One of our favorite places to take our dog(s) for a walk is a local county park called "Lettuce Lake Park". This park is enjoyed by a lot of people on a weekly basis. Just a short distance from the metro areas of Tampa including University of South Florida, New Tampa, and a short drive off Interstate 75 this park is well located along the Hillsborough River.
If you want to take your dog(s) for a nice, mostly shaded walk - whether you prefer a paved path or a more natural path - Lettuce Lake Park has got you covered! The paved path is enjoyed by those walking, bicycling (slow speeds only) or skating - whether you have a furry friend or not - it's a beautiful park.
There are several shelters through out the park to have a picnic, family gathering or perhaps just a quiet break with your furry friend.
The visitor center has a 'dual' water fountain - one for us humans, but also one for the dogs along the pathway.
If you're looking to do a few things without a furry companion - perhaps you'd like to rent a canoe or a kayak and paddle on the Hillsborough river where few motor boats travel. Or the boardwalk is a great addition to walk along to see birds, turtles and alligators (no dogs are allowed, but it's for their safety).
Take a little wooded trail that goes between the boat ramp (canoes/kayaks) and the paved trail for a wonderful, totally natural trail. Just be advised, that if it has done a bit of raining recently, it is likely to have puddles and possibly muddy areas.
And sometimes Jimbo just liked to be 'free' but he always stayed close and only when we were 'alone' on the trail. This is the natural trail after a heavy rainfall. Here he is waiting for us to continue following.
6920 E Fletcher Ave, Tampa, FL 33637
The park is 'officially' just outside the city limits of Tampa and opened in 1982.
In addition to the other amenities mentioned, there is a central location has a large playground, restrooms, field to play games and sand volleyball courts. The boardwalk has lots of birds for those into bird watching! There is also a tower you can climb to get a higher viewpoint of the river and it's wildlife.
Official county link to this park: https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/locations/lettuce-lake-conservation-park
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If you would like to discuss or book a custom pet portrait session, send an email to vp[email protected] or give us a call/text Linda at 813-610-2671 in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough/Pinellas/Pasco/Polk counties in Florida). We have flexible rates and packages to fit most everyone’s budget as we believe that having wonderful photographs of your pet is important to so many people.
This is a personal project that I try to participate in each week (as much as possible). This post is part of a 'blog circle' which is with several other Professional Pet Photographers around the world. Each week a different theme is provided to the group and we, as pet photographers, interpret the theme in our own way. Follow the link provided at the end of each of my blogs to the next pet photographer's blog - and when you arrive back at my blog - you've completed the entire circle of blogs for this theme. For more pet photographers sharing their take on this theme, head over to
A walk in the park in the St. Cloud MN area with About A Dog Photography!