One of our favorite activities is visiting area parks and playgrounds. My kids love being outdoor and could easily spend hours running and playing on the equipment. We typically play, eat a picnic lunch, play a little longer and then head home for nap time.
It doesn't get much better than that!
While we have a handful of parks that we visit frequently, it's always fun to check out a new playground. And that's exactly what we set out to do last week when we went to Discovery Park in Canal Fulton.
Out Trip to Discovery Park
We got to the park around 10:00am and there was only one other family there at the time. The kids ran over to check out the equipment right away. As usual my daughter went for the slides and my son headed over to the monkey bars. There was also a small rock wall, and few climbing obstacles, and a swing set.
As they were playing I noticed a mother duck and some ducklings swimming in the pond. I called the kids over and we sat on the bank and watched them as they swam over to the edge and jumped onto the dry ground. I'd never seen ducklings that were that small before.
After they all made it out of the pond the mother led them up the small hill and to a silver bowl located in the backyard of a house next to the park. They stayed at the bowl for a few minutes and then waddled back down to the water.
At that point we decided to check out what was in the bowl. It was duck food! The homeowner must love feeding the ducks.
Next we got out our picnic lunch and enjoyed a bite to eat before the kids starting playing again. I pushed them in the swings for a little while and then we watched the ducks make their way to the food bowl again. I wonder home many times a day they go over there.
We had a really nice time and will definitely stop back to play and watch the ducks again.
Discovery Park Pros & Cons
While we enjoyed our trip overall, there are some definite pros and cons I noted about the park.
Pros
- Nice sized playground with 3 slides, monkey bars, hanging bar, rock wall and some climbing obstacles.
- Swings for both toddlers and older children.
- Located in a neighborhood so not many cars were driving by.
- Pond with ducks and frogs to observe.
- Plenty of picnic tables, benches and trashcans.
Cons
- There wasn't a parking lot. At least I never found one. We ended up parking along the side of the street.
- No bathrooms. If needed, there are some fast food restaurants located nearby.
- Not much shade.
- Not enclosed by a fence.
I'm always looking for new places to go, and I'd love some suggestions. What Northeast Ohio parks and playgrounds do you frequent?
I still don’t have a *perfect* park, but our current favorite is Kaleidescope Park in Wadsworth, Ohio. It has a HUGE wooden climbing/playing structure with tons of different components, swings, walking trail that goes through the woods and around a large pond, baseball field, picnic shelters, and a disc golf course. This park is good because it’s our best compromise between what my son calls a “walking” park (like Metro Park trails, which I prefer) and a “playing” park (with equipment, which the kids prefer). My only complaint about it is that it can get crowded at times, sometimes with bigger kids who go running across the playground equipment at full speed and are not always cautious around the little ones.
Jennifer,
I’ve never been to the Kaleidescope Park before, but from what you describe it sounds really nice. Similar to Boettler Park in Green (I’ll be sharing details about that park soon).
I’m like you, I enjoy the Metro Parks and walking on trails, but my kids don’t consider it a true park unless there is a playground. So the parks with both options are the ones we frequent the most.
Thanks for letting me know about the park. We’ll definitely check it out.
Danielle
There is a great little park in Medina county in York township. It’s located just north of route 18 and route 252 on the west side of the road (directly behind the town hall and fire station). There’s a parking lot, pavillon, pond, playground equipment, a port a potty and the Medina County Parks rail trail is right there too!!
Kathy,
Thanks for letting me know. We’ll definitely have to check it out!
Danielle