Forest Dog Park

Gainesville, Florida is a big town, at over a quarter million people, that is really a college town. The University of Florida has over 50,000 students, and an extremely strong college football team, the Gators. The energy of the fans of Florida football is remarkable, even a little fearsome. 

The reputation Gator fans have for being crazy even exceeds that of the fans of other teams in the SEC. But sports aside, Gainesville is still a college town, with lots of cultural experiences. There are music venues, libraries, and museums all over Gainesville. 

And, there are also a lot of really neighborhood parks. Take Forest Park, for instance. Forest Park in Gainesville, Florida is a nice, basic park. Forest Park is not huge, but it has everything that a park should have, a good soccer and/or football field, a couple of basketball courts, a picnic shelter with outdoor barbeque grills, a playground, and a nice dog park. 

There is nothing unusual about this park, but there is nothing missing, either. Plenty of parking? Check. Good lighting? Check. Lush grass? Absolutely. So although the park doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, it is exactly what it needs to be- a very good neighborhood park. 

The dog park at Forest Park is also a nice, no-frills affair. The park is one acre that is fenced in. There is no small dog section, but the park is big enough that dogs who play here have plenty of space. There are poop bags, trash cans, and a water fountain for both people and their puppies. 

There's a couple of benches and a picnic table within the park at the far end of the park, under some shade trees. At this end of the park, there is a lot of sandy soil, perfect for dogging and rolling in. Dogs are allowed, even encouraged, in the rest of Forest Park beyond the dog park. However, your dog will need to be leashed in the rest of the park.