Carver Lake

Carver Lake Park has 2 playgrounds and I will review only the large upper playground since when we went, the lower playground's gate was locked.  This playground is up on the hill, past the pavilion down the main path from the large parking lot.  The address is 3175 Century Ave.  The park has a natural lake that is open for swimming (no lifeguard on duty).  Back to the play structure...

Here are the quick fact: 2 separate areas next to each other.  

2 big girl swings and 2 chair swings

7 Slides: 2 sets of double slides, 1 tube slide, 1 wavy slide, and 1 small straight slide

5 climbing structures

Rolling barrel

Monkey bars

1 picnic table (plus a pavilion close)

2 benches

A large rock to climb

Mulch base

Trees around about half the playground so it does get shady in the evenings

Off street parking

Sand volleyball court

Large grass area for running and playing tag

The Carver Lake park is a beautiful park with a small playing structure (above) and a much larger playing structure (1st picture).  It has a very open feel that is a short walk from the parking area so runners should be safe.  The large play structure has plenty of equipment to keep kids of all ages happy and occupied for hours.  A unique climbing rock is great fun for older patrons.  

The rock may be a temptation for younger children which may make moms and dads very nervous.  I have learned to avoid this playground on Saturday afternoons when family reunions or parties may be housed in the pavilion because the playground can get overrun with children.  Most other times, it is very quiet and has plenty of room for larger play dates.

Marsh Creek

Marsh Creek is a hidden gem at the corner of Radio and Lake in the woods behind the small historical white house.  To get to the park, you park in the parking lot near the small house and then take a paved trail through the marsh and up a small hill to the playground.  The address is: 8025 Lake Rd.

Here are the quick facts:
Cool Log cabin theme
1 baby swing, 2 big girl swings, and 1 chair swing
4 slides: 1 double slide, 1 wavy slide, and 1 tube slide
5 climbing structures
Horse rocker
1 picnic table
1 bench
No monkey bars
Mulch base
1 portable potty near the parking area

This park is nestled down a path which is nice for older kids or runners but can be difficult for younger children and those that are slow, like my daughter.  The park is usually very quiet and rarely has anyone else there.  This makes it a nice place for small play dates.  I have been to the park with multiple age children and all seem to enjoy it.  The park is surrounded by trees and a marsh area and you can see the houses in the adjoining neighborhood.

There is some chipping paint and a small amount of graffiti on the play structure.  

Overall we give Marsh Creek 4.5 out of 5 Popsicles!!

On a side note, the house and garden information is open as shown below.

Wedgewood Park

We went to the Wedgewood Park playground.  The address is 3425 Williamsburg Pkwy.  This is a little misleading though because the playground is actually on Atrium Rd.  If looking for the park, I would type Atrium Rd, 55129 into Google maps.  The playground will be on your left.

Here are the quick facts:
2 big girl swings, 2 baby swings
Slides: 2 story tunnel, 2 story wavy, 1 corkscrew, 1 small wavy
Wavy monkey bar structure
Large wave see saw
1 spinning pole
Lady bug rocker
Huge 2 story play structure
Mulch play surface
2 picnic tables
2 benches
2 separate play areas one for smaller kids and one for bigger kids
Dinosaur theme on the small play area
No off street parking at the actual play area
No bathroom at the actual play area
Sits off the road

This is a fabulous playground.  It was just replaced less than 2 years ago and it is in great shape.  It has a very tall central play structure which could be difficult for younger kids.  My 2.5 yr old loves it though.  She has no problem climbing up.  It does have a smaller play area for smaller children that you can see pictured below.

This park has a very unique wave see saw that can accommodate 8-10 kids at once.  you can see a small portion of the wavy see saw below.

The park does sit off the street so you should have plenty of time to catch those run away children before they are playing in traffic.  The only downside we saw to the park is that it can be a place for older kids to congregate.  Once when we visited, kids were climbing up the outside of the tube slide and scared me to death.  I would suggest if you pull up and see a number of really BIG kids on the playground, find another park and come back.  

There is a larger park with fiends and things just down the street, but since it was totally separate from the play structure, we will not report on it.  I do think there is a bathroom at the larger park, just set off early if you are going to make it in time.

On a scale of 1-5 Popsicles, we give this park a PERFECT 5 Popsicles!!!

Evergreen West

About a mile away from Evergreen East, is Evergreen West.  Evergreen West is a much larger park with many amenities.

Here are the quick facts:
2 big girl swings
2 baby swings
4 slides, a double straight, a twisty tube, and a small straight
2 types of monkey bars
A separate small kid area connected to the larger play structure with a castle theme
5 climbing structures
Fireman pole
Mulch play area
Off road parking
Basketball court
2 Tennis courts
Baseball field
Ice rink and warming house
Indoor restrooms
1 bench
1 picnic table near the ball field

This is a large playground.  As you can see above, it has a number of slides and climbing features.  It also has a bridge and a tube to crawl through.

The area is a small distance from the off street parking so "runners" won't be able to make it out into traffic easily.  There are trees on one side of the playground so I think it is probably shaded during certain parts of the day.  

The equipment is a little older and has both some graffiti and peeling paint as you can see in the pictures below.  My daughter wanted me to go down the tube slide and in there I saw some profanity.

Overall, this is a nice large park that would be ideal for larger play dates or gatherings.  

On a scale of 1-5 popsicles, we give Evergreen West 4 Popsicles...it would have been 4.5 without the graffiti and peeling paint.

We are off to discover some more park lovin' fun!  See ya soon at the park!

Evergreen East

After a day of heavy rain, my daughter and I ventured out to find a park that was not underwater.  We found 2 parks that were virtually dry.  The first, was Evergreen East.

Here are the quick facts:

8196 Galway Rd. (You can see this park from Radio Dr)

Baseball field

Off street parking is available

Playground is close to the parking area

Mulch play surface

2 big girl swings and 2 baby swings

2 slides, 1 tube and 1 regular

2 climbing structures

1 port a potty

1 picnic tables

This is a very small park that  I can see being overrun with children during any kind of activity on the ball field.  On the day we were there, no one was around and my daughter seemed to have a great time.  It was perfect for a few smaller children.  Bigger kids would probably get bored easily.

The actual play structure is in great shape and after staying only 15-20 minutes I told my daughter we were about to leave and she protested heavily.  That usually means she likes the park :)  Keep on lovin' your parks!!!

On a scale of 1-5 popsicles, we give Evergreen East  3 Popsicles!

Odawa Park

On the same street as Potawatomi Park, and connected by a trail is Odawa Park.  We visited this park in the evening.
Here are the quick facts:

Address: 1270 Parkwood Dr., Woodbury

No off street parking
Basketball court
1 Tennis court
3 slides, 1 twisty, 1 tube, and 1 small straight slide
Monkey bars
Small rock climbing wall
Pond with ducks
1 picnic table in play area
2 full sets of swings: The first is far away from the other play equipment and the second is right next to the play equipment.  Both contain 2 big swings and 2 baby swings.

Mulch surface under the play equipment and sand under the swings that are away from the playground.

This brightly colored playground was down a very long trail and over a small bridge.  I could see this being a problem for very small children who do not like to walk a long way, however, it is nice for older kids so they can run off some energy and not get hit by a car.  The biggest asset of this park is not the play equipment at all, it is the large lake with a large number of duck (and baby ducks when we visited). The play equipment itself is nice and sufficient to entertain children.  This park was in the shade in the evening, which is nice for those hot afternoons so your little one can actually slide down the slide without getting 2nd degree burns.

On a scale of 1-5, we give this park 4 popsicles!

Potawatomi Park

My daughter and I explored Potawtomi Park in the early evening.  Here are the quick facts:

Address: 1201 Parkwood Dr., Woodbury

2 Baseball fields, 1 tennis court, 1 basketball court
Off road parking
3 picnic tables
2 big girl swings (sling swings)
1 chair swing
1 baby swing
2 slides: 1 tube and 1 straight
Monkey bars
Mulched play area
1 port-a-potty near parking area

This was a very nice park with newer equipment with tons of green space surrounding it.  The play equipment is not very large and so older kids may get bored after a little while.  I would suggest bringing a basketball, football, or baseball for older kids to keep them entertained.  The park sits back off the street so "runners" will not be able to bolt into the street.  The playground is surrounded by many trees but is not itself shaded.  There was no one at the park when we visited but I could envision it getting busy if there were baseball games in progress.

                                      

On a scale of 1 to 5 Popsicles (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best), we give it a 3.5.

Here we go...

So I was at the park today with my husband and 2 year old daughter .  We were visiting a park we had never been to within the city of Woodbury, MN where we live.  As our daughter played, my husband and I talked about all the parks within 5 miles of our house.  I told him about the different surfaces for play and which one I liked.  He just laughed and then said, "You should start a blog about all the parks around here."  I laughed it off at first and then started thinking of all the things I wish I knew about the parks in this area.  Some are better for older kids, some are close to the street, some have shade, and some have special play features that may appeal to certain groups of kids.


So, here I am, starting a blog at 11:00 at night.  I hope someone will enjoy reading it and that it will be helpful to other park lovin' moms and dads out there.


Now get out there and play!