Triangle Park

Bocce at twilight is a summer delight. Alas, there are few bocce courts in Austin. The two courts in the Triangle Park are made of astroturf, and you can check out equipment at Mandola’s. I love bocce and wish there were more courts.
This park also hosts a farmer’s market. I think it struggles because of an awkward layout and because it’s hidden from the main road. But it’s a reliable way to pick up mid-​week vegetables instead of stopping at HEB on the way home.
There’s a splashy water jet that works sometimes. Maintenance? Drought? Not sure, but kids love it when it’s running, but so do the big dogs.
A decent pocket park, much nicer than what many apartments build but still hot and dusty and not shaded enough.

This is a fairly nice park tucked inside the Triangle complex. There is a ton of open grassy space to be able to have a picnic or run around and play with your pup (or your friends for that matter).
I wish there was a little more shade, though, it can be pretty brutal during the summer. There’s a small stage set up where live performers play during the Wednesday Farmers Market, by the way, there is a Farmers Market that happens every Wednesday from 3 – 7 (or 4 – 8 depending on the time of year) that’s pretty cute. I have also seen some acro-​yoga folks in that space too. Off to the northern edge, there are an assortment of metal picnic tables that are largely covered by trees in that area and a big fountain
It’s a pretty nice spot to have lunch in the spring and fall.

It’s not as good as it used to be. At one time there was a lot of activity going on here, and the water restrictions mean the fountains no longer run. Today, it’s quieter, and I rarely see many dogs in what is «not really» a leash-​free dog park.
But my dog still loves it. When we’re over at The Triangle, we always bring her by so she can run off leash and play with whatever dogs are there. It’s close enough that we can easily walk there and there’s plenty of other stuff around for us humans to go and do.
The Farmer’s Market that’s here is always nice as well, but I seem to always miss it.

Used to love taking my dogs to this park. It was always well-​kept, and the perfect amount of space to tire them out for the night. Unfortunately when I went there today, I saw they posted «Leash your dogs» signs throughout the property… just a heads up. Sadly, I’ll be taking my dogs elsewhere now.

I’m pretty meh on this park, as in it’s fine for the residents but not so awesome if you live elsewhere and are just looking for somewhere new to take your pooch.
My dog gets out to parks several times a week, and sometimes I think he needs a little extra variety. Which is why I drove to the triangle’s triangular shaped grass lawn. So my dog could sniff some new ass.
On the weeknight of our new ass smelling adventure, there were probably five or six other dogs on the lawn. I mean at the «park.» That’s not a bad crowd, so no complaints on number of asses to sniff. And the dogs were nice. The owners seemed friendly.
However, it’s not fenced in, and this is really important if your dog wanders/​bolts off, I saw a rambunctious dog dart from the park across the street into the grassy patch on the other side. Thank god that side street is not busy. He was retrieved by his owner safely, but I mean that’s pretty risky. I’m not 100% comfortable having my dog off-​leash within a certain distance from the road, and he’s not one to run fast, run far or disobey.
Ok to wrap up an otherwise boring review, I’ll just repeat myself for kicks and say this small grassy «park» is only a perk for residents who otherwise would have probably 6 square feet in which to water and poop their dogs, but there are better places to take your dog (especially if they are a runner) for socialization and exercise if you live elsewhere.

This is specifically about the dog park…
There is a group of people that are SOOO unfriendly at the park each night, lets say 8ish. Whats up with that? Are you guys seriously holding court on a big mound of dust surrounded by your apartments. You know, those things you RENT, not OWN. Get over yourself and call your parents and ask them why they raised you all to be dicks.
If you want a dog park, where the people are nice, or at least not victims of their own misguided grandeur, check out Clarksville or Redbud.

After moving to the neighborhood I have been desperate to find a place to let my pup run free. Even though it is not fenced in (that’s why only 4 stars), the park at the Triangle has been a blessing. Every evening when the sun dips behind the parking garage the park fills with playful dogs and friendly humans. The park has interior community streets on two sides, but the area is big enough that the dogs tend to romp away from the road. I haven’t had any troubles with that at all. They have plenty of bags and trashcans to dispose of doggie waste and the splash fountain is fun for kids and pups alike to cool off. It would be nice though if they had a drinking fountain out there to provide a sip.
Even though I normally have tres distain for giant apartment complexes I actually think they did an excellent job with this one. The park and the practical street level dining and retail make this much more a community — I love to grab dinner to go after our evening romp.

This isnt a major sized park but it’s nice for a short night time stroll after hitting up some of the spots in the triangle, it doesn’t hurt that it is within walking distance to my house either.

Dog friendly with people of all ages visit the park. Pick up a to go meal at one of the adjacent restaurants then sit at one of the tables and enjoy peoplewatching and nature. Each Wednesday the farmers market is 4 – 8.

I have to confess, I feel kind of lame for loving this development after all the hullabaloo that preceded its arrival. But I’m so glad now that it’s here!
I LOVE this park. I go probably 3 – 4 times a week, because it’s the closest place where I can take my dog and let her off-​leash (note that it’s not fenced, though, so it’s best for puppers who know better than to run into the street. The «street» surrounding the park is within the development, so there isn’t tons of traffic, but there is traffic). There’s a very friendly community of dog-​owners who are out most evenings while their furry friends run around chasing balls, frisbees, and each other. And there are bocce courts; a cool, unpredictable fountain that spews water jets in seemingly random patterns; a few tables and chairs for picnicking; and a little bandstand where live bands sometimes play. On Wednesdays, there is a farmer’s market here — a smaller version of the one downtown on Saturdays. And the rest of the week, you’ve got several other choices for places to eat — Mandola’s, Galaxy, Sago, Fish City, Which Wich, Flipnotics, Flying Saucer, Yume, Mama Fu’s…and I saw that there’s a Greek place going in here, too. I can’t vouch for all of these places (in fact, I happen to HATE one of them — but that’s a separate review), but my point is that there’s a little something for everyone here. They did a good job creating this little community, and I’m thrilled that it’s close to my house and that I get to enjoy it on such a regular basis.

There is absolutely nothing my kids like more than those fountains that spurt jets of water out of the ground. And now there is one at Triangle Park! The fountain is not huge, but we were the only people there for two hours on a Sunday morning, so it wasn’t crowded at all, at least when we were there. It’s great there is a button to press to start the jets so the thing isn’t wasting water when no one is watching — plus the kids love «controlling» the fountain with the button. I never realized until I had kids how super– exciting they find pressing a button and having something happen. Someday I’m going to create a theme park where there are thousands of buttons to press to cause lights to turn on and off, horns to sound, things to spin, etc., and parents all over the country will pay good money to bring their young kids to this fascinating place. I’ll call it «Button World,» and… and… what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, Triangle Park. Great fountain, places to sit close by with tree shade, lots of people out with dogs chasing balls — perfect for tiring out the kids after they carb-​load at one of the restaurants nearby.
Another suggestion to entertain the ankle-​biters while you are there — get them all worked up about seeing the BIGGEST TRIANGLE EVER, then walk them around to the Mandola’s entrance, turn right, and walk to the the place where Lamar and Guadalupe split. The big steel triangle there is pretty cool, and it’s just the right distance for little legs to get in a bit of a walk.

We like this place mostly for the run-​through fountain (a much smaller version of the awesome one at Butler/​Town Lake Park; press the button on the post to start the jets) and the covered parking within easy walking distance for a mom with small child. It’s a really great resource after a meal at one of the Triangle restaurants, when the toddler will no longer sit still at the table and we need a place to take him outside to run off some steam.
Triangle is a nice park for strolling and picnicking. There are bocce courts (ask for the balls at nearby Mandola’s), and a manicured field for flying a kite or throwing a frisbee. Wednesday evenings, the Austin Farmer’s Market is on site till 8 and there are several café tables and chairs for having an al fresca meal while the kids play in the fountain.
There is no playscape, jungle gym, or fence, so be prepared to chase the little ones around after they lose interest in the water and inevitably gravitate toward the streets. Also, beware on the grass, as there may be a few «surprises» left by unscrupulous doggie parents.