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.

While waiting for our dog at UF small animal hospital, we decided to spend some time touring around…read moreand we happen to cross Millhopper State Park. And we noticed that there was a sink hole that promised a beautiful view. It was a long way down in a long way up, but the scenery. The view was very beautiful, clean fresh air, and it seemed to be a very popular place. If you haven't been here I would highly recommend you give it a look. It's very well worth a walk and the exercise and fresh air is good for you. The only thing that kind of bothered me was the honor system for people to go down and visit the sinkhole. It's only two dollars per person or four dollars a car load. People were not donating or picking up after their dogs. The park is beautiful but I bet it would be stunning during spring.

Such a great attraction and landmark to visit! You really feel one with nature and history standing…read moreat the bottom of this sinkhole! Low cost and safe! There are a lot of stairs so unfortunately not accessible for those who cannot climb up and down stairs but the nature park is still pretty!

Today, I saw:the same sandhill crane family trio I saw last week, baby gators cooing under a…read moreboardwalk, 400 nesting cattle egrets, twp ospreys, baby anhingas in a nest, three green herons, and got three people to follow my Instagram! What a great Florida day!!

This 125 acre wetland park located in Gainesville has 3.5 miles of crushed gravel trails and…read moreboardwalks. We experienced the lush Florida landscape from a covered platform. The swamp marsh wetland is a great aquatic environment for central Florida plants and animals including alligators, birds and insects. Bathrooms are at the entrance. Open an hour before sunrise and closes an hour after sunset and is free to enter.

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 saw some alligators swimming around. Lots of turtles too. Bird watching is fun. The fountain is…read morepretty. They need to have an available washroom. The hours at the nearby bars are not convenient.

I am so glad this park is here! There are two names. Tom Petty Park is the baseball field and the…read morerest of it is Northeast Park....I think! Either way, this is where I come to do my birding! So many species of bird flit( warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers, and bluebirds, mostly) around here, ignoring all the construction that is going on near the baseball diamonds. It is a dog park, picnic area, or tai chi spot. You could have food under one of the pavilions, or just spread a blanket on the flat ground and ingest your deliciousness! Either way, it is a peaceful place to hang out in, walk through or enjoy activities with your dog or signif other! I come here at least three times a week!

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.

A great place to start your adventure and exploration of the Prarie…read more I recently stopped by the Payne's Prairie Preserve State Park Visitor Center in Micanopy, Florida, and it was a fantastic experience! Yes, you do pay the $6 per vehicle entrance fee to enter the state park, and it's a bit of a drive from the main gate along the park road to reach the parking lot. From there, you walk a short distance to the center itself. But once you arrive, it's absolutely worth it. The Visitor Center is very nice and modern building with large floor-to-ceiling windows directly across from teh entrance offering great views of the prairie itself. The staff, specifically Brad, was very helpful, The sets of displays provide an good overview of the prairie's natural and cultural history through interactive exhibits. There is also a short film in the theater room about the location. I really liked the observation area and spotting scopes. One scope was perfectly trained on a bald eagle perched about two miles away. I thought that was an incredible sight! It made the whole prairie feel alive and gave us a real sense of the wildlife that calls this special place home (wild horses and bison live here too). There is a small gift shop, restrooms, and the building provides easy access to trails and an observation tower nearby. It's a perfect starting point to understand and appreciate this unique place. If you're in the Gainesville area, make time for Payne's Prairie. The Visitor Center is a hidden gem that turns a simple stop into a memorable visit. I highly recommended it.

We took advantage of our Florida State Park Pass (saved us the $6 entrance fee) and took a drive to…read morethe park. This is a beautiful park to drive or hike. The drive in and to the visitor center is so pretty! The trees make a nice, shady canopy. You can see various animals from the observation tower, open range or hiking. It was late afternoon and hot when we were there so we didn't see much (one deer!) and I'm sure the animals were in the shade somewhere.

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!

Loblolly is a wonderful park that has trails I didn't know existed. It really makes you feel like…read moreyou're in the thick of Florida nature! I visited for an Alachua Audubon birding field trip and it was wonderful! It does have some uneven areas in the trail so I suggest bringing hiking boots.

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.

I have driven by this park countless times over the years and today, I finally took the time to…read morecheck this park out. Overall, this park is a nice enough place and while not a huge park, it was a nice enough respite from the day to day grind and hustle of the modern world. I enjoyed the nature trail and the overall feel of the place. It also had adequate parking. I would definitely recommend here and I will give it five stars overall. Go check it out for yourself if you find yourself in Gainesville, Florida.

This wasn't far off the highway and was a great place to take a break for our toddler to run around…read moreon a long drive. The playground was well kept and had slides and swings. I'll keep it in mind for next time we are driving through.

On the road leaving FL we stopped here to take a walk with our dogs, decent size parking areas,…read moredecent restrooms, they have a children's park ground area, tennis/pickleball court, really enjoyed the small nature walk trail with some benches to sit. They also have some picnic tables that are covered which would be great for a small kids or outdoor gathering. It's not very far off the highway which is why we decided to stop here. It's definitely a well kept area worth exploring if you're looking for some fresh air and enjoying the nature view. We would be back if nearby again with our pups.