Vivary Park is Taunton's principal town park, laid out in 1894 on the grounds of a medieval fishpond — the name comes from the Latin vivarium, meaning a place where fish are kept alive. It is a classic Victorian municipal park, with bandstand, ornate iron gates, formal flower beds, and a network of paths through mature horse chestnuts and limes.
A small boating lake, a children's play area, and a nine-hole pitch-and-putt golf course occupy the south end. The Saturday market sometimes spills over into the park, and summer afternoons fill it with picnicking families. It is a five-minute walk south from the town centre.