Barber Park

I don’t frequent parks a whole lot (I’m too busy huddled over my computer writing these reviews in the dark sanctuary of my walk-​in closet), but this is one I went to a lot when I was in high school.
It’s very big and offers a lot of different things for a lot of different people depending on where your interests lie; there’s giant open spaces for pets to roam, soccer and football games, and general rough housing. There’s a playground and swing set for the kids. There’s a hockey rink for… hockey.
It’s great.
There’s also a nice scenic route in the far North side of the park that goes into a small patch of woods, which overlooks Lake George if you travel far enough back.
From what I’ve heard:
If you’re a troublemaking teen, stoner, or public sex fiend, head on into the woods!
If you’re a parent out for a nice day at the park with your kids…
stay the hell away from the woods!

Great all around recreation park. They have soccer fields, basket ball courts, dog park, skate park lots of paths to walk and facility’s. I love this place but it can get very busy especially on weekends with the games and farmers market. If you live in the area it is a great place to get your outdoor fun.

Today was our first time at this park and we were not there long because of the terrible awful women that go there. When I read the reviews last night with my husband about mean women we laughed. THEY ARE NOT LYING. There are such mean women yelling at everyone, telling everyone what to do. The worst is a blonde haired 45 – 50 year old woman with her Aussie with one eye. THIS WOMAN IS AWFUL!!! Terrible human being. Will NEVER be back to this park again.

I absolutely love this park! There are plenty of walking trails, and a small dog park as well as a large dog park. The people that I met at the dog park seem to take their dogs there very often, so their dogs are very well-​behaved. I also appreciated that the dog park was covered in grass, so my dogs did not get as dirty as they sometimes get in some of the other dog parks that I have visited. They have drinking stations for people and dogs as well. Just as a heads up, the dog park is at The area that is farther away from the entrance.

I love this park! We adopted an older Corgi mix that was neglected and forced to live in a crate her entire life. Because of this, she doesn’t really know how to behave like a dog. We took her here in the hopes that getting some socialization would help her out. It certainly has! She’s really come out of her shell since we started coming. The dogs and people there are super friendly and the park itself is filled with things to do. I come here every weekend.

Regarding the dog park, can I just inform everyone that dogs sometimes growl while playing? This is normal behavior. In fact, normal play involves a lot of growling and mock biting. It looks like fighting.
So, if you are two massive, loud, aggressive owners of oh, let’s say, a German Shepherd, and another dog barks and growls at your dog, you are the asshole when you loudly denounce the owner. If you don’t want your dog to interact like a dog, come here midday on a weekday when no one else is around.
That said, play-​fighting is characterized by rearing up, and the «play bow,» which never happen in a real conflict between dogs. Yes, there is a lot of growling, barking, and bared teeth. If you don’t believe me (and you shouldn’t just up and believe anyone without evidence) take 45 seconds and google it.
As for the park itself, note that it is free. It’s big. It’s green. The rest are just details.

I must say, the people managing maintenance and upkeep of this park do not seek to have a lot of common sense. They are spray painting the gates to the dog park on a Sunday afternoon, when there are tons of dogs. They could wait until a weekday morning when the park is empty!

my pit bull loves this park and all of her little dog friends. we used to come every night, but since moving farther away we don’t make it as frequently… however, it’s still the only dog park I will take her too. the park is large enough for her to run around and have her own space or to just lay around with the other dogs. there is a tunnel and little ramp for the big dogs as well. we love it here and have never had any trouble… I just wish there was a little more grass instead of some sandy areas.

Great park for dogs and people alike. They have a basketball court, playground, ball fields, and a dog park. The dog park is separated between large and small dogs (30 lbs is the weight limit for small). Fenced and plenty of shade for hot days.

Clean for the most part; there’s always those few lazy owners. I come in the morning; there’s usually 1 – 2 large dogs if that and at least 5 small dogs. Wash station comes in handy after a dirty play session.

I really like it here. The park is always clean, the bathrooms are clean, the people are nice, and my dog enjoys playing with the others in the park. It’s also nice because it is a five minute drive for me, and most of the people who come around are locals. I would definitely recommend this park to a friend.

A great spot to breath in some fresh air! It is very accesible and easy to get to. It is kept clean all the time and the people that go there are very friendly.
The park offers many different activities for people of all ages. It has the kids area, with swings, etc., it has two enclosed sections for dogs to roam free, it has a basketball court, a street hockey court, and multiple soccer fields. In the weekends, the soccer courts are flooded with all the kids that go there to take classes. Also, it has a very decent skating area, with ramps and rails to grind the day away.
If you feel like you need to sweat some weight down, or if you simply enjoy sports and want to play with others, this park is the perfect spot for people that live nearby!

Great dog park with 2 HUGE fenced in sections. One is for small dogs under 30 lbs and one is for larger dogs. The smaller area seems to be busier all the time.
It also seems the people w/​the smaller dogs are annoyed w/​any other dog that comes near their dog. Small dog owners there are weird. My dog was on the fence size wise. But she always wanted the big dogs so we never went back to the small side.
The big dogs are fewer but they play better than the little yippy ones w/​their snippy owners.
There is one short whitish pitbull that comes to the park w/​an adult and usually a kid or two-​the dog is always stand offish and somewhat aggressive. Any mean dog shouldn’t be around kids or at the dog park in my opinion.
But the place has fresh water and poopy bags (even though most locals don’t use the poopy bags-​this is a shame. Pick up after your damn dog)
Over across the field is a lake and you can walk your dog on the leash there if you wish. This is a great park and will stay great if owners pick up after their pet or at least watch their dog if they aren’t sure of it’s behavior around other dogs.

There’s really nothing bad I can say about this park. It’s kept clean and the dog park is lovely. I do wish that they would prohibit aggressive dogs from returning but typically every dog is friendly. The sidewalk paths are well shaded and I definitely feel safe walking my dog by myself. The only «negative» I can think of is the lighting, I wish there was more in the fall months because it does get dark really early. I still love this place though.

Please beware of this park — the fence is extremely dangerous. On September 1, 2014, my dog Kona was severely injured by a hinge on this dog park’s fence while she was playing and running just as the signs on the park’s property encourage her to do. The hinge caused a deep laceration approximately 8−9″ long all down her left side. She had to get dozens of stitches, a drainage tube, and multiple medications. My veterinary bill was over $ 1,000+ and it has taken her months to recover. I submitted an application for an incident report to Orange County FL Parks & Recreation that very day, and told them I am holding them responsible for her veterinary bills and for modifying or reconstructing the fence so that something horrible like this doesn’t happen again. As of today, more than 60 days later, they have yet to respond. The hinge on the fence that severely injured my dog did not seem damaged or in a state of disrepair — in it’s normal state, it was dangerous enough to cut into my dog’s skin just by coming in contact with it. And all the hinges on the entire fence surrounding the dog park area (and perhaps the entire park) are identical to it. Until the Orange County government changes this fence, and any fences in any of their county’s parks that have the same hinge structure, they are putting everyone who visits the park at risk for a similar injury. Please help make this park truly safe for everyone, and sign the petition at
and visit
.

I used to live near this park, and I would walk along the trails of this park early in the mornings. I decided to come and take a stroll for old time sakes since I was visiting my brother on that side of town. This park is well maintained with clean bathrooms. There is something for all age groups at this park. There is even a place for roller blade hockey. That’s not my thing, but someone else maybe interested in that sort of thing. There is not a lot of natural shade from the trees; however, there is cover a covered pavillion with several tables. This is a nice park it’s people and pet friendly. I kind of miss my old neighborhood!

Great Park for Kids & Parents too, jogging, playing soccer, or just sit & relax. The Park is large & has so many places thus it’s never crowded. The company is good & friendly. It even has a view on the lake which is very quiet & great to enjoy.

Like others have said, PEOPLE BEWARE! That’s right, people. It is a shame because the park is very large, especially the small section compared to every other Orlando Dog Park I have been to. But the owners are the WORST! There is a clique and they show up in the afternoon almost every day and they will harass you about everything your dog does. Thankfully they didn’t go there yet when I went everyday to socialize my puppies. They turned 1, this nasty group started coming and we haven’t been back since. You would think you are on the set of Mean Girls, but Regina, Gretchen, Cady and Karen have been replaced with sad, middle aged, homely women. You can’t sit with us? Thank God because if I had to I would most definitely blow my brains out.
I now only go with our Central Florida Corgi group arranges meets there every few months because we come in numbers!

beside the fact there’s a group there in which I’m sure they are (patrolling this page as well) they tend to harass others and act like the run the place and makes it uncomfortable for others. Some like to call You out and try argue an fight with u while the others make there comments. You would think u were on a playground the way these people act. Needless to say if u are an out cast and not apart of here so called posse u will be talked about and harassed. We love the park when they aren’t there because it’s peaceful with no drama. So FYI go before 400 to avoid the predators…

Great dog park inside. Separate area for small and large dogs.

I came here with my friend who lives close by and frequents the place often. The park has 2 sections (large and small) and both of our dogs are around 35lbs so we usually can pick and choose which side we want to be on. Normally I prefer the larger side but when I got there, there were many more dogs on the smaller side and most of those dogs there were medium sized. We went small.
INSIDER TIP: The large side here is more like XXL.
When I first arrived, there were only 2 or 3 dogs on the larger side but over the course of the 90 minutes or so that number increased to about 12 – 15. They were all very large dogs and were playing extremely rough, having to be broken up by their owners more often than I normally see. My friend said that this was common.
The grounds were fairly well kept and each section had some shade and adequate seating. Waste bags are provided along with water for you and fido. There is also some agility equipment in each area even though my pup wouldn’t even go near it.
5 WORD SUMMARY: When In Doubt, Go Small

This review is to let everyone know there is a great dog park located in Barber Park. Two large areas, one for small (30 and under), one for large dogs. We usually play in the small dog area.
This is a large park, all grass, watering stations, waste bags provided. I’m glad to see a park that dedicates the same amount of room to the small dogs as the large dogs. The grass is well maintained. There is a covered pavilion with a table and a few benches in the fenced area. Not a lot of places to sit, but really, you should be playing with your dog, anyway!
The reason I like this park and it may be my favorite is because your dog can really RUN here. There’s no mulch, no concrete, just grass and even if it’s crowded, there’s still plenty of room.
There is a parking area and a short walk to the dog play areas. The dog park is located in the back of the park, just drive through and you’ll see. They seem to have several county workers in the park when we were there, which is nice if you have questions or need assistance.
Our dog had a great time and the big dogs seemed to be having fun too. Off leash play is good for your dog but on leash training is very important. You can walk your dog on the paved paths around the park.
The park is easy to find, just off 436 at Gatlin Ave. Open 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset. We talked to a park worker and he said they only close on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Reminder: don’t bring «high value» items to a dog park. Your dog’s favorite toy might cause a problem. And please, no food or dog treats.

This is a nice park in south Orlando that offers some things you won’t find anywhere else. They have your standard stuff: playgrounds, basketball, walking/​running trail, lakes and ponds, and open fields for soccer or football.
They also have a few small fenced areas meant as dog parks. The dog park portion is really quite small with little to no shade trees. There are covered pavilions in each, which is nice. The dog park area also has some agility equipment (dog walks, tunnels, etc.). I noticed a lot of dog owners ignored the fenced area and just let their dogs run loose in the nearby field. The field is massive and backs up to Lake George. Although I didn’t go down to the lake it looked like owners and dogs were taking a swim.
What makes this park unique is that they have a covered roller rink. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one in Central Florida, and I thought it was a great addition to the park.