Featured Park
Featured Waterway
Accessible Amenities
Artificial Reef
Bait & Tackle
Baseball
Basketball
Benches
Beach Pier
Bike Racks
Bike Trail
Birding Trail
Boat Dock
Boat Fuel
Boat Pumpout
Boat Ramp
Boat Trailer Parking
Canoe Rental
Concession Stand
DogPark
Drinking Fountain
Equestrian Trail
Fishing Available
Golf
Grills
Hiking Trail
Nonmotorized Launch
Kayak Rental
Lighting
Manatee Education
Multipurpose Field
On the water
Paddle Board Rental
Parking
Pickleball
PWC Rental
Picnic Shelters
Picnic Tables
Playground
Restaurant
Restrooms
RiverWalk
Sailboard Rental
Sailboat Rental
Scenic Overlook
Skate Park
Soccer
Splash Pad
Surfing
Swimming Pool
Tennis
Trash Barrels
Wheelchair Accessible
Desoto Park resides in the Ortega neighborhood (platted in 1909) of southwest Jacksonville. It was one of four circular parks created along Park Avenue (now Baltic Street) and named after New World explorers. The Ortega Elementary School opened across the street in 1923, and the park served as a school playground and neighborhood park. By 1931, ornamental piers flanked the entrance to the park, which provided amenities such as a horseshoe pitching lane, a tetherball court, a sandbox, and lighting for evening recreation. The park is named for Hernando de Soto (1496-1542), the Spaniard who explored southeast America after landing at Tampa Bay in 1539. In 1950, the Ortega Co. donated the western portion of the park to the School Board for use by the school, and dedicated the middle portion to the City for the extension of Baltic Street. And as today, the easterly one-third of the property remained a City park.
Additional features:
Benches 1 Perimeter Site Fencing Security Lighting