Another visit to another Tampa city park, Picnic Island, today. The park is located on the peninsula in South Tampa.
We came here for some hiking and to give our sweet doggie, Sadie, a chance to play in the water with other dogs at the awesome dog park here. First, we did some exploring. There are picnic tables and shelters (may be reserved) in various locations.
The path led to an observation deck overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, Sadie, immediately went for a swim in the cool water.
A smalltrailwandered through a mangrove forest along the shoreline.
Playgroundsare available for children. And this portion of the beach is a popular swimming area, but no pets allowed.
The skyline of Tampa was visible across the bay.
A really nice disc golf course is available at the park. Because Sadie is a frisbee dog, we cannot play when she is with us (because she will run to catch the frisbee and bring it back).
When we arrived at the dog park on the beach, Sadie rushed to meet new friends.
These two dogs would swim quite a distance to retrieve their floating toy. Sadie had fun swimming along with them.
A dog wash area is conveniently located at the exit to the dog beach. Sadie’s heavy coat attracts and retains loads of sand!
While in the dog park, we saw fish jumping in the water and then this large splash. Sure enough, it was a dolphin.
Nearby is a fishing pier that provides a view of the dog beach. This cormorant was sitting atop a pole on the pier.
Sadie was exhausted from all of the swimming and chasing with other dogs. This is one of the best dog parks we have visited. The area was clean and dog owners were as friendly as their dogs. When the dogs are all off-leash, they seem to all get along.
As we were preparing to leave the park, we saw this osprey perched near his nest. A short time later, his mate joined him there.
On our way out of the park, we saw this white egret and little blue heron.
This park is a gem in the Tampa city park system with something for everyone to enjoy. For additional information about this and other city parks, go to www.tampagov.net/parks-and-recreation/featured-parks/picnic-island-park.
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