Gainesville is lucky to have so many great parks and playgrounds for kids. My kids have swung, spun, and raced through many of them ... and definitely have their favorites!
Here’s a list of our family’s top five favorite parks and playgrounds in and around Gainesville, and the reasons we love them:
Northeast Park
Location: 400 NE 16th Ave., Gainesville
Hours: Seven days a week, sunrise to sunset
Walking/jogging trails: Yes
Playground: Yes
Picnic tables: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes
Restrooms: Yes
Cost: Free
What Beau and I love: Off Northeast 16th Avenue, tucked behind the baseball fields and tennis courts, past the fenced-in dog park and open walking trails is a huge playground just waiting for kids of all ages to climb and jump and swing.
Devil’s Millhopper
Location: 4732 Millhopper Road, Gainesville
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday
Walking/jogging trails: Yes
Playground: No
Picnic tables: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes, on a leash
Restrooms: Yes
Cost: $4 per vehicle; $2 for pedestrians and bicyclists
What Beau and I love: How many steps must one climb down — and then back up — to view this one-of-a-kind state park hidden amidst the sandy terrain and pine forest of North Central Florida? 232.
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
Location: 100 Savannah Blvd., Micanopy
Hours: 8 a.m.-sundown, seven days a week
Walking/jogging trails: Yes
Playground: No
Picnic tables: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes, with the exception of some of the trails
Restrooms: Yes
Cost: $4-$6 per vehicle; $2 for pedestrians and bicyclists; camping starts at $18.
What Beau and I love: The 21,000-acre park is home to alligators, bison, wild horses and hundreds of species of birds. Visitors have the chance to see the wildlife in its natural habitat along hiking and equestrian trails, bike paths, picnic areas and on the water by canoe or kayak.
San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park
Location: Bike and equestrian trailhead is at 13201 Progress Blvd., Alachua; hiking trailhead is at 11101 Millhopper Road, Gainesville.
Hours: 8 a.m.-sundown, seven days a week
Walking/jogging trails: Yes
Playground: No
Picnic tables: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes, on a hand-held leash on the hiking trails only
Restrooms: Yes
Cost: $4 per vehicle; $2 for pedestrians and bicyclists
What Beau and I love: With more than 30 miles of cross-country trails, San Felasco Hammock State Park is a mountain-biker’s dream. More than 15 trails of varying distances are interconnected and take riders of all levels up steep climbs, over hills and open fields and across wooded hammocks.
Squirrel Ridge
Location: 1603 SW Williston Road, Gainesville
Hours: Seven days a week, sunrise to sunset
Walking/jogging trails: No
Playground: Yes
Picnic tables: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes
Restrooms: No
Cost: Free
What Beau and I love: The two fenced-in, off-leash dog parks — one for big dogs, one for small dogs — nestled behind a large open field and small playground is a favorite of our four-legged friends.
That’s our top 5 list for favorite parks and playgrounds in and around Gainesville, but I bet your kids have their own favorites! Let me know what’s on your family’s list for Alachua’s best parks and playgrounds by leaving me a note on Facebook or emailing me at alexisr@macaronikid.com. I’ll be doing more Gainesville playground and park reviews in the near future, so I would love to have your input!
