Central Heights is an area located in the heart of Tampa, Florida and is one of the older parts of the city. It consists of mainly cozy single-family homes, small businesses, and schools. The area dates back to around 1948 and since then, has developed into a community with large residential yards, sidewalks for you and your pup to go for walks on, and several dog-friendly parks in the area. There are also a few pet stores and groomers within driving distance. Towards the western edge of the community is the Hillsborough River with plenty of trails for you and your pup to enjoy.
This part of Tampa experiences winters that are perfect for taking your dog out for a walk with average temperatures between the 50s and 70s. Summers here can be quite hot with temperatures running from the mid-eighties to the high nineties, so be prepared with water and other things to keep cool when venturing out.
Like much of Central Florida, Central Heights is quite flat. While level ground like this might not present much of a walking challenge to a highly athletic dog, it might be the perfect solution for those who have a doggy with a bit of a pudge problem or one who is getting older and is no longer able to take on challenging terrain. One thing to think about is that, as an older community, many of the streets do not have sidewalks for you and your pooch to walk on. If you must walk along the roads, be sure to keep your pooch on a short leash and walk against the traffic so you can see vehicles approaching. If you want more challenging walking terrain, you and your dog will need to hop in the car and take a trip out to the coast where the two of you will find plenty of trails in the wildlands.
Central Heights is a crowded area of Tampa with very little in the way of green space for you and your pup to enjoy. In fact, if you want a park to play in or larger areas of grass and trails to enjoy, you will have to drive to them. Most of the homes in the communities that make up the Central Heights area have nice large yards with plenty of shady trees.
One of the nicer parks in the Central Heights area is Rivercrest Park on the east bank of the Hillsborough River. Here you and your dog can spend time playing in the grass or walking along the Rivercrest Trail. As with any park in the Tampa area that is dog-friendly, if you want them to stay that way, you must be prepared to clean up your dog's messes and help keep the parks clean!