What an incredible local find. I literally just googled things to do with kids in Athens, GA. I was shocked first that it was free, so we traveled about 30 minutes from my daughters home. What a serene park, with a smaller zoo but was so nice. The tree coverage was perfect and it was a nice little journey into nature. There were bald eagles, owls, snakes, alligator, otter, red fox, and my favorite bears! I have never been so close to bears. The park is well kept and I was very impressed by the grounds. Nice little zoo takes about 30-45 minutes to walk through. Follow signs to park to see zoo signs. They also have a very nice public pool. This is a great spot for kiddos. This would be perfect for a picnic. And it's FREE! Very nice spot to visit. read more

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Absolutely gorgeous park. We bring our dog here for walks around the pond and to go to the do park. The park is well maintained with plenty of trash cans throughout. The dog park is full of responsible owners, I've never had a problem here. read more

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The park is great. Very tranquil place with a nice little forest area, paved path, tables, shelter, playground, bathrooms, water fountains and more. The geese here are spoiled, mean and spicy. Annoying if you're on the path and passing them each time. They'll fall back if you stand down, but I think it's only a matter of time before they bite someone. read more

What can beat a free place to take the kids to see animals? A free Zoo! This is the 2nd time that I have been here. Memorial Park contains the Bear Hollow Zoo. They also have nature trails, a park for dogs, a playground, public swimming pool, fishing, basketball courts and children programs here at the park. Though this review is just for the Bear Hollow Zoo. The zoo offers wild-life programs, children programs, birthday parties and live animal exhibits that include birds such as the great horned owl, bald eagle (which is such a beautiful bird), barred owl, Indian runner duck, wild turkeys and a red tailed hawk. For mammals they have beavers, a bobcat, woodchuck, white tailed deer, opossum and a black bear. For Reptiles, Amphibians & Insects they have snakes, frogs, turtles and a few alligators. This is a great place for anyone who is visiting Athens. I'd recommend coming to the Zoo for a while and afterwards head on down to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. They are literally just 2.8 miles from each other (about 6 minutes away). [Review #279] (Thirty Nine Review of 2015) read more

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I love that this park is right georgia`s campus . It has a beautiful lake. It is not to busy . It is a great place to walk your dog. It is also a good place to jog. There is a place where you can do pushups . It would be better to go on the weekend. read more

As a dog owner, I have mixed feelings about this place. I do think that this is the best available space for a large, fenced-in dog area in Athens. The ground in the park is mainly dirt so it's easy for your dog to get dirty. However, the area is very large and has grassier terrain in some places but some owners fail to pick up after their dogs in those areas. I also tend to get bit by mosquitoes like no other in the dog park so that sucks. The surrounding lake is in bad shape- dirty but still littered with ducks so it's an awful trap for dogs who like to chase ducks and swim. WARNING for any PUPPIES: My puppy got papilloma from this park (I can't be 100% certain but I'm super cautious of keeping my puppy up to date on shots, monitoring her interactions, and remembering where she's gone and it's very likely this park) I'm sure that as college students, many people don't get their dogs fully vaccinated or fail to give them the proper treatment for such a disease (papilloma is highly infectious and dogs should be isolated) so I would take any precautions possible such as preventing your dog from sharing water with other dogs. read more

We didn't get a chance to go to the "zoo" but we took our puppy to the dog park there to get him acquainted with other dogs. Thank you everyone who picks up their dog's poo, we only saw one pile (that person is a terrible person). Friendly people, friendly dogs. If you have an unfriendly dog-YOU NO TAKE YOUR DOG TO DOG PARK! :) The dog park is located next to the bathrooms across the pond. It's big and there's lots of room to run and be happy, I don't suggest bringing a ball or any other personal toy if you go fri-sun, other dogs will steal it or every dog will chase it. read more

Fun nature park in Athens. They try for a natural habitat viewing experience to educate and inform you on a couple of different Animals. The Animals appear well cared for and seem to be happy. The 3 Bears are well on their way to being full grown! These things were BIG...Sleeping off the hot afternoon when I was there, but it was cool to see them hanging out in the Sun. All and all It's a fun way to spend a couple of hours checking out some wildlife in a Humane and interesting environment. read more

This is the best park ever! I bring my daughter here to play at the playground and they also have a dog park I Bring my two dogs here to play with other dogs. read more

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This is a well kept secret in Athens. It's a very nice park with a large pond, fountains and lots of benches for lunch. It also has a large dog park and what else...a zoo! I was in Athens for two years before I learned there was a zoo. It has rescue animals, from turtles and rodents to bald eagles and bears! It's a very family friendly place, but is also a great spot for anyone with pets or just someone with a few free hours. Totally recommend! read more

Things I like about this park: charming zoo with recovered animals including 2 growing baby bears. Ducks. turtles. lots of space to walk around, playground for kids, picnic shelters. things I don't like: parking can be a problem, sometimes it's so crowded it's not fun anymore, but I guess that's another way to say it's popular. read more

We LOVE this dog park. It's great for dogs who don't get out enough, like to chase balls, love to run around or if you just need to wear your dog out. The dog park is gated and has some woods, it's not an open field. Which is actually much more relaxing. Everyone is so friendly and there are many places to sit. read more

The park is lovely, but the swimming pool is dirty and smelled bad. The water aerobics class is TERRIBLE. The instructor, Kim, acted like a military drill sergeant. She yelled the whole time, yelled people's names -embarrasing, did not give good instructions throughout the class, and never got in the water! Will never go back to her class. The website was not user friendly and did not have a place for reviews. read more

u cannot beat a free park with animals, dog park, playground, grill area, n so much more