Visit Doğal Park

This post is a part of my “Things to Do in Adana” series.  You can purchase my book 27 Things to do in Adana and see a list of all the posts in this series at http://www.adanaadventures.com/book/.”

If you need a bit of nature but don’t want to leave town, Doğal Park is an urban park in North Adana where you can experience a little bit of the great outdoors right here in the big city.  Doğal Park isn’t a huge park, but it offers a lot of options in a very small area (about 2 city blocks probably).    Although this park is best suited for families with kids, it’s a place that everyone in Adana should visit once, even if they don’t have any little ones.

Getting There: Off of Turgut Ozal blvd you want to turn south on 78192 Sk south which is across the road from Ikram Dondurma.  The park entrance is one block south of Turgut Ozal Blvd. See a Google Map HERE

Park Features

• Nature: The park has a lot of big trees and many flowering shrubs and flower beds.  There is a constant chorus of birds singing in the trees.  If you find a quiet spot away from other people, you can forget that you’re in the city all together.
• Animals: There are Ducks, Geese, Turkeys, Peacocks, and Pheasants in cages for the kids to watch and feed along with a lot of well inhabited pigeon houses. The birds seem to be relatively well cared for, although the cages can be a bit dirty.
• Play Areas: There are three different play areas where kids can climb, swing, slide, run around, and do all of the things kids love to do.
• Food/Drink: There is a little café area where you can get tea, sıkma, börek or tost while you watch your kids play.
• Water: There are large bodies of water with waterfalls, fish, and bridges.
• Green Spaces: There are plenty of places in the grass to lay out a blanket and have a picnic or just to chill (there aren’t any grilling spots.)
• Open Air Theatre: We’ve never been there, but we hear there are public concerts, film showings, folk dance performances and theatre performances in the summer.
• Security: The park is continually monitored by private security guards.  Despite being in a big city, there is a sense of order and security.

Things that are lacking (I wish they had…)

• A good measured walking loop around the perimeter of the park
• Picnic tables
• Soccer field or basketball court
• Better overall maintenance (watch your kids, the play areas can be a bit dangerous.)

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