Westside Recreation Center

Westside Park is a city park located off 34^th Street at 8^th and really offers a lot. It’s the home of the largest public pool facility in the county, plus baseball diamonds and tennis and basketball courts. All these facilities, including the pool when it’s open in good weather, stay quite busy. There is also room for pic-​nics and a children’s playground but for me, the main draw is the bball courts which are simple, concrete, and somewhat prone to the collection of standing water when it rains but they are open and lit until 11:30pm most nights so you can’t beat that. Some of the best pick-​up games in town happen here in the late hours of densely hot summer nights.
Some of the Westside facilities seem a bit worn – I think the park was probably built in the later 1970s – but overall, very cool place.

Awesome park, everything you would want.
Tennis courts, large playground area, basketball, baseball fields, etc.
Big pool, lots of shade, one big water slide.
Cheap rates, residence and nonresidence, same price for the pool, around $ 2.50.
You can buy a season pass.
Across from a nice trail with creek, we found some people looking for shark teeth.
Yes, you read right.
Dogs allowed but must be leashed.

This is a great place to spend an afternoon. Cheap pool, baseball fields with people playing a game on occasion or having a bit of a pick-​up scrimmage, basketball courts with good games going on and a decent skate and bike park. Also, a playground.

Awesome park… great play structures for all ages, a basketball court, baseball field, pool and community center. It’s always pretty packed, but worth the trip!

Nice park for the kids. No weirdos.

My review here is for Westside Park, not the recreation center.
I have always loved this well shaded park. Growing up in Gainesville, it has always been a central location for picnics and outdoor Birthday parties. They have recently updated all of the playground equipment. But, my favorite are the old swings in the central portion of the park because they can withstand adults swinging on them*. There is nothing better than swinging on a hot day to cool off.
The enclosed pool with high-​dive platforms and water slide are also located withing the area and parking spaces for your car are plentiful during daytime hours on weekdays and early morning on weekends. You can also enter the Hogtown trails on 8^th Avenue near here. I posted the address of the recreation center to give you an idea of where the park is located if using GPS.
* The underside of the swing notes that they are made for children only, but they have been holding my weight for many years.