We recently spoke to the regulars and put together a comprehensive list of public areas around town where you and your dog are free to roam off-leash and socialize.
Ogden
615 Ogden Park Drive, Wilmington
Tucked away deep off Ogden Park Drive, the Ogden dog park hosts mostly familiar faces.
“The same people are here every day at the same time, it’s like a little community,” said Danella Kish. New to the Wilmington area, Kish says the Ogden dog park was a place for her to make new friends.
“It’s a community for people as well,” she said.
Kish and her mini Australian Shepherd visit the park about three times a week, and like that the park is kept in good condition. “One thing i like is that it’s really clean, everyone does a good job of cleaning up their dog poop,” she said.
With an enclosed area for small dogs, access to water and available shade from neighboring trees, the park has all of the basic amenities one might expect for a daytime play date with their pooch.
Ron Sutherlin is another regular who frequents the park.
“All the people I’ve talked to, they’ve said this is the best park,” he said.
Hugh MacRae
314 Pine Grove Drive, Wilmington
Also with small and large dog enclosures, the dog park at Hugh MacRae has a water spigot and waste bags to improve on both the human and canine experience.
“It’s just a nice place where he can run around with some freedom,” said local Tom Leach.
The Hugh MacRae dog park has very little grass, with a little still hanging on around the perimeter fencing.
“I actually like the sand better than the grass and dirt,” Leach said. “It keeps them clean, it’s easier to get off.”
At a centralized location pooling many area residents and their furry friends, the Hugh MacRae dog park can get crowded around dusk. This could be a positive or negative factor to consider, depending on your dog.
Empie
3405 Park Ave., Wilmington
The Empie dog park opened in 2006 and has one feature that the previously mentioned does not: a gazebo.
This structure provides shade for owners to relax at any time of day, especially in the warmer months. For resident Will Britt, the guaranteed shade is a game changer.
“Hugh MacRae is a nice park, but they have that one bench that’s right in the middle and dogs are all over it, so this is nice,” Britt said. “I like this.”
In the afternoons, Empie hosts many area dogs and owners alike.
Nice shoes, flip-flops, sand, dog waste – not the best combination. Also unlike other area dog parks, Empie features a cement sidewalk leading up to the gazebo. “The cement is nice,” said area resident Kayla Callihan.
Callihan has a small dog, but chooses to bring them into the large dog area so they can play.
“It’s not really the dog park’s fault, but there are no small dogs that go into the small area, so we just come in here,” she said.
With ‘poo-petrators’ making for less-than-ideal apartment complex dog areas, Callihan prefers Empie.
“I like this better than the apartment ones. They’re usually cleaner,” she said.
Freeman
1800 Canal Drive, Carolina Beach
Freeman Park, located on the north end of Carolina Beach, permits dogs to roam off-leash between Oct. 1 and Mar. 31 if they remain under voice command and within a reasonable distance of their owner.
To access Freeman Park, you can either walk beachfront or travel via 4×4 vehicle for $30.
Carolina Beach Dog Park
501 Dow Road S., Carolina Beach
Located adjacent to the Carolina Beach Skate Park, Mike Chappell Park hosts an enclosure for dogs.
Gurney Hood Dog Park
701 K Ave., Kure Beach
Kure Beach’s dog park has separate enclosures for large and small dogs, a water spigot, and even frisbees.
