Walnut Street Park in Cary - ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!

This park is FANTASTIC! It makes me wish I lived in Cary. Walnut Street Park, as the view from Walnut Street would falsely indicate, doesn't look like much other than a little walking park and some open spaces and picnic tables.

After a busy morning checking out another park, heading to the Farmer's Market for blueberry day and then stopping at Cook-Out for a lunch tray, we wanted to have a little picnic in the shade before heading home. So we stopped here - and I couldn't be more happy I did.

There was plenty of shade for picnicing, sandboxes, several climbing/slide jungle gyms, a rock climbing wall and so much more. I took tons of pictures, knowing I'd never be able to describe all the great options this park has for kids.

It was a bit hot outside, although nowhere near as hot as it can get in North Carolina, so I am not sure how often we will get to this park - but there were shade casters over some of the jungle gym areas, baby swings and regular swings right next to each other - which was always a big issue for me when Dani (2) was younger and Jordan (3) wanted to be on the big-girl swings. A lot of parks have the baby and big-kid swings separated.

I also loved the open spaces where you could throw down a blanket for a picnic or kick a soccer ball around, and I am a big fan of walking trails for much-enjoyed exploring. Of course, my kids had so much fun on the playground equipment there was no exploring this area for us today.

AND I love the padded playground flooring versus the playground mulch. We screwed up and left the house with flip flops on, and it was a relief that there was no playground mulch here because nobody likes mulch in their shoes.

The biggest negative here was the bathrooms. They weren't terribly clean, smelled kind of nasty and had no soap or hand sanitizer. If you can, have your kids go to the bathroom before you head out to this park. It's worth the battle to avoid this bathroom (although it's not as bad as some).

All in all, this is a fantastic park, and I will certainly go back - especially to meet up with some of a wonderful women I met this morning - always a huge perk to meet nice people!

1420 Walnut Street
Cary, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Shaded and sunny areas, love the soft playground flooring, lots of options for bigger and little kids to climb around, spin around and play in the sandbox, swing and work on their balance/coordination, open spaces for playing ball or relaxing, walking trails and great pepole - one of the nicest groups of women at a park I've met yet.

LOW LIGHTS: The bathrooms are a little ishy, need work, and on really hot days the equipment that's not in the shade will be brutally hot - but there are lots of options to chose from, some of which are shaded.

COST:  FREE!
HELPFUL HINT: I heard there are wild blueberries growing in this park that are OK to eat! We didn't find them, but we also didn't look. (Don't quote me on this! I heard it from a mom who visits the park a lot)

Hunter Street Park - We had a rough day and I'm struggling to remain objective!

All in all, I should have only good things to say about this park, but I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the Hunter Street Park in Apex. But it was more my experience than the park, so take this with a grain of salt.

With the dog park right there, I had pretty high expectations. But it was pretty separate from where we were playing, so the girls, who love dogs, didn't even know it was there.

The fields are in great shape, it was clean, well maintained and all the equipment was great. But there was something missing. I noticed the train tracks were right next to the park, so I hoped we'd hear and then see a train come through. We heard it, but it went the other route. So I think that disappointed me and the kids a bit.

We first kicked the soccer ball around one of their fields, and that was fun. But it didn't really impress the kids. Then we walked over to the playground, which was really nice. It had a climbing wall, four different slides and a cute little bench underneath for the kids to sit down and take a break. As I type, I realize there was nothing wrong with the park, just kids in bad moods. Jordan told a little girl "you're a nasty girl" for some odd reason, which she later explained the girl was being bossy. I didn't see that part, but who knows? 

And Dani opened up the street light box that encased the base of the street light and pulled out a gold fish and ate it. While I tried to pry her mouth open to make sure it wasn't something else, she bit down on my finger and made an instant blister. And that was about 5 minutes into the trip. So, alas I think my expectations were met, my kids just didn't cooperate.

The dog park was pretty cool, actually. It had a separate entrance for big and small dogs and looked like a wonderful place for dog owners, which I am not. So in the end, it was a pretty nice park. Maybe I'll visit again and get rid of the bad ju ju. 


1250 Ambergate Station
(across from Apex Town Hall)

Apex, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Gorgeously maintained, there was hardly a piece of trash on the ground, the dog park is right there and a wonderful place for pet owners, the train tracks run right along the borders (on two sides I believe) and would provide a fun "aw" moment for the kids if it came through, shelter is close to the playground, which is updated, safe and had a climbing wall.

LOW LIGHTS: My own personal ju ju aside, there was only one issue I found and it was the door to the fence around the playground stuck when trying to open it and wouldn't close properly, which one of the moms said she'd already call the parks and recreation department about and it was "fixed" but it wasn't quite right. Oh, and no swings, which my kids love.

COST: Free. Although, I think the dog park has associated fees?

Jordan Lake - A Beach Visit That's Not 3 Hours Away!

My husband teases me, as I am from Minnesota originally, that I call any area with sand by a body of water a beach. Dictionary.com, by the way, defines a beach as "the part of the shore of an ocean, sea, large river, lake, etc., washed by the tide or waves." So I was right! (Na na-nah boo-boo!)

 "Let's go to the beach, mom!" my little one woke and immediately demanded a trip to the ocean on the nicest day so far this spring. While it was supposed to be gorgeous here in the Triangle, it was pouring rain on the coast.



So we skipped the 3-hour drive and drove the 20 minutes to Jordan Lake's Ebenezer Church swimming area. The beach was nearly empty. It was clean, close to the bathrooms, very near a playground (which my kids totally ignored because they were having so much fun) and not far from a volleyball court.

Of course, the water was frigid. But that didn't stop my kids or any other kids that were there that day. We played in the sand and were up to knee deep in the water for the better part of 3 hours. It was a fantastic day, and the one cost I thought we would incur was the parking permit (which I believe is $6) but nobody was there to take our money. So it was free on Monday. Maybe it's just a weekend charge?

Anyway, we will certainly be back. My only regret is that I didn't check to see if there was a grill at the shelter, because I totally want to go back and grill out next week when it's supposed to be in the 70s!

Also, there are 3 other swimming areas open to the public (non-campers) - Seaforth, Parker's Creek and White Oak Recreation areas. I plan to visit all of those and report back. Hopefully this spring will be perfect for it!

Ebenezer Road
Apex, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Clean water, nice sand, close to restrooms and shelter, "beach" is close to playground, lots of parking very shallow swimming area, inside the "ropes" was 5 feet deep or less.

LOW LIGHTS: No changing table in the bathroom, which was a little stinky but not terrible. their website is not particularly user friendly, the link for entrance fees is not working, and in my experience the NC Division of Parks and Recreation staff that answers the phones is somewhat unfriendly.

COST: Free plus parking charge on weekends is $6 for cars (I believe. The site was not working when I checked).

Jaycee Park in Apex - A Surprise in the End

I have driven by Apex Jaycee Park no less than 100 times and had no idea what exactly was there. The truth is, not much is there. But it was enough to entertain two preschoolers and two toddlers for almost two hours!

We pulled up and saw a little playground. Unfortunately, it was really little. The oldest kid in the group said, "Is this the only playground?" There was a sign there that said it is ideal for ages 2-5 but the preschoolers (3 & 4) were bored within 5 minutes. There is a little walking trail which I believe shoots you out to Apex Peakway, two large soccer fields and a softball field that we passed to get to the playground. I didn't see it, but there is a batting cage, too, according to the website.


The kids ran up and down the sidewalk/trail a couple times, climbed on the wooden fence and ran up and down the little hill right next to the playground. There is a beautiful tree which looks perfect for climbing at the top of the hill, but our little ones were just a bit too small to reach the branches. Another year or so and they'll outgrow the park completely, but they'll be able to climb the tree. Go figure.

Honestly, this park isn't much, but if you have a really little one the playground is great, low to the ground and built for toddlers. I knew what I was going to write until Jordan (3) said to me that she wants to go back to that park and she had a great time. I think it was because the kids ran around the soccer fields and played a little "football" with two boys, two older boys who were brothers, and they were so good with the kids they had a blast. It just goes to show you, you don't have to have the best park to have a great time - just an imagination and some wide-open spaces (and maybe a football).

451 West Williams Street  
Apex, North Carolina 27502

HIGHLIGHTS: Lots of places to run and burn some energy, a great little playground for toddlers (very safe) and no parking issues, right off of Williams Street (Hwy 55), nice trail that runs through it and out to Apex Peakway, and the climbing tree.

LOW LIGHTS: There were fire ants everywhere. I counted 15 mounds outside the playground area. Some of them had clearly been treated and were not active, but the ones along the fence for the soccer field were crawling with fire ants! It's pretty tame, just a small playground for the really little ones.

COST: Free!

Falcon Park in Fuquay-Varina: I'll definitely go back

Our kids saw the park, looked at each other and giggled. Falcon Park is a keeper, although not in my top 5.

 Falcon Park in Fuquay-Varina is pretty easy to review. This is a good park. It's not bad; it's not great. It was fun to go, although I think our kids were pretty worn out from a lot of activity, and we didn't last long. The equipment is at a good height for toddlers and preschoolers, my kids ages, it's challenging but not too challenging, there's lots of space and running room and it's not too close to the road.

Falling on the bridge.

The equipment is a little old, however. And the bridge is pretty steep, my 3-year-old fell on it twice. But she didn't get hurt. In fact, the second time she laughed because she fell into her sister. The swings were just fine, although there were only two. There's a second part of the playground for smaller kids, which mine also enjoyed. The bathrooms were really gross, though. They smelled terrible and looked even worse.

I liked this park, and I will definitely go back, maybe on a hot summer day when we need a little shade.

611 E. Academy Street
Fuquay-Varina, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Shaded park, close to the middle school, two separate play areas for kids with short attention spans, swings, bridges and tunnels and nice people.

LOW LIGHTS: Horrible smelling and looking bathrooms, and the water didn't work so we couldn't wash hands (EW!), the equipment is a little old, bridge has a steep drop off and there are only two swings.

COST: Free!

Haunting At Harris - Missed the Hayride, but Still Pretty Fun

If you didn't get to Harris Lake County Park early on Saturday, you probably didn't get to enjoy the free hayride. The activity started at 2 p.m., and I think we got there at 3:30. The hayride tickets had already sold out!

It was OK for us, because we went to a pumpkin patch earlier in the day (Green Acres in Cary) where there was a hayride, but some kids threw absolute fits when they found out they couldn't go. I suggest you get there early next year.

The bulk of the activities were crafts and learning stations. My 3-year-old and I went, and it was pretty fun. There were several things that were way over her head, but others were perfect for her. Oddly, the preschooler that refused to play the bean bag toss or dig through the sand for treasures, stood next to the snake and spider lady for 20 minutes, asking question after question and man-handling the corn snake. This was not a small snake either. There were also live spiders and a dead wolf spider, which she asked me if she could kiss! UGH!

There was an obstacle course, which the little ones loved, and the playground was absolutely packed the entire time we were there. I would say it's geared toward kindergarten and older children, but it was still wonderful, and we will absolutely go back next year.

The hayride had an Indiana Jones theme, "Raiders of the Lost Park," and those who got a ride said it was very cool and true to its theme. The only casual complaint I heard was from a mom who would have liked to know there was a man with a chainsaw in the woods who chased the hayride. Go figure!
For those who missed the hayride, there will be hayrides again at Harris Lake on October 28 at 2 and 3 p.m.

Click here for the Harris Lake calendar of events.

2112 County Park Drive
New Hill, NC

HIGHLIGHTS:If your child didn't like one event/craft, there were dozens more to choose from, the hayride sounded pretty fun, Harris Lake is beautiful and has a nice playground and great dock. Also, they gave away "prizes" which was the biggest hit for my little one. 

LOW LIGHTS: The hayride tickets were gone before 3:30, so you have to get there early to participate. Harris Lake is known for ticks. We didn't have any on us when we got home, but you definitely want to check yourself and your children.

COST: Free!

Apex Community Park - Great Trail & View!

Apex Community Park is pretty nice, and the walking trail around at 50+ acre lake is wonderful. There are fitness trails, softball fields, tennis courts and volleyball courts and a lot more. That's all well and good for the "big kids" like you and me. But it's not awesome for the little ones, unless you're on a walk or bike ride around the lake on the trail.

There's also a jungle gym. It's nice enough, pretty new looking and close to parking, which is key for me and my little ones when it's time to pack up and go. But alas there are a few quirks. First, the swings were packed when we went and my little one, who prefers the big girl swing, was stuck in the baby swings. She still had fun. She always does, but there were three and four kids waiting for the other ones. I think the track-out programs/camps like to go there. Also, the jungle gym itself was clean and fun looking, but when my 1 1/2-year old tried to play on it, she couldn't get on or off it without a lot of effort. For some reason, the initial step to climb up this thing is almost two feet off the ground. And the slides and other climbing equipment was not made for the little ones. In fact, she went down one of the slides and got going so fast she fell face first into the wood mulched ground and got a bloody lip and mouth full of wood chips. So we left. I'm sure my 3-year-old would have enjoyed it more, but it was just a bit too much for Dani.

Also, unlike many of Wake County's parks, this one was not well marked. I've been there three times, and there are several entrances and I had trouble finding the different entrances all three times. You're going to want to put this one in your GPS or mapquest it.

2200 Laura Duncan Road 
Cary, NC 27511

HIGHLIGHTS:Gorgeous walking trail around the lake, friendly parents, lots of options for the older kids (volleyball, softball, tennis, basketball, picnic shelters), beautiful wooded park, wonderful 50-acre lake.

LOW LIGHTS: It's not the easiest place to find, the playground is made for slightly older kids (my guess would be 4 and older), and the swings are often pretty crowded.

COST: Free!

Lake Wheeler Park - So Pretty!

Lake Wheeler is so pretty, clean (looking at least) and the park has a nice newish -looking jungle gym. There are shelters, fishing areas, volleyball courts and all kinds of wonderful perks, but boy was it a drive! I kept thinking, "Did we miss the turn?"

Of course, for some it will be much closer, but for those in the Holly Springs area it's a little out there -- but worth it! This fall, when the colors start to change, it's going to be gorgeous.

I actually want to go back very soon to use the paddle boats with the girls and my husband. I am not sure I'd visit Lake Wheeler regularly, but for a special trip I will definitely return.

Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was when my youngest (20 months) made friends with the exceptionally friendly fishermen on the dock. They had caught a few fish, let the kids look at and touch the fish and check out the worms. (Pictured above, right) She had them laughing and talking to the kids while we fed the geese, easily my oldest's favorite part of the trip.

6404 Lake Wheeler Road  
Raleigh, NC 27603

HIGHLIGHTS:Wonderful park and lake - beautiful, nice jungle gym, water, dock, paddle boats for rent, boat launch, volleyball courts and wildlife.

LOW LIGHTS: For some, it is WAY out there. I think it took me 35 minutes to get there from the Holly Springs area, and the play area is all the way at the back of the park by the water; also the play area is wood mulched so you'll need sneakers for your kids for sure.

COST: Free!

Womble Park in Holly Springs - Not Great for Little Ones

So I have changed my tune about this park - but not its user-friendliness for toddler moms and dads. It's still loaded with big kids who will trample, it doesn't have a lot of swings and the equipment is pretty high in some places. But I will say this, for my preschooler and kindergartener -- this is a wonderful park! They also refurbished the playground surface so when it rains it's not so mushy. There's still a pond and creek nearby, but my kids love playing in the trees that surround them. I wouldn't recommend for super little ones, but preschoolers and older can really enjoy this park. And there are some benches for the grown ups to sit down & a mini track that surrounds the soccer park adjacent to the park. So if your big kid is playing soccer you can go for a walk or play at the playground with your little one.

I'm sure there will be a few moms who disagree with me, but Parrish Womble Park in Holly Springs is NOT an ideal place to take your toddlers - at least for me. The jungle gym equipment is way too high, as well as the steps, there are only two swings, both baby swings, and there's a creek that runs through the playground area and a small pond with not-so friendly but ducks and geese in it.
Maybe I was in a bad mood when I went, but the highlight for me was the volleyball court where my kids could play in the sand and I could take pretend pictures of my kids playing volleyball (I was a volleyball player and desperately want my girls to play when they're older).
Also, the Hunt Center is right across the street and offers a track-out program for school-age children who go to year-round school. The park was packed with older kids the whole time we were there, and every time we've gone, and they nearly trample my little ones. 
Either way, it's there and close to downtown Holly Springs, so if you're up for the challenge (or disagree with me) have fun! You won't have my kids to contend with, because this is not the park for me. It is, however, a great park for older ones, I'm sure.

1201 Grigsby Ave.
Holly Springs, NC  27540

HIGHLIGHTS: It's close to home if you live in Holly Springs, nice playground equipment for older kids, volleyball court, and it's beautiful and right next to a series of soccer fields so your younger ones can play at the park while your older ones play soccer.

LOW LIGHTS: Parking is a hike away from the playground, the creek runs right through it so you really, really have to be on your kids, the playground equipment is really high, only two swings, it seems to be packed with kids all the time - they tend to run over the little ones.

COST: Free!