Auditorium Shores – Leash-free Dog Zone

Awesome park. The off leash area isn’t really gated like some dog parks but you can let your dog run free and play with other dogs. Nice views of the city.

This new area is really nice and open for your doggies to run around. It is «fenced in» but there are no gates, the «fenced in» just refers to area markers to designate the doggie part. My dog could easily run out towards Riverside Drive with all the cars, so keep an eye on your pups.
You can park anywhere on Riverside between Lamar and South 1^st for easier access to doggie park.
The water fountains and poop bag dispensers are also near the exits of the fence, so if your dog runs off to drink water, he/​she could also easily just exit the dog park onto the street or trail.
The trail still does run through the doggie area, so be mindful of pedestrians/​bikers/​runners and other traffic on the trail.
The water is right near the doggie area, so dogs like to run around in there and then run back up the small hill to the open space. The trail runs right between the large field for doggies and the water entrance, so again, be mindful of trail traffic.
Lots of space, lots of trees, good amount of poop bag dispensers and trash cans, water fountains for both humans and doggies, benches to sit on, water entrance, and easy access to hop onto trail after you’re done running around in the field. Just be sure to leash up your doggies before entering the trail. I saw lots of dogs off leash on the trail running into bicyclists and runners… which can be a nuisance. It’s a shared space so everyone should be mindful :) Have fun!

Not much parking and the «fence» is more a guide because my 11 lb Pom can zoom on under the fence to the opposite side but this is a great place to come with your dog. Tons of people bring their dogs here (I went on a Sunday morning) and there are even little dogs out who can play with my Pom who’s usually the smallest guy in the doggy park.

We followed the map here to the supposedly leash-​free dog zone. It was surrounded, not by a fence, but by signs announcing that no dogs were allowed without leashes on. There were a few (maybe 12) dogs off-​leash, running and playing. So we unleashed Happy and Oscar, who sort of stuck close to us at first, then were smelled by other nice dogs, and then went to the sidewalk where humans were trying to walk and run. The park itself is gorgeous, but I really don’t know where to take the dogs for a more legal off-​leash experience.

My favorite place in Austin to take the pup. Although the dog area here isn’t gated, there’s a lot of open space and area for puppies to explore. You can let your pups go in the water or play in the grass. Additionally, you can take them for a walk or run on the trail (which loops around the lake). Check it out!

I don’t own a dog and hell, I don’t even live in Austin but every time I visit the city, the Auditorium Shores area is my go to spot to take pictures or just walk and relax and I always get a kick out of seeing the dogs run around the park or dive in the water which I assume is not full of parasites or shards of scrap metal in the bottom.
The people are pretty friendly too and it’s nice to just make small chit chat with dog owners and such so I get my fill of petting strangers’ dogs and such without dealing with the any of the responsibilities.

I took my dog this afternoon for the first time and she absolutely loved it. Theres a ton of space to run around in and the dogs and people were super friendly. She loved being able to jump into the water whenever she wanted to. 5 out of 5! Will be back again soon!

Our little family loves auditorium shores! So much friendliness and fun!
I’ve never seen anyone leave poop behind or be disrespectful about puppy boundaries. Everyone has always been willing to share, chat, and make friends.
My only complaint would be that some dog owners will find a place to camp out and not keep an eye on their pup. It doesn’t happen often by when it does their pup is usually the one trouble making ;).
Any who, come on a beautiful day and you won’t be disappointed!

The park itself is beautiful but not being a dog owner makes this less than ideal. There are about a dozen free stations for poop bags and yet the park is still full of dog excrement.
The recent renovations and sprinkler system mean the grass is softer and greener than it had been historically.
If you have a dog, enjoy it. If you don’t, find a place with less traffic to play frisbee or have a picnic.

Please go to
and let the city know that we want Auditorium Shores to REMAIN leash free, as it has been for generations.
It takes literally a minute, and it’s our opportunity to have our wishes heard, which is something that was NOT done when the City entered into its contract with C3

This is my favorite (and my dog’s) spot for playing, specially on downtown. The huge green area near to the lake is perfect for the dogs have a great time, or for you to go for a picnic with your love one. Sunset is the perfect time for an amazing view of downtown. And if you go on Sundays evening you can enjoying of the symphony for free.

I am dog sitting for my sister and came here specifically for the leash-​free dog zone. Wish I could rate this place higher because it’s nice and green, a decent sized park, and near the water (I saw a larger dogs swimming). However, my primary gripe: NO FENCE! I wanted to let my pup off leash so he could run all over without me fearing he’d be hit by a car – this is in a high traffic area near downtown – this is not that place.
However, I saw a number of joggers, walkers and a couple of groups exercising, and this is a great park for that. If you have a well-​trained dog (my charge is admittedly not that) who will come when called, this park will work for you.
I went about 6pm on a Wednesday so the after work crowd was in full force and I still found parking with ease. I also saw a food truck parked on the east side of the park if you didn’t bring your own snacks. It’s a decent park, good size, and well-​maintained, just not what I was looking for in a dog park.

I can’t speak for what this park is normally like, but we brought our huskies here Saturday morning for the 2015 Mighty Texas Dog Walk and had a blast! The weather was cold and gloomy, but all the volunteers and fellow walkers refused to let that ruin their happy moods. They were going around handing out free poop bags before the walk started, and set up a ton of water stations for both the humans and the pups throughout the course.
This area is a beautiful space in the heart of downtown. The trails are leash free and run right along the water. There is a large grassy area as well to play with your dogs if you just want them to let out energy without getting drenched.
Plenty of vendors were in attendance Saturday selling all things dog including treats, food, sweaters, and even paw print bumperstickers saying ‘I love my grand puppies’. I came THIS close to buying one for my family as my husband and I have chosen a life with fur babies over the human kind. Some members are still holding out hope though (sorry Noni), so I decided against it.
The walk was to raise money for Service Dogs, Inc. which is a non profit organization that trains dogs to assist those with disabilities. I am amazed at what some of these dogs can do. Here is a snippet I took from their webpage:
‘We train Hearing Dogs to alert their deaf owners by touch and lead them to everyday sounds, such as a door knock, smoke alarm or telephone. Service Dogs assist individuals with physical disabilities by opening doors, fetching wheelchairs, retrieving dropped items, operating light switches, moving paralyzed limbs and getting help. We adopt all of our dogs from animal shelters and rescue leagues. Utilizing positive reinforcement, we train the dogs, pair them with their new partners and then train them as teams — all free of charge to the recipients.‘
Dogs have a huge soft spot in my heart. I rescued both of mine, one of which had a rocky start in life, and will forever donate my time and money to wonderful organizations such as these. Service dogs truly are heroes and deserve respect. If you are able, please donate to help them out.

Pretty large open green fields, area for dogs to swim and/​or dip their paws — definitely worth checking out (especially if you’re in the area boiiii).

This is my favorite dog park since it isn’t too far from home. There is plenty of grass for dogs to run around, and an access area for dogs to go swimming. Daisy loves to play fetch, and go swimming into the river. Be mindful of the joggers and bikers though!

The remodeled park is wonderful! It’s a great place to start a run, workout or just hang out and enjoy a beautiful day. This has definitely one of the best parks in Austin.

One of my first stops after moving here. Great place to let the dog run free. Now I hear it’s closing down and they are redoing it like ¼ of the size. Wow cool… My review is based on the Auditorium Shores I know. I will update once it re opens and I can visit the «new» one.

Had I written this review three years ago when I first discovered this park was dog friendly I would have given them 5 stars. However, since city council (who deserves no stars) took their power a bit too far and decided to restrict the off leash park to a few small acres I had to write a review.
How dare you city council and mayor, how dare you PARD (city park department) and how dare you C3 Productions for allowing a true Austin gem be taken away from the good people of Austin.
Remember to vote Austin. Remember their names because some of them are going to be running for a different seat/​position next election.
I vote and I will remember!

I love dog parks and enjoyed visiting here. A big plus is that the dogs get to swim in the lake. The downside is that there are mainly big young energetic dogs here, so the small ones or calm ones can’t seem to hold their own.

Read if you’ve got small dogs.
My little dogs like to swim, but don’t do well with the chaos that happens with the big dogs swimming at the lake. There is a fountain that they do swim in (its about 2 feet deep). They love it, and have been swimming here over a year. Something I want to warn, one of my dogs did get a bacteria from the water that the vet wasn’t able to diagnose. We’re currently dealing with that, but I’m sure well be back.