melodramatic review to a minimum. I will start by saying that we had to rush our dog out of the park because of aggressive, unmonitored dogs. Our dog (a sweet Doberman puppy) was corned by three aggressive dogs while attempting to play fetch. The owner of two of the dogs was in the opposite side of the park sitting on a bench. The other owner was unable to control her greyhound. While we tried to break up the cornering of our dog, other owners noted that "nothing" was going on. While they monitored our behavior they weren't paying attention to their two dogs crouching under the bench and between their legs. Just saying. Another disappointing aspect of the park was the amount of stool on the ground. Large and small, fresh and dated mounds. Surprising as the park provides trash bags, washing area and trash cans. I really wanted to like this park. I like to support dog friendly communities. unfortunately the lack of owner responsibility makes this park an unsanitary and unfriendly spot. read more

There is free parking with bathrooms and water fountain on site. We went in the morning when there were a few people and the ground keeper. The ground keeper told us how he keeps a good eye on the park so there is no drinking or drugs so its a good environment for children. He also said the park was 8 acers, but we only walked a few of the acers. The park includes a walking path around a large pond, a dog park, and a playground for kids. Along the one side of the walking path is a bridge with unique fencing along a canal. We noticed the canal water was high and was leaking under the bridge onto the ground into the pond so they blocked off the one end of the bridge. There is a big monument with a statue of a women with children donate to commemorate the women during the Civil War which I thought was a sweet way to thank our mothers. The park is well kept and there is a rose archway. The playground has many fun things to do and is in great condition. Next to the park is a Masonic Center with Egyptian Artwork on the outside which was cool to see in addition. The park isn't surrounded by restaurants, shops, and other city attractions. There are different rules for the pond area, dog area, and the playground so make sure to read those before planning an activity. read more

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This is a really nice off leash dog park. My only complaints would be that it is super muddy after a rain shower. Other than that it is super spacious read more

This is my favorite free DP . Clean well maintained benches with shade and 2 water stations. Cement path for the humans to get their walk on while the pups play. Don't let the area keep you away they have security walking around from opening to close. I now have a park much closer to my location and because I am lazy I go there. It's nice but in a different way. read more

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This place is sketch. I am new to the area and thought my dog would love a trip to the dog park. I settled on this one, since it was the closest distance. The entire dog park area was enclosed by a ten foot fence, so even though I noticed that the area around it didn't look too nice, I figured it would be fine. It's a downtown park, after all. Oh, how wrong I was. I think we lasted about 15 minutes. Within the first ten minutes of arriving, several homeless people camped out near my car in the parking lot. A woman brought in what appeared to be a 200 lb mastiff. A second, medium-sized brown dog immediately attacked it as soon as they entered the park and there was a vicious fight that drew blood. The owner of the brown dog pulled her newspaper up over her eyes and ignored the fight as five people were unsuccessfully attempting to get her dog off the mastiff, until another visitor began screaming at her to take control of her animal. As they were taking care of that situation, I took my pup to the opposite end of the square and was unfortunate enough to witness a woman on the street chase, knock down, and then beat a young girl on the sidewalk in broad daylight with some dark object. The police were called. I was disturbed and no longer felt safe. I immediately left. I will continue my search for a dog park in Jax, but I will definitely not be returning to this one anytime soon! read more

This park seemed okay. There's plenty of space for the bigger dogs to run around, but the side for the smaller dogs was a bit small. I was bummed there were no smaller dogs there, nobody for my little pup to play with. read more

When you live too far away or can't pay $300 annual fees to a private dog park, this park is great. Wide open space, benches and a sidewalk. It's not fancy but all the dogs care about is running wild with each other. Also, I have a lot of respect for the neighbors who conceived of, got the funding and permits etc to get this dog park in a downtown neighborhood. When our german shepherd puppy needs to blow off some excess energy, we let him loose here to do his thing. In any dog park, your pooch won't come back squeaky clean but he always leaves here super happy, and more importantly, super tired. Also, if you have little dogs there's a separate small dog park that's fenced off so your dachshund sized pup won't be mistaken for an actual edible weiner. read more

Heads up: aggressive dogs Let me start off by saying this park is beautifully maintained and many of the visitors respect the space by picking up after their dogs and being courteous to other dogs and their owners. Some people leave balls and frisbee a for the dogs and there seems to be a regular group of friendly folks that go to this park. I went a few times early in the afternoon with my little Australian Shepard and there weren't too many dogs. There is a group that shows up around 4 and they've kind of formed a little play group. One of the dogs includes a huge chocolate Newfoundland. My dog is not aggressive and has never been. She got along with all of the dogs until this particular dog was introduced to the scene. As soon as he met her, he started following her around, biting at her and running her down. All of the other dogs starting ganging up on her. The first time this happened I took my dog out of the situation. The owner of the dog did not get up to help or apologize or even ask if my dog was ok. The second time, all of the dogs starting taking turns biting at my poor dog and she was screaming and trying to get away. There were like 5 dogs all ganged up on her and I was trying to get her out. Only one owner even bothered to jump up and help. By the time my friend was able to get my dog out of the situation, I was scratched up and shaken. This park could be wonderful... If all dogs could go. I was very scared for my little dog and will not go back with that dog and those apathetic owners there. It really bothered me that almost nobody checked or got up to help. In the process of everything, I got scratched up pretty bad. read more

The park itself is nice with high fences and decent grounds. I went on a gray morning when there was only one other dog there so I didn't get to experience any of the issues noted by other reviewers. My biggest problem is that the area made me VERY nervous being a single female. The only reason why I even went in is because there were two cop cars parked in a lot across the street. With other parks in the area I won't be going back to this one. read more

I'm not sure where these reviews are coming from, but it was not in a great area nor well kept. It was much smaller than anticipated, as well. Didn't even get out of the car with my dog. read more

Nice, spacious and plenty of space! A little prone to mud puddles if it has rained recently. Also has a nice dog rinse area ....thanks buddy. read more

We are new to Jax - only been here for a few months - and our dogs are used to having a yard to run in, so I have been hunting for a good dog park that's free. This place was awesome. We went today and it was huge. All the dogs there were friendly (the people too) and everyone kept a good eye on their dogs. It was clean and well-kept. They have doggie drink fountains and waste centers for you to pick up after your babies. Plenty of sidewalk for you to walk on as well as benches for just watching the dogs run. I would highly recommend this. We have a Siberian Husky and a Scottie/Dachshund mix and they loved it. read more

DO NOT GO HERE AFTER IT RAINS. It was my first time at this dog park and today was the first day all week it hasn't rained...huge mistake. My dog thoroughly enjoyed herself but the whole area was flooded. Apparently that always happens after a rain, as streets surrounding the dog park are subject to flooding. Like others have said, this park is NOT in a safe area. I wouldn't go there by myself...ever. However, it is very large, and if the weather this week had been nicer I would have liked it better. You couldn't walk on any of the grassy areas because you would sink a couple inches into mud. My dog had a seriously great time and was coated in mud to the point you couldn't see any white on her. I will be coming back eventually, I just definitely won't return after a rain. Oh, and when I went the puppy swimming pools were all beat up and had holes...my pooch happily resorted to wading in the mud though. read more

Love this dog park just outside of Downtown Jacksonville. It's pretty popular and you'll find people from all over the city bringing their dogs here because it's centrally located and free. It's usually maintained well and has benches, a new playground, small dog area, sports court, and both human and doggy water fountains. The locations is sort of in between Downtown and the Springfield historic district just North, which is a gentrifying historic community. You can find info about the area at www.myspringfield.org . It's sort of a mix of cool old houses, hispters, families, and lots of nice people, but since it's so close to Downtown you'll see an occasional bum too. I take my dog here a couple times a week and no one has ever bothered me, plus my dog has made lots of play friends. All in all, a very good public dog park I'd recommend. read more

Nice park with decent paved walking trail. Seemed well maintained. As for the dogs and people that seem to frequent this park; they don't seem very friendly to visitors from outside the area. My dogs were attacked twice and the owners of said dogs attacking didn't seem to care what their dogs were doing. Will not return in the future if visiting the area. read more

Used the large dog section today. Very well maintained large fenced in area. Will definitely revisit:-)

This is a nice little dog park, a little small but adequate. It's free so I can't really complain. We took our pit bull and our crazy beagle. It was very wet and muddy when we were there, and I was glad I had protection for the car's cargo area down when the dogs got back in. read more