The most memorable park in Ocala! I have to admit I did not see it all so I will be going back…read moreshortly to see so much more. I was at peace just walking a bit sipping coffee and taking in the calm and beauty. There is much to see at Shalom Park it's very beautiful place to be. When I was there they were having a yoga class it was so nice to see. I walked around and spoke to some lovely people they mostly were enjoying some morning exercise. I'm sorry that I missed the zen garden but this just gives me an excuse to go back faster. It's obvious that many frequent this park for so many reasons you can easily see. It's lovely, peaceful, clean and you feel pretty safe comparatively. They have activities here from what I've read and the yoga class is proof of this but I think there is much more that I need to explore and check the calendar for to see and know for myself. There are 2 miles of trails, the zen garden, an area called the Labryrinth where you can take a physical, spiritual or meditative walk along its winding path. Stop along it's 24 points of reflection and create your own Labryinth experience. Labryinth's have one way in and one way out come in and form your own perspective enjoying this relaxed atmosphere. The Pergebo was magnificent as I felt so much happiness being there. It is part gazebo and part pergola, I didn't even know such a thing existed until now! It's covered in confederate jasmine and blossoms in the spring with tiny white fragrant flowers. This is located on the path at the end of the olive trees! I enjoyed the pond so much with all the beautiful fish and sounds of the falling water. You can feed the fish and see them all come at once jumping out at you. Gorgeous Koi such beautiful colors. Sit on a bench and relax if you'd like there are many all around the park for you to enjoy. They say the pavilion is often used for educational purposes and horticulture events and that there are often presentations that people can escape the sun or rain showers. The stage is where I had seen the yoga class taking place. They have weddings, live concerts, the parks sunset series and much more on the stage throughout the year. Mounted on the stage, The Peace Panels display quotes of peace by renowned authors, musicians, and political leaders! The olive tree promenade has 18 trees on each side 18 is the symbol of peace; the number 18 is the symbol of life,and many couples use this as their entry way for marriage. The formal gardens is an area where there is lot's of live large oak trees, colorful bushes and lot's of foliage all around in a nice quiet shaded atmosphere. People often gather here for a picnic, wedding or just to enjoy and relax and enjoy the environment. The bat house can hold 800 bats during the night. Bats are a natural way of achieving insect control in the park and each bat can consume 6-8,000 insect every night! There is so much more to see and encounter at Shalom Park I encourage you to visit and explore. The story of Shalom Park from their website: As with most great achievements, Sholom Park began as a vision, born in the hearts of Sidney and Ina Colen. Inspired by a visit to Boston Gardens, Sholom Park was created for a purpose; to provide a place where the pursuit of inner peace and learning may be enhanced and enjoyed. The park was named after Sidney Colen's grandfather, Sholom, which is also the Hebrew word for peace. The park does not serve a political or religious agenda or belief system After years of conceptualizing the vision, a master plan for the park was developed in 1999 and the park concepts began to take shape. In 2001, horticulturist, Steve Curl was hired to oversee the final design and construction of Sholom Park as the vision came to life. On October 17, 2004, Sholom Park celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting along with hundreds of friends and supporters. Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM Address: 7110 SW 80th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34481 Phone: 352) 854-3677 Email: info@sholompark.org Wheelchair accessible *** Bike racks available ***

Wow! WoW! Wow! I think this park is profoundly under the radar and simply not well known enough…read more This isn't just some playground with a path. In fact, there is no playground equipment at all. What it does offer, though, is everything one could want in a natural setting. You can walk for a little while or lose yourself in it for much longer. The paths are easy, accessible, and thoughtfully laid out, with enough variation to keep things interesting from start to finish. It never feels repetitive, which is rare. The labyrinth was genuinely enjoyable, with multiple points of interest throughout. Subtle shifts in sound and visual texture keep you engaged, yet everything remains grounded in simple nature, shaped by the hands of men.. nothing artificial or forced, just an intentional design that draws you in. The crowning glory moment for me was the Zen garden. I cannot remember the last time I felt that level of calm and stillness. It has a way of centering you almost immediately. I would have stayed longer, but I needed a restroom, which unfortunately was closed at the time. This is a place I will return to without hesitation. My mother has yet to see it, and I already know she is going to love it.

I have yet to find a better dog park. My family thoroughly enjoys visiting this park. The area is…read morewell maintained and there is plenty for you and your pups to enjoy. The park offers an area for the small dogs to play safely with one another and a larger section for the big dogs to roam around together. We have a Dachshund and an Australian Shepherd. Both of our dogs find themselves running around the larger area. The park offers plenty of space for your pup to play as desired. There are several obstacles available and plenty of tennis balls and other toys that they can play with. There is a large pavilion area that the pet parents can sit under while the dogs are out playing. One of my favorite parts is that there is a well beaten path that follows the perimeter of the park so you can walk with your pups. Water has always been available in multiple spots for the dogs. The dog park is a section of the overall park with play area for children and other activity areas. There are restrooms close by that have always been well maintained.

Searching for True Love & Forgiveness? Talk to GOD and get a…read moreDOG! #ReflectDogs Love & Forgiveness After visiting this dog park it's easy to understand why most of the other ones in the area don't have any dogs at them. Parking is very close to the gate and once you enter the main gate you have a decision of either going to the big park or the small dog park. The big dog park is ginormous with two big sunken fields for the dogs to run and play in. There are some agility items in them and also a nice covered gazebo with benches and picnic tables underneath it. There is a nice wide walking path all the way around the top outside of the dog park with seating and concrete areas with pools on them for the dogs to play in. You can park fairly close and there is a very nice walking trail in case you want to take your dog for a walk

Well kept, my Anatolian shepherd does the happy dance a mile from the park…read more People are attentive to their pets, there is ample water everywhere, and she can run full tilt! They have a flag system to mark stool and keep the grounds in excellent t condition. Grateful for this place!

Basic field for dogs to run around in. Clean and well maintained. Nice to have this asset available…read morefor dogs.

When you find a chill lowkey park that has a ton of trees some walking paths some playgrounds and a…read morecave you know it's gonna be a chill beautiful time! Coming here I didn't really know what to expect but I will say it definitely hit the vibe for being the chill relaxing place we needed to spend a few hours enjoying the beautiful weather as well as scenery that this awesome park has to offer! Overall if I lived here I'd come here often as it was just that chill and peaceful as well as the nature vibe to escape the city for a bit!

While tooling around Ocala recently, my husband and I stumbled upon the Scott Springs Park…read more It has lush green space to picnic or frokic on. Its got a Bike track for BMX and a large playground with clean, modern styles. The highlight here for me was the walk down to the sink hole/spring. Its a lovely bit of Florida history. Last year, there was water in the sinkhole. Today it has mostly become a dry pit with a boil at tue back, beneath the rocks. There was a turtle taking advantage of the little pool of water. Truly a nice park to visit

The park itself is great. It's separated into large and small dog areas and has water fountains for…read moredogs and people. There's even about five pieces of agility equipment, including a nice ramp up and down. Always fine when it was just me and another guy with his standard poodle. Then some yahoo, let his pack of four husky mixes immediately charge into the park, and one of them ran right up to my dog with its teeth, bared and growling. No words from that owner. My words? "Time to go." We've spent too much on this shelter dog to risk anything. Back to sniffspots.

Trying to get a simple yes or no answer & basically flipped off…read more To no response &. Whatever it was something else( Do I have to be a resident of the Villages to use dog parks in their area?

Only GOD forgives you faster than your DOG! #ReflectDogs…read moreLove & Forgiveness What an awesome dog park. From all the old growth trees with Spanish moss growing in them to the Island like feel. Poop bag dispenser and a watering station right in the middle of the park. Multiple places to sit all around the park that are all shaded and cool. Parking is right next to the dog park and there is plenty of it

Fantastic dog park. There's a side for smaller pups also. The grounds are maintained and there are…read morecomfy benches and a water fountain. It's not the fanciest park I've been to, but it was comfy and lovely.

Great experience for our pup and for us. Accessible, walkable, fenced-in property with trails and a…read moresmall pond that every single dog there got into. Very friendly local members made us feel welcomed from the start. We purchased a day pass, for a very reasonable fee, that included an outdoor wash down area when we were ready to leave.

We had a blast visiting Bark Central today! Charlie loved roaming the 10 acres and hopping in and…read moreout of the pool. We met a few other friendly dogs! Charlie is exhausted now as we head home. Would definitely come visit again. Check the office hours before coming if it's your first day. And you'll need to bring vaccination records. I paid $10/day visit. I think it's $30/month. And I paid $7 to wash Charlie and use their shampoo/brushes/water/towels. There is also a rinse off station outside and a blow dryer outside. 10/10

Small park with beautiful clean walking trails. Free entrance, free parking, restrooms, boat…read morelaunch. Beautiful trees with Spanish moss. I saw rabbits, cardinal, squirrels.

Great walk today with our dog!!! Nice shaded walk. Good surface to walk on. Dog waste stations a…read moreplus!!!

I have 2 dogs, my most outgoing dog doesn't like this at all. My shy baby is fine with it. It's…read morenext to a highway and the sounds are very loud. Then you have golf carts going along the other side. One day, a golf cart backfired next to the park, sounded like a firework and that's the end of that. I keep trying to take her. She use to run up to the gate, now she won't get out of the cart. So, if you have a sound sensitive baby like me, not place for you.

The park area itself is lovely. The plants, trees, lake, birds, walking paths, etc. beautiful and…read morewell maintained. The sectioned off dog park is grass, has a side for small dogs and a side for large dogs. Bring your poop bag. There are rules posted, mostly common sense and consideration of others. I suggest we all need to pay attention with new or unknown dogs in any closed area, just to be sure they are all friendly.

Kicking off the new year on a new trail - and it was a great one! This trail is part of the Majorie…read moreHarris Carr Cross Florida Greenway that stretches from the Gulf to the St Johns River, the Greenway is a Florida State Park. This address takes you to the Landbridge Trailhead (approximately 1.4 miles NE of the actual I-75 Landbridge) and has separate parking and trails for equestrians -vs- hikers and bikers which is nice. There are bathrooms, a water bottle filler, a bike wash station, a few picnic tables, a bike tool station (although the air hose was cut) and all of it very well maintained given the impressive number of acres. The mountain bike trail intersected the paved trail so when we had enough bumps (hello, beginner here?!) we could take the paved trail a little while longer and all the back, thank goodness.

Great hike easy to moderate difficulty (not totally flat) make sure to bring water and stay…read morehydrated interesting to stand above I75 and watch the traffic pass below