A rare bit of greenery in what is rapidly becoming an over-developed neighborhood- great spot to…read moreread a book from the nearby library or take a lunch break if you're an employee of South Miami Hospital

This park is named in honor of the city's first woman commissioner, Jean Willis. Willis served on…read morethe South Miami City Council from 1956 to 1978. She is remembered for focusing her political career on South Miami beautification. Jean Willis passed away in August of 2001. Jean Willis Park is 3/4 of an acre and located next to the South Miami Police Department. In 1991 the Flowering Tree Society donated more than 60 flowering trees including crape myrtle, butterfly tree, China doll, firecracker plant, bell flower and white candles along with labor and planting materials. It was the organization's first public landscaping project and the first passive park in South Miami dedicated to flowering trees. Today the park features a gazebo, picnic benches and a variety of native flowering trees which attract birds. South Miami Senior High School students constructed a pair of trellises to anchor both ends of the park in 2013. I enjoyed checking out the unusual trees like the colvillea, cordia sebestena, and the silk-floss tree. Jean Willis Park is the perfect place to relax, enjoy a picnic, and bask in nature.

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.

I really enjoy any chance that I get to come to the Women's Park. It is very low key and has a nice…read moretrail for walking and biking along the center lake. I find it to be very peaceful here. The park also includes a little butterfly garden area. The butterflies are mostly seen during Spring time. Additionally, they have a pavilion to rent for parties and a little playground for the kids. There are also wooden benches alongside the park with bbq racks. If you're in the west Flagler area, check it out! A park dedicated to Women, yay!

I had been wanting to go try out this park with my small dog for a long time. Today, I finally had…read morethe opportunity to take him and check it out. Before making the drive, I saw on the apple maps that it was a "pets welcome" park. Upon arriving at the park I had just began my walk when an old white woman (seemed to be a park employee) advised me that pets were not allowed in the park. She asked if my dog was a service animal and he was not wearing his vest at the time but I let her know he was actively in training and she began to interrogate me on whether I had bags to pick up his poop (which I did and showed her) and let me know that people will complain about him being in the park. During my ONE lap around the park, I was told to leave after we finished one singular lap. I actually had 2 positive interactions with different park visitors acknowledging my dog in a very happy manner. The park employee seemed to be the only one bothered by myself and my dog being there. We were not bothering anybody, we were practicing his training, and instead of harassing me, she should've been focused on all of the duck poop that coats the sidewalk. It is impossible to even walk in a straight line without having to worry about stepping in a fresh puddle of duck poop. She admitted that people bring their dogs to the park all the time, why were we treated so poorly as if we also don't have a right to simply take a walk around the lake? I even attached the picture stated that the park is pet welcoming. This has never happened to us before in any other park regardless of whether there are no pets allowed signs or not.

The Doral White Course Park was built on the former Doral County Club's White Course Golf Course…read more Established in 2000, the course was closed in 2015. The land was then sold for mixed use redevelopment. Across the road the four Trump National Doral courses are still open for play. This park opened on May 4, 2022. It was designed with input from area residents. A highlight of the park is the shade covered imaginative golf themed playground. There are spinners, swings, climbing structures, and slides including a corkscrew. I love that the playground has a soft artificial turf to protect knees and bottoms. The park also has outdoor fitness stations, a multi- purpose green space area, fenced dog area, restrooms, practice putting green, and picnic shelters and tables. Landscape lighting with overhead and walkway lighting and security cameras were also added to the park. Another feature is a boardwalk that connects this park to the Downtown Doral Parking Lot. A Doral sign added to the park was a gift from the Miami Association of Realtors. This park is a tranquil retreat from the stress of everyday life. I enjoyed walking through the park while taking in the beautiful landscaping and visiting birds. This park is an important space for the people living in the high rise mixed use development. Doral White Course Park is a safe and convenient place to take the kids and dogs to play, work out and exercise on the free equipment, or just have a picnic.

The park is well-maintained, making it ideal for both toddlers and older kids…read more It offers plenty of shade and enjoys a pleasant breeze throughout most of the day. Thank you for a great time.

A nice little park. It has a strip of grass with picnic areas and an enclosed dog park. The…read morehighlight is the fishing pier that juts over Biscayne Bay. No restrooms. The water fountain doesn't work.

The North Bayshore William Lehman Park is named in honor of U.S. Representative William M. Lehman…read more(October 5, 1913 - March 16, 2005). Lehman was a used-car salesman, teacher, and school board chairman. He is most remembered for his political career where he oversaw transportation issues in the U.S. for 10 years as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee where he oversaw highways, seaports, and mass-transit systems. He was a champion of civil rights and transportation. William Lehman Elementary School in Miami, Florida, and the William Lehman Causeway are also named after him. William Leman Park was dedicated on February 5, 1984. Park amenities include a dog park, fishing pier with wash stations, a tiki hut with picnic tables, benches, and outdoor exercise equipment. While many people come here to fish I enjoyed walking the boardwalk and taking in the views of the intracoastal and Miami Beach. Whether taking the pups to play, working out, fishing, or just taking in the view, North Shore William Lehman Park is a fun park to explore and enjoy the North Bayshore coastal community.

Miami River Rapids Park is a pocket park across from the Miami River. Pocket parks are generally…read moreless than a half acre in size and can have different amenities for the public. This type of mini park arose from a desire in communities to have places for kids to play instead of another building or wasted vacant land. This small park is located on the north fork of the Miami River which drains out of the Everglades and runs 5.5 miles through downtown Miami before ending at the Miami Canal at Miami International Airport to Biscayne Bay. The park and this area of Miami takes it's name from when the river was in its natural, unaltered state. The river used to have rapids formed by water from the Everglades flowing over a rocky ledge four miles from its mouth. The rapids were removed when the Miami Canal was dredged in an attempt to drain the wetland. The park is just down the street from the $750 million dollar Tides and Moorings at River Rapids, a two building, 593 unit development being built. Next to the park is the Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services, Miami's only 24 hour/ 7 day a week youth shelter and family crisis center. The park has a basketball hoop, tables and chairs, and a sand volleyball court for use by the children being serviced by the center.

Veterans Park is located in the south part of the city. It is what is called a pocket park. Pocket…read moreparks are generally less than a half acre in size and can have different features that are accessible to the public. Pocket parks arose from the desire in the community to have places for kids to play instead of another building on the vacant land. Veterans Park is one of the newer parks, the land was acquired by the city in 2009. It is just .59 acres and for many years the park only contained a gazebo but in 2019 the city added a new playground which made the park more inviting to families with young children. In 2021 the park which was previously named Dison Park was renamed Veterans Park in honor of the service Veterans provide in protecting the country. There is an American flag and a Missing in Action Prisoner of War flag at the entrance to the park. For such a small piece of land Veterans Park has a number of valuable amenities. There are paved walkways, a covered playground with climbing structures and slides, a swing set, a gazebo, benches, and a grill. While the much larger Dante Fascell Park is only a few blocks away, Veterans Park fills a valuable need in the community for a safe place for children to play.

This is basically what I would call a green not really a park. But it sits nicely inside a semi…read morecircle of nice homes. One of them is an historical home - see my other review its called the H R Howell House. This is what the web said about it.. Ken Mattingly Park was originally named Deer Park. It was rededicated to honor Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II, a Naval Aviator and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy who attended school in the City of Hialeah. Later becoming an astronaut, Ken Mattingly flew as the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 16, making him one of very few who have successfully flown to the moon.

The city of Hialeah was named by a Seminole Indian named Willie Willie, When developer James Bright…read moreasked him to describe the property, he called it Hi-ale-ah, translating to pretty prairie or high prairie. Bright was from Missouri where he made his money in cattle. He came to Miami in 1909 and bought 640 acres of submerged land northwest of the city. He dug the Miami canal and pumped out the land. He joined with famed aviator and developer Glenn Curtiss and incorporated Hialeah in 1921. The Deer Creek neighborhood that this park is in was once an airfield for Glenn Curtiss. This park is just an open green space in the middle of the neighborhood. The most interesting thing about it was that it was named in honor of astronaut Ken Mattingly. Originally named Deer Park it was renamed to honor Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II who was born in Chicago, Illinois. Mattingly attended school in Hialeah, Florida, where he was active in the Boy Scouts of America and he achieved second highest rank, Life Scout. He attended Miami Edison High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Auburn University in 1958. He went on to become a Naval Aviator and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. Mattingly flew on the Apollo 16, STS-4 and STS-51-C missions. He later flew as Command Module pilot for Apollo 16 to the moon becoming one of only 24 people to have flown there. This is a pretty quiet park for such an esteemed person. I didn't see any amenities. The only ones I saw enjoying the park on the day I visited was a group of ducks.