This is a park located in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Miami. The park is on Wagner Creek…read morewhere the Miami River meets the Seybold Canal. Spring Garden is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Miami. It was settled in the 1840's by William English who built a coontie starch mill. Coontie was used like flour in the Seminole diet. They passed it on the settlers and it became known as Florida's arrowroot. The land Spring Garden Point Park sits on used to be a tourist attraction called Alligator Joe's. In the early 1900's. Warren Frazee also known as Alligator Joe staged an alligator wrestling show for tourists visiting Miami. During the summer he would take alligators and other Florida mammals on tours to northern states. While displaying animals at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition he contracted double pneumonia passing away shortly after at the age of 46. Adjacent to the park is another historic piece of land, the former estate of John Seybold, a German immigrant who came to Miami in 1896. He became a successful baker and bought the property where Alligator Joe's once sat on the Miami River. He developed the neighborhood of Spring Garden named after a spring on the southeast corner of NW 11th Street and NW 8th Street and a garden of oak trees and palms. The Seybold family lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years. Spring Garden experienced significant growth from 1910 to the 1940's. Spring Garden Pointe was created in 1999 when the Spring Garden neighborhood partnered with the Trust for Public Land. This is a passive park where people from the neighborhood like to walk their dogs. There are trees, a paved path, and a couple of benches including an interesting stone one. I enjoyed reading the historic signs and watching the boats as they sailed down the Miami River. This park is on the Miami River Greenway, a 6.2 mile trail that begins at Bayfront Park and ends at NW 24th Ave. The trail links neighborhoods, businesses, cultural attractions, historic sites, and 9 public parks along both banks of the historic Miami River.

This is a super sweet spot, and probably not that well known, maybe until now! (oops sorry). It…read moredefinitely could do with a spruce up. But never the less it has its own charm - it is a small triangular park tucked away in a nice pocket in this area, right on the water. It offer a sweet, old school style atmospheric/ Coral Gables style bench as you enter which unfortunately, (or fortunately depending how you feel about it ) a bin for doggie waste. This bin was over flowing with doggy bags - which in essence is wonderful to see as it means the pooches owners clean up (they were all a lilac colour btw!). However, the stench was b a d, therefore NOONE would ever sit on that bench. I met a lovely couple who owned their own designed property quite close, who kindly told me some history about the place. It IS being spruced up, a new river wall is being built and they are discussing what to do, even talking about a kayak launch. To be honest you could kayak from there already and local people in the know apparently do, but it is essentially NOT on the map YET for this. If the grounds were in a better condition ie no evidence of rubbish, over flowing smelly bins I would give 5 stars... Still if you want a slice of quiet, to watch the ebb and flow of boats slip by you amongst the Miami River, I will see you there!!!!

We had lunch at Glass & Vine next door yesterday, which is apparently connected to or located on…read morePeacock Park. That is how I learned about this City of Miami park. It is open from 7:00 am - 10:00 pm 7 days a week. It is wheelchair accessible and there is a wheelchair accessible parking lot for free. They have a public restroom which is shared with the restaurant. They are dog friendly with dogs on a leash. There are also picnic tables for families. Peacock has a playground that has equipment for all ages, basketball courts, a softball field, and soccer fields. There's also a recreation building/ community center with ping-pong, foosball, and five computers with free Wi-Fi. This is ideal for teenagers. There are also slides and swings for children. (I wasn't able to get pictures of them). It's a very well thought out and well equipped city park.

We didn't get to see each the peacocks roaming the Coconut Grove neighborhood but loved exploring…read morethrough the beautiful park. This park offers it all... playgrounds, ample grass fields, tennis court and a baseball field. It was a beautiful day in Miami and everyone was out enjoying the sunny weather. This park offers a lovely view of the water from its boardwalk, making it a peaceful little escape from the city. It feels like a hidden gem tucked just far enough away to unwind. A big bonus is having Glass & Vine right next door. It's a great spot to grab a bite, and the area is welcoming to both kids and pets. The recreation building is another nice touch, with indoor games like ping pong and foosball, plus computers with free WiFi. I really appreciate how thoughtfully designed this park is. There's something here for every age to enjoy.

Fabulous park with a good amount of green space and lots of benches and tables to chill at. Went…read morefor a walk around this park and appreciate all the trails with nice views and lots of shade. There's even a cute little free library at the nature center. Lots of things to do here so I hope to come again and try some different activities!

Lovely park to hangout with family or friends, walk around and enjoy the freshness of the nature…read more It has enough picnic tables and spots to have some beverages and food. Also enough parking for visitors. Totally recommended to visit.

A beautiful park in Doral!…read more I've known Doral to have so many family friendly parks that are utilized and so happy that my friend showed me Doral Glades Park. I can see why it's coined as the "Glades" because the main part of it is a lake/glades area that has a walkway around the perimeter. It's beautiful and serene and was a great pathway for our morning walk/jog. This park also has playgrounds, one volleyball sand court, one basketball court (with two hoops), and six pickleball courts! Such a great spot for all kinds of activity and very clean and new. They also have some pavillions in case you're looking for a spot for your next party or event. Excited to come back sometime and check out their pickleball courts/community!

Our next summer adventure take us to Doral Glades Park with a category of 4.8 and more than 609…read morereviews this park have what every family need to having a great day together. With a tennis and basketball court for children, a recreation center which has a museum, playground and a pier where you can also fish and if you like walking you can choose to walk the trial around the park. Walking around the park we had contact with different wild animals that made this day something squirrels, iguanas, birds and turtles when enjoying a day so what more could I ask for to say that it was an incredible day in the perfect place.

This park was like hidden gem and I found it when I googled which park was around me…read more What I wanted to do is walk and sit down to relax a little bit. I was able to do some of it but because of the fact that it's not as big I couldn't walk that much. They have free parking.

This is a park located in west Coconut Grove. It is named in honor of poverty activist Elizabeth…read moreVirrick who was born in Winchester, Kentucky in 1897. She studied architecture and interior design at the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University before moving to Miami in 1925 with her husband. During a meeting at the Coconut Grove Civic Club in 1948 she met Pastor Theodore Gibson. Through him she learned about the impoverished living conditions of the community's African American population, many of them Bahamian. Together Gibson and Virrick formed the Coconut Grove Citizens Committee for Slum Clearance to improve sanitation, access to clean water, and garbage pickup in Coconut Grove. Virrick raised money to replace outhouses with plumbing. She then expanded her crusade to other low income African American communities. She tried to stop the I-95 expansion into Overtown which devastated that community. She was more successful with halting the I-95 extension into Coconut Grove. After WWII Verrick continued to work for the betterment of her community. In the 1960s, Virrick was working on President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, a program that promoted fair housing, increased job opportunities, and social service programs. Elizabeth Virrick's name adorns many buildings throughout Miami. The 3.5 acre park that bears her name was designed by architect Kenneth Treister. It is on a parcel of land that borders the historic black and white sections of Coconut Grove. This park was the result of work by Treister, Virrick and Miami City Commissioner Alice Wainwright who also has a park named after her. The park opened in 1963 and in 1970 a pool was added. In 2002 the park was renovated and a new community center was added that was designed with the assistance of Kenneth Treister. In 2006 a library branch was added. In 2017 historical marker F-967 was added to the park. The marker details the many accomplishments of Elizabeth Virrick and it is located near the Coconut Grove Wall of Fame. Today park amenities include the library, basketball courts, restrooms, grills, and picnic tables. The community center provides after school, teen, and camp programs. It has a gymnasium and computers and hosts events for the community. Plans have been in place since 2010 to replace the outdated pool. Right before Covid, funding was getting finalized for an Olympic sized pool that will help children in the community learn to swim. The pipework underneath Elizabeth Street would need to be restructured which will hold up the project. The community has eagerly been waiting for the pool for many years now. I am sure that if Elizabeth Virrick was still alive she would be fighting for them to get it. .

J. Fritz and Frances Gordon Park was designed in the 1920's by renowned landscape architect Donald…read moreRoss. Its lush gardens, rustic fountain plaza and stone and wood-covered walkway give visitors the allusion of walking through a palace garden in the south of Spain. The J. Fritz and Frances Gordon Park contains the historic 1927 Coral Gables Prado Entrance. Coral Gables was planned by George Merrick as one of the first communities in the United States. He started selling lots for it in 1921. Merrick designed the city to have four entry arches. This archway is located at the NW corner of the City of Coral Gables at S.W. 8th Street Tamiami Trail and S.W. 57th Avenue Red Road. In his early planning stages of the city of Coral Gables George Merrick had planned on developing the Country Club Prado section as the city's downtown. In the end he decided to move it east to be closer to the already established towns of Miami, Coconut Grove, and Brickell. This entrance to the city was built by Denman Fink, uncle to Gables founder George Merrick. The archway was designed to look like a Mediterranean plaza. There are two walkways made of brick and stucco with wood trellises covered in bougainvillea. In between the walkways there used to be a reflection pool but it no longer holds waster. There also used to be a waterfall. At each end of the plaza are pedestal water fountains that also no longer hold water. Arches divide the city's grand boulevard and large oak trees stand guard over the park. The fairytale gateway to the city is very popular as a backdrop for photographers. On the day I visited the area was flooded with kids taking their prom pictures. Although parts of the structure are decaying it adds to the Mediterranean charm of the city.

Douglas Park, is an expansive 10-acre site park just outside Coral Gables city limits. In the…read more1930's this site was a Coral Gables rock quarry and dump. By 2013 it was one of seven parks in the area found to be contaminated by heavy metals from the old West Grove incinerator closed in 1970. Residents called it Old Smokey for the thick clouds of dark smoke it bellowed for half a century. Douglas Park was closed for three years to remove antimony, arsenic, barium, copper, iron, and lead from the soil. Miami spent eleven million dollars to decontaminate the parks. To clean Douglas Park the top layers of soil containing heavy metals were excavated and removed and then a protective lining: was installed to prevent any remaining contaminants from reaching the groundwater. Clean soil was then added to the top. Douglas Park reopened on June 29, 2017 and today it is a thriving green space enjoyed by members of the community. I enjoyed the walking trail and the Christmas tree already set up in the park. Other park amenities include a baseball field where there was a game taking place, basketball court, large covered outdoor gym, covered picnic pavilion, a large newly renovated fenced in playground, tennis courts, and a very nice dog park. There is large amounts of open space for play and practice. The wide range of amenities draws crowds and if there is one down side it is that parking spaces are tight and rather limited.

Even when the park is busy, it still manages to feel spacious. That's one of the best attributes of…read morethis Park. Although I typically prefer to stay within the Coral Gables boundaries, crossing Douglas Ave to visit this green space is worth it. If you're walking here, then you don't have to worry about parking. If you're driving here, beware of the limited parking spots within the lot but note that there are plenty of street parking available as well. Walking my dog here is a breeze because there's plenty of lighting and green patches for her to sniff away. If you're coming with your kids, there's plenty of outdoor activities available so it's certainly family-friendly. It's well lit even throughout the evening hours so safety is not an issue.

This park is name in honor of Lt. General José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales (June 14,…read more1845 - December 7, 1896). Maceo was a Cuban general and second-in-command of the Cuban Army of Independence. Antonio Maceo Park is located on the shore of the picturesque Blue Lagoon. There is a boat ramp people can use to access the lagoon. Other park amenities include a community center, bike racks, picnic tables, pavilions, and a playground. Right now the park is a bit of a mess with fences up for construction. The park is scheduled to receive new restrooms, renovation of the concrete boat ramp and floating dock, renovation of the sidewalks and the stationary dock, and renovation of the parking lot. Once the construction is finished I have no doubt that this will be a five star park.

Nice views of the water and decently maintained small park…read more Benches along the water's edge.