This is a very tranquil place. The entrance is on a fast curve, so you have to be careful turning…read morein!! If you are on foot, or bike, you can enter from the sidewalk on 16th Ave, as you go down the hill past Colony Park. Colony Park is the subdivision with the curvy brick wall. As you go down the hill, on the right, you will see a small grassy area. There is no sign, so you'll have to be sharp!! This park is so very peaceful. There is a lazy creek that snakes though it. There are at least ten man-made bridges and decks that let you enjoy a nice stroll through nature. Lots and lots of birds will be sounding out, especially in the morning. You can walk your dog, bring some hot coffee, binoculars, camera, etc. You won't believe that you are in the middle of the city!! The word "enclave" comes to mind, as the mood in this park is almost magical and surprisingly isolated. You feel safe and peaceful. I am definitely going back. They even have doggy bag dispensers!!

Alfred A Ring Park is very close to town; it's a nice walk getting here :-)…read more Tip: The funds to preserve this small bit of greenery were donated by Mr. Alfred A. Ring, which is why the park bears his name There's bridge from the parking lot into the park proper which very much reminds me of Costa Rica; there are some pretty nice views to take in when you cross it.

I love this place. The change in temperature within the sinkhole is so fascinating, as is the…read morewildlife you find in the basin. A very beautiful place, I recommend it.

Such beautiful grounds hiding within Gainesville! We had a wonderful time taking advantage of the…read moretrails and stairs to the bottom of the sinkhole! It's a great spot for those who - Want a nice, but non strenuous walk (about a mile around in circle. The stairs are a bit more but there are stops between levels) Wonderful shading with a sweet bird filled environment. Non busy area out of the hustle of life

Sweetwater is a place to refresh your humanity, melt your stress, connect with nature and see…read moreamazing natural creatures. Today, I saw great blue heron preening, and as I passed it, it let out an alarm call over and over again. There was a red-shouldered hawk that flew out of nowhere and landed high in a tree that was full of newly grown and fledged ibis. These ibis were born in the Spring. Their parents are gone, and they are on their own. Many of them (there were about 80 of them perched in a bunch of close trees) flew away and around to safer lower spots, as the hawk perched high in the tallest tree to try to scope out a snack. It was a true wildlife moment! It did not attack, but it reminded me that anything can happen at any moment! I also saw a four-foot gator get up from sun bathing, walk about twenty feet and plop down in the grass. It was too close for my zoom lens, so I pulled out my iPhone and got the whole thing recorded. It was a great day at the park!

This place was awesome if you like to walk trails and see birds, turtles, alligators, rabbits, deer…read moreand small fish. They also have wild horses and wild bison, but we didn't see those. The wetland areas and trails were neat with nice walking bridges and paths over the water. We saw a lot of small alligators, 1 baby alligator and 1 huge alligator. The way the walkways are built the alligators were right at our feet, there is a metal mesh fence to separate you though. This place is a must for anyone that likes nature, plus it was it was free except $5 to park.

I had been coming to this park since middle school and since moving back, I wanted to switch up my…read moregym routine with some outdoor walks on a trail. When driving into the parking lot, the parking lot is sufficient especially if you go in the early morning or afternoon. In the last 10 years, they have done some renovations where they have added these beautiful memorial plaques dedicated to fallen soldiers. What I thought was super cool is that I walked up to the World War II plaque and saw my great uncle's name! It was definitely a heartwarming touch and just proud moment. The plaques range from the American Revolutionary War to more recent times. I'm a huge history buff, so for me it's a plus for me. The park has a walking trail that's paved and smooth to walk on, that starts from the parking lot and has different workout station areas along the trail. There's a playground area and multiple pavilions with grills which are great for parties and cookouts/family gatherings. Also, there's a softball field, basketball courts, soccer fields, and also a roller hockey rink. I think this park is great for everyone, singles and families as there's something to do or just enjoy the great outdoor area.

Very civilized park that caters to many local groups and the Gainesville community. It's a perfect…read moreplace to go for exercise without having to pay the gym memberships all while enjoying the great outdoors. They have basketball courts, volleyball, BBQ grills and covered tables for parties, a playground, hiking trails, and more all surrounded by wild animals and nature. The amenities offered at Kanapaha Park are free and great for neighboring communities to enjoy. FYI, there are peak times usually in the summer. The hours are: Mon - Wed: 9:00 am - 7:00 pm Fri - Sun: 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

This park is so relaxing! Even on a cloudy, overcast, windy day, it's still warm enough to take a…read morebike ride and gawk at the alligators and watch the cute turtles clamor for your attention. The walking path goes around the lake and towards some smaller ponds, trees, and vegetation. The pavillions provide shelter for family or group picnics. Restrooms avaialable!! Children in strollers, small bikes and even baby carriages can be seen with their loving caregivers who are getting out of the house for fresh air and peace of mind. There are a few restaurants here, if you get hungry, and a micro-brewry (First Magnitude) just about a five-minute walk away, if you are in mood for some delicious suds. Bring a blanket and have a picnic in the grass. Do some yoga, practice tai chi, or just sit at one of the benches and chat with a friend. This is a place to recharge your energy, so get ready to feel better!

We loved our time at this park! Perfect place to walk and then the playground was so nice and clean!read more

All the construction is over. There is peace in the park again, whether you are bringing your dogs…read moreto run i the dog park or playing pickle ball in the brand new courts, or just chillin in a hammock and watching the birds flit around. This park is relaxing! You can even grill here and have a picnic while your children play on the playground!

Tom Petty Park is a cool park named for Gainesville, Florida's favorite son. Tom Petty is probably…read morethe most famous person to come out of Gainesville and it is fitting to have a park named after him. The park itself is pretty nice. It offers plenty of parking, has a nice walking path, tennis courts, a baseball field and more. It was a nice place to spend a bit of time on a Tuesday mid to late afternoon. I enjoyed walking the trail and just chilling. There was a decent amount of people in the park and they all seemed to be enjoying Tom Petty Park, as well. Tom Petty was an iconic rock and roller with a string of hits including "Listen to Her Heart," "Running Down a Dream," "American Girl," "Don't Do Me Like That," "Here Comes My Girl,"Free Falling," and more. It is fitting that Gainesville, Florida remembers Tom Petty and honor him with a park.

Gainesville is so lucky to have such a wonderful shaded enviroment to visit, free of charge. The…read moretall trees with moss blowing in the breeze are a beautiful example of what North Florida has to offer. The boardwalks are fairly new and are still in pristine condition. My favorite place to park the car is over at Westside Park and walk over, carefully dodging the traffic that blasts down 8th Avenue. If you enter the boardwalk on the North side of 8th Avenue there are breaks in the boardwalk to wonder the footpath trails and streams and sometimes you will end up on standing in people's backyards.

Hogtown Creek Greenway is one of my favorite smaller wild areas in Alachua County and, what is…read moremore, it is close enough to the UF campus and several neighborhoods to make it easy enough to get to without a car. In fact, its trails--while not that long and sometimes flooded out in wet weather--are awesome for mountain biking. The Greenway came about because Hogtown Creek and its various tributaries flow through this lowland area of Gainesville and while there is a lot of development surrounding what has become the Greenway, the lands that compose the Greenway itself would not be suited to development and, more importantly, are essential to not develop given the fragile and unique ecosystems they provide. The City of Gainesville should be praised for its efforts not only protect these lands but to make them open to the public. Just controlling the flow of water in this area-brokering its ability to remain true to the natural course of these creeks while also ensuring that flooding in nearby neighborhoods isn't likely-must have been a huge challenge. To the south-west of the Greenway off of University Avenue, Hogtown Creek is directed through a grouping of canals and other engineered mechanisms to regulate its flow but when it emerges in the Greenway, it returns to its pristine natural status. The Hogtown Greenway, if you enter it via the Loblolly Facility, provides a broad trail that is adept for hiking or mountain biking. A boardwalk has been built to continue this trail over places that are normally (or at least very often) wet and it's a short hike through this area to the 8th Avenue entrance to the Greenway across from Westside Park. The stretch of 8th Avenue here is where the Gainesville Planet Monuments-one obelisk for each of the solar system's planets including Pluto and the Sun-are located so these are a nice diversion to examine up close if you've only driven by them before in a hurry. Within the woods of the Loblolly section, there's a lot to notice if you wish to take the time. An informative sign at the 8th Avenue side of the path notes that a diverse variety of wildlife from river otters to various birds to the rough green snake are found in this environment: You will have to be patient to see them, though. Mostly, like elsewhere in the region, you'll spot squirrels, birds, and perhaps a black racer or other snake. Lizards and insects are also omnipresent and on account of the latter, insect spay is a good idea as to keep the pesky ones off of your body and discouraged from sucking your blood. The boardwalk trail has a smaller off-shoot which leads down to the creek bed itself and makes for a great oppurtunity to examine a creek of this sort up close. The sandy banks, muddy yet peaceful waters of the creek, and canopy of trees above make for a very serene experience. If you continue across 8th Avenue to the opposite side of the street and walk a ways east, you will encounter another boardwalk that runs all the way from 8th Avenue to 16th Avenue, south to north. This boardwalk is a minor yet grand feat of engineering, having been perfectly crafted and took, I can only guess, a fair amount of cash to complete. For that reason if no other (and there are plenty of others) I hope that it's used by a lot of people. When I've been out on the boardwalk with my bike, I have nearly always encountered people walking their dogs or running here, so it seems I am not by far its only fan or user. The magic of the boardwalk is that it runs through a wetland environment which would be very hard to access otherwise and affords a pleasent walk with a great view of what much of this region's natural areas are like if you got right into the thick of them. One can, in theory, continue on 16th Avenue eastward to the Alfred A. Ring Park entrance and there explore even more of Gainesville's diverse ecosystems, depsite being a stone's throw from subdivisions and houses with swimming pools. The boardwalk therefore not only makes for a great means of getting from 16th Avenue over to 8th Avenue (or of course, the other way around) but also a nice diversion into the woods to just get away from your busy life for a moment or two.

I love State Parks and if I'm in the area even while camping in the RV at a different State Park I…read moreusually will visit other parks that are in the vicinity, there are so many State Parks in Florida it seems I always find one to visit for the first time. We arrived here mid-morning on a weekday, so there wasn't many visitors in the park and we were able to drive the winding roads much of it under the tree canopy and well under the posted speed limit. We started out at the visitor center which if pretty amazing here at Paynes Prairie SP it has a lot of interactive displays and a short film outlining the park's history and amenities. The staff here is so welcoming and quick to answer any questions and provided us some details of what the park has to offer and what you can expect to see during any season. It's impossible to see and do everything in one trip so I had a few things I wanted to accomplish during our visit in only a few hours - besides walking a few of the beautiful trails, I wanted to catch a glimpse of the bison and wild horses that roam the prairie, there are a few vantage points to do this in the park starting with telescopes inside the visitors center and a deck in the backyard there, but I was more interested in getting closer to nature so we headed for the beautiful observation tower located just a few hundred feet further down the concrete path and wow what a view. Well today the bison and wild horses were no where to be found due to the temperatures but we did see some of the smaller animals roaming through the brush and wooded areas so it was a good day. The parks is very well maintained and has many things in place so you can make the most of your visit including a beautiful pier, a boat launch, Pavilions with charcoal grills, clean restrooms, a gift shop inside the visitor center, lots of well marked hiking trails, plenty of paved parking lots and a beautiful campground with large private sites. This park is definitely worth a visit and one I'd love to return to again and again...

What a beautiful park! So many trails to take advantage and never enough time!…read more Great and helpful staff (who will allow you to loan binoculars if you forgot yours and give you ideas on which trails are best for you based on what you are looking to experience) If you are in the area and are a nature nut (like me), come and take a look around. We saw deer, alligators and plenty of birds in our short excursion!

We had an amazing hike through Loblolly Woods Nature Park. It was so peaceful and serene listening…read moreto the small creek and the birds. The park is located near the Solar Walk so you could easily do both if you choose. The nature path is well covered by the trees which I was very thankful for especially in the Florida heat that was in the 90s already. The paths do have lots of tree roots so you must be steady on your feet. They do offer several bridges that you can walk on.

This is another hidden activity spot in Gainesville. Everyone knows about the Planet Walk on 8th…read moreave. As you turn onto 8th ave from 34th st and go East, there is a representation of the sun and all the planets of our solar system, on the side of the street, to give you an idea of how far apart all the planets are. Well, on each side of 8th ave is Loblolly Nature Park, with bike/walking paths, a huge boardwalk, dirt hills for mountain bike jumping, and clear streams that keep Gainesville's watershed flowing. You can park at Massey Park across the street, or just pedal here from home and enjoy the trails. Lots of fun and things to discover!

BE ADVISED THIS PARK IS CLOSED UNTIL APRIL 2027 FOR RENOVATIONS…read more Nice trails offering easy trails to hike. Plenty of benches to sit and take in nature or take a break on the hot days.

Biven's Arm Nature Park is all the way down at the very end of South Main St. People speed down in…read morethis section, so be extra careful in coming and going! Once you get in the park, there is plenty of parking along with restrooms and a water fountain, as well. The picnic area, where you can rest or have a meal with friends and family, also has a large swing for recreation. This park feels somewhat isolated because of its location, and that adds a nice feeling of privacy. There is a large, covered deck with seating for about 50 people to have meetings, gatherings or even a wedding, if so inclined! The deck seems to have an overlook towards the end, but there is no view because of the overgrowth of vegetation. There is a lake there, but you have to go on the trails to get a good look at it. Bring a water bottle and fill it up, before you go hiking, as it gets pretty hot, depending on the season. It's not an amazing place, but it is quite peaceful and well-kept. If you are lucky, you might see a hawk or large woodpecker, as well as smaller birds.