Alachua Splash Park — Attraction in Alachua

2 stars because this "public" space closes pretty much DAILY for rented parties from 10a-12p. Does a Google search tell you this? No, it tells you that the park is OPEN from 9a-6p. I'm not going to delve deeper into their website to see if that's true or not (as one employee who rents the space so "nicely" told me), especially if I'm a first time visitor.

As a first time visitor with my 1yo I was pissed to learn this after driving all the way from Gainesville. My 1yo and I went to the water anyway. The family renting the space allowed us to stay but turned away every else who tried after me. The city of Alachua is forcing people who rented this space to be rude to people who try to get in, creating an us/them situation. This creates stress.

I'm going to laugh when the new 32 acre park in downtown Gainesville is finished being built next month (August 2016), because it too has a splash pad. People are just going to start going there and the rental people in Alachua can have this splash pad all to themselves.

This should also affect...

My son LOVES this park. Be sure you bring some water shoes because the pavement gets hot! Hours are weird because the park can be reserved in the mornings. Not sure what is going on, but we stopped by on July 3, 2023 and there was a sign that indicated that it was shut down for repairs. I wish they would post that kind of info on their website so we don’t get hopes up and drive for 25 minutes to be disappointed. At least half the time we try to come to play it seems they are closed. Also, there are plenty of hot spring days that would be great to be in a splash pad but are before their opening day.

4 stars because of odd hours,...

We always love the splash park in alachua. Our only problem is that people can reserve the entire space without any notice. So if you plan on going there ahead of time and get there and realize that someone has reserved it for 2:00 to 4 hours. You are completely out of luck and they do not have to let you in at all. This is a public park and the splash area should be for the public. The pavilion that has all of the tables that should be something that you could reserve. Not the splash area itself. That should be a public place for everyone to enjoy. Otherwise, everything is always immaculate and the kids always have...