Spanish River Park(Boca Raton Dog Beach, Red Reef Park)

Located in the city of Boca Raton, Spanish River Park is a waterfront park that has a white sand beach. Spanish River Park gets its name from a freshwater stream that used to flow along the western edge of the park. 

Spanish River Park has many amenities including lifeguards, pavilions, picnic tables, and restrooms. Dogs are allowed in designated areas (between lifeguard towers 18 and 20) of the park. Visitors need to get a paid permit for their dogs in order to enter the designated dog area. 

Spanish River Park offers many fun activities including swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing, fishing, and wildlife watching. 

Getting to Spanish River Park is easy - it is located along the Intracoastal Waterway at 3001 North State Road A1A. There is a parking area inside the park but you would have to pay a fee of 20$ for the vehicle entry. Visitors can also use the metered parking on Spanish River Boulevard at $3 per hour for up to four hours. The beach is easily accessible from the parking lot.

There are many attractions near Spanish River Park. Boca Raton Museum of Art is a museum and art school that was established in 1950 as an art guild. Contemporary art, photography, non-western art, glass, and sculpture are among the museum's collections, which are supplemented by a variety of special exhibitions. It also provides educational programs, artist lectures, films, children's classes, and special events. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is a Japanese arts and culture museum that has six gardens. The park and museum are named after George Morikam who donated his farm to Palm Beach County to be used as a park. With over 7,000 artifacts, the museum features a 225-seat theater, a tea house, classrooms, a research library, a store, and the Cornell Cafe. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens also have six historical gardens: Shinden Garden, Paradise Garden, Early Rock Garden, Karesansui Garden, Hiraniwa Garden, and Modern Romantic Garden. Sugar Sand Park is a municipal park that has won several awards for excellence. The park offers many amenities including picnic tables, an outdoor science-themed water playground, a carousel, an open field, baseball fields, both outdoor and indoor basketball courts, and an inline hockey court. If you are looking for another attraction near Spanish River Park, Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex also known as Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, is a nature center that is well recognized for its work of preserving marine turtles in the region including loggerhead, green, and leatherback sea turtles. The nature center has a rehabilitation facility for providing a foster home to wounded turtles until they fully recover and can survive in the wild. The center also has an indoor museum that features small aquariums and a gift shop.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Spanish River Park. Trattoria Romana is an upscale restaurant that is known for its Italian cuisine. The restaurant serves delicious mozzarella caprese, fettuccine bolognese, vitello piccata, and ossobuco. Six Tables a Restaurant is famous for its European cuisine and serves amazing pan-fried crispy duck breast, braised boneless short ribs, beef tenderloin, and butterscotch crème brûlée. Poke Jay offers Hawaiian cuisine with a twist and serves delicious rice bowl options including tunado, spicy crab, and unagi don. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Spanish River Park, Farmer's Table has a rustic interior and serves grilled chicken paillard, tuna steak, heirloom chicken, and rainbow trout.

If you are looking for a hotel near Spanish River Park, there are many great nearby options. If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 5-Star Boca Raton Hotel is 10 minutes away and offers many amenities including 2 golf courses, a spa, pools, tennis courts, a restaurant, and a fitness center. Another upscale option, the 4-Star Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center is 15 minutes away by car and offers a cafe/bar, an outdoor pool, a hot tub, and a fitness center. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Holiday Inn & Suites Boca Raton - North, an IHG Hotel which offers a heated pool, a hot tub, and a fitness center. If you are looking for another excellent and affordable hotel near Spanish River Park, the modestly priced 2-Star Holiday Inn Express Boca Raton-West offers an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a complimentary breakfast.