I have only recently become a dog person. When my son moved home, he brought his dog with him. Therefore, he is pretty much our dog as well. I've learned the joys of walking a dog, picking up after them, etc. Trilla, our dog, has not had a lot of chances to socialize with other dogs, so we were pretty excited to find out that Pensacola has a dog beach!
The beach is part of the Bayview Park complex on the east side of town on Bayou Texar. This park is one of Pensacola's oldest. Where the dog beach is today was once an amphitheatre where they would show movies on a screen floating out in the water. The amphitheatre seats are still there. There is all the typical park activities. There are picnic areas, play areas, walking or biking trails, a Senior Center, and more. But the really special part to me are the Dog Park areas. At the top of the hill there are 2 enclosed areas for the dogs. One for smaller breeds, one for larger breeds. But these can be found in other areas of the city. The unique part is the Dog Beach!
The Dog Beach is a nice enclosed area on the water where the dogs can run, play, and even swim! There are benches and a pavilion or two for the pet owners as well. There is even a cool stump carved into the shape of a fire hydrant!
There dogs of all kinds and sizes at the park on a regular basis. It's a great chance for the dogs to socialize and play. Everyone I've encountered there has been very friendly, and the dogs are generally pretty well behaved. So, if you have a pet pooch, take them out for a day at the beach!
The easiest way to get there for me is to turn North off Cervantes onto North 19th Ave. That's the last turn before you hit the bridge when you're traveling East on Cervantes. Keep going to the first stop sign at Lloyd st. Turn right and it will lead you right into Bayview park. Have fun!
