Jones Park in Holly Springs - All New Playground Equipment

It used to be just softball, baseball fields, but they recently finished two sections of playground and a sheltered eating area with three picnic benches, and Jones Park in Holly Springs (off of Holly Springs Road behind the elementary school) is fantastic!

It looks beautiful and is clearly a wonderful addition to Holly Springs' Park & Recreation Department. However, the potties were a bit of a hike, which was unfortunate for me on my first visit because I was forced to change a blowout diaper on a towel on the ground and ended up with it on my pants, hands, the towel and more and no place to wash my hands (that I could find). Any potty trainers may have had a rough time, too.

Also, and this is an unavoidable issue in year-round school areas, but there were at least three huge groups of kids that came to the park, nearly knocking over the toddlers and certainly dominating the once (but briefly) quiet playground.

So when the big groups came we jumped on a trail and walked around a bit. It was definitely worth the chaos, and the trail was revisited and biked by my 3 and 4 year olds. And the trail led to Veterans Park and pond, which is wonderful for those looking for a scenic walk with a stroller.

All in all it was a great morning. We loved the mini monkey bars, different ways to climb, balance, slide and more. For once it was nice not to have swings because I don't love pushing the whole time. But it would have been nice to see a sandbox. Just my two cents.

I'm excited about this park, go there on a regular basis now, and recently heard about the renovations to Womble Park. I hear it's much nicer. Can't wait to try it out again! I do have some misgivings about Womble, but that's a blog for another day!

P.S. IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!

405 School Days Lane 
Holly Springs, NC 27540

HIGHLIGHTS: Fantastic turf (not grass) that you can play in just after it rains - still gets wet but not muddy, great little sidewalks for kids to run around, playground equipment for most sizes and lots of hanging things.

LOW LIGHTS: It gets a little crowded at times, but nothing like Kelly Road Park or Womble, a My kids love sandboxes, and there are none here - nor are there swings (but for some that is a highlight cuz some of us moms don't like to push swings for hours on end!) and the potties are a bit of a hike from the playground.

COST: Free!

R.S. Dunham "DAD" Park in Cary - Nice Traditional Park, nothing special though

R.S. Dunham Park in Cary is a park I've passed a dozen times but never stopped to play, so I made a special trip with the kids to check it out.  

This is a well-shaded park, and the equipment stayed much cooler when the hot sun hit it than most parks with full sun. It has big equipment for the bigger kids, a see-saw, swings, a large sandbox, basketball courts, tennis courts and this cool little spinny thing that was being dominated by big kids having an absolute blast - so I steered the little ones away to keep them safe.

I didn't see the bathrooms nearby, but the website says there are restrooms there. The tennis courts are lighted at night, too, for the "big" kids enjoyment.

There wasn't anything really special about this park, except for the merri-go-round that the big kids were enjoying so thoroughly. And I am not a fan of the playground mulch because my kids are constantly complaining about the mulch in their shoes. But I did enjoy the nice shaded areas and the great big sandbox, which my kids could play in for hours.

It's an average park, to be honest, so I wouldn't go out of my way to visit but if you're nearby it's certainly worth a pit stop for the little ones. My kids lasted less than 30 minutes before getting bored.

519 Walnut St

Cary, NC

 

HIGHLIGHTS: This park is pretty well shaded, with gorgeous mature trees surrounding the playground and basketball courts, great big sandbox and a fun little merri-go-round like none I've ever seen before.

LOW LIGHTS: Not a big fan of the playground much they have here, and there's not much to it.

COST:  FREE!

Millbrook Exchange/Community Center - Refurbished Park, Splash Pad & Baby Pool

We were so excited to check out this new park at Millbrook Exchange Community Center & Park (with splash pad). So I read up a bit and headed out to check it out.

Unfortunately, just as we arrived (a 35-minute drive later) we found out that the park was not yet open and the splash pad was not free or refurbished. Based on the articles I had read it was all open and mostly new (we visited May 30, so a few weeks has passed and the park may be open now). The stories were unclear, and I was visibly frustrated. I have a neighborhood pool, which I already pay for. Why would I drive all that way to pay for my kids to play?

Well, it was fun! We had a great time, and the people were incredibly friendly. The park, when it opens (which the construction workers said would be two weeks, but I wouldn't bank on it) will be wonderful. There were two separate sections and it looked really nice. Unfortunately, the bad taste in my mouth about it not yet being open after such a long drive will hinder this review.

If I lived in North Raleigh and didn't have a community pool, I would definitely take advantage of this place. It was $2/per child and $6 per adult if you are a Raleigh resident.

I do not, however, so for my Holly Springs, Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina readers - this place isn't quite worth the drive just yet. It may be when the park opens - but still, for those with community pools, I'm not sure I'd drive all that way for a park. A shorter drive and different circumstances would likely evoke a much better review of this place.

1905 Spring Forest Road
Raleigh, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Wonderful, lowish cost for a pool activity that doesn't require a membership. Splash pads and toddler pools are almost always a hit for young kids, and the new playground looks like it will be amazing if/when it opens (yes, that was a bit snarky). The guy at the front, taking payments, was very friendly and helpful.

LOW LIGHTS: They don't seem to have the media connections to get the word out about the correct opening date of the refurbished park; for those of us on the Southwest side of the Triangle, it's not really very close & the cost is more for non-Raleigh residents. The restrooms aren't really very clean, nor are they convenient to the splash pad and pool areas for much-needed quick trips little ones and potty training kids of need. But it's not too bad either. For someone living in the area I would absolutely ignore my review and go and enjoy!!! The lifeguards did not seem like they enjoyed their jobs -- very unfriendly that day.

COST:  $2 for 1-12 year olds, $4 for 13-54 and $3 per 55+ (RALEIGH RESIDENTS). Nonresidents pay $3 for 1-12, $7 for 13-54 and $5 for 55+.
HELPFUL HINT: You didn't hear this from me, but they don't really check if you're a resident or not, so if you want to save a few bucks just say you're a Raleigh resident. I feel terrible writing that, but it's true and if I can save people a few bucks ...

PlayNation In Morrisville - Worth the trip

I so was not in the mood for an adventure this morning, but I fed off my exploring buddy, Amanda's, positive energy and cruised over to Morrisville to visit PlayNation.

It's an indoor playground with a bouncey, blow up slide, play houses and great little backyard playhouses. I would love one of these beauties in my backyard, especially the ones with the tire swings. My kids love tire swings. It's really a great bad-weather activity, but it doesn't really feel like you're inside most of the time because of the outdoor playground equipment.

Dani (2) took off running before I could even pay and was climbing stairs and flying down very fast slides right away. She later warmed up to the large blow up slide. She had an absolute blast!

There was one huge drawback of this place, though, and a couple minor ones. The big one: they had, on display, snacks and juice, almost a small child eye level and most of these are not snacks I would offer my kids. The minor drawbacks included a sumwhat dirty looking floor. I can honestly say I went straight for the hand sanitizer as soon as we got in the car, and I don't usually do that. It might have been clean, but the padding on the floor was a bit dingy, making it look dirty, and the doors and handles looked like they need to be wiped down pretty thoroughly (ie, the door to the office from the play area). Also, the location is strange. It's in an industrial park area and it's all the way around the back side of one of the buildings. But those two minor issues didn't bother me; they were just noteworthy.

I will certainly go back!

300 Dominion Drive - Suite 425
Morrisville, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: This place is great for little ones because they have such short attention spans and there are so many options, including bouncy house/slide, tire swings, baby swings, slides, play house, a snack area separate from the playing kids, bridges, rock climbing walls and more. Oh yeah, and they have birthday parties there, which I thought was a wonderful idea for a little one's party.

LOW LIGHTS: The snacks are at the front desk where you pay and right at children's eye level, it seemed a little under kept in terms of its cleanliness, and it was a bit hard to find - I would have NEVER found it without the address and suite number and even then I had to turn around a couple times en route. Some of the slides were a bit slick. This could be a drawback or a positive. Either way, with little ones I'd watch them because my friend's daughter went flying off the end of one and landed a few feet later. Fun for some, injury for others. (I was notified by the owners that the flooring is being replaced soon, and that it is regularly disinfected, but wasn't meant to be permanent in the first place!)

COST: $5 per child. Call for prices on birthday parties if you're interested.

CC Jones Memorial Park - A Great Little Find

A mommy friend told me she accidentally found this park at the end of Jones Street in Apex, not far from downtown. After one of my not-so-successful outings, I drove through Jones Street and sure enough there was this great little park down the hill.

Before I forget, the one thing about this area that I always found a bit strange was there aren't public pools, that everybody knows about, anyway. So this place, CC Jones Park, also has a swimming pool adjacent to it. It requires a membership, but it's a pool that doesn't require you to live in a specific neighborhood to use it (paying or not). I am going to research more about it in the future, but I was so excited to find one!

Anyway, this park was really nice in the classic park sense. It is surrounded by mature trees and it just feels like a park I would have played at as a kid. The equipment is surprisingly updated and well maintained, although not in perfect condition. My kids loved it and flipped out when I said it was time to leave. So I promised we would go again soon. I noticed they had a grill and think we might try a cookout.

309 Holleman Street (Corner of Jones & Holleman)
Apex, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: This is a classic version of a park, tall trees and lots of shade, lots of swings and a grill and shelter for a picnic - and it's right next to a swimming pool (public, I believe - may require membership).

LOW LIGHTS: It needs a bit of TLC and it's at the bottom of a big hill, so if you have to leave mid temper tantrum, it could be physically taxing.

COST: Free.

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).

North Cary Park- What a Wonderful Place To Play!

So officially I am a park mom. My kids love them more than chocolate milk!

We drove all the way to North Cary, got lost too, I might add, so check out a park I heard about -- North Cary Park.

This place was beautiful, much like most of Cary's parks. They just take such beautiful care of their parks. The first thing we saw brought me to tears: four, pristine volleyball courts with perfect sand and nets almost at the right height. I am a volleyball player (or was a decade ago) and I was pretty geeked out about them. And my kids loved the second biggest sandbox they'd ever seen. (2nd only to the beach)

 After the courts excursion, we took a walk on a little trail to find a climbing wall. They are too young to climb it, but they played a little game or running peak-a-boo for about 20 minutes. I got to sit and watch and loved every minute. Then we found the playground, or at least part of it. It had a real sandbox, jungle gym, great slide and a little "house" to play in.

The moms were wonderful, bathrooms close and we played well into lunch hour. It was a total success. My only complaint was the slide & stairs leading up to it were really steep for my little one (2). She did fine but I was a wreck thinking she'd fall. She didn't! This park was worth the drive, and I will certainly go there again.

1100 Norwell Blvd
Cary, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Clean park, great sandbox, climbing wall (for older kids to climb and younger kids to run around), friendly people, restrooms close by, two slides, balance toys on the jungle gym, and lots of space to run around away from the playground.

LOW LIGHTS: The slides were a bit "fast" for my littlest one and the stairs headed up were pretty steep. I held my breath most of the time she was on the stairs. My GPS also did not pick this up and I got lost (probably user error more than anything, but I had to share just in case).

COST: Free!

Davis Drive Park in Cary

I love this park! Davis Drive Park in Cary was really just a playground with a shelter and walking trail. But for a couple of reasons this one was particularly fun.

 First of all, the sandbox was wonderful. Even though everything else was pretty wet, the sand stayed dry, and dead center was a metal sculptured "Chooooo Train!" - which is what my youngest, Dani, screamed as she ran up to the playground. The jungle gym itself was in pretty nice shape, and seemed to keep my kids climbing, sliding, balancing and peaking.

But what really makes a park is the people that go there. My friend, Amanda, and I met so many great moms there. Apparently we lucked out and found ourselves with women who are part of the Cary Mom's Group (meetup.com). I will be writing about that soon, too. These moms were so friendly, attentive to their kids and really just "my kinda people." I am not one to join groups or do things according to someone else's schedule, so I'm probably not going to join. But it's really tempting.
One of the moms was playing in the sand with my oldest (3). Another mom struck up a conversation with my friend and quickly shared she was the mother of 3, 2-year-old twins and a 6 month old! *And I thought I was crazy.
The kids shared snacks, played well together and left absolutely worn out. Um, yeah, we will be going back. The sandbox alone kept my 3-year-old busy for nearly an hour.

We actually had such a nice time, we left later than we thought we would and didn't walk the trail (which is part of the park and is 1/2 mile around). The shelter looked pretty clean, and the parks and recreation department had someone there with a leaf blower. I was stunned, as I didn't see a single leaf out of place or piece of trash, for that matter.

This is a winner! I don't know if it's a hidden gem, but it's certainly a gem.

1610 Davis Drive
Cary, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Clean park, great sandbox with very cool Train sculpture where the kids can climb and play, well-maintained jungle gym, clean facilities, bathroom nearby, shelter and walking trail.

LOW LIGHTS: There were a few "drop off" places in this jungle gym where really little ones can fall off and the backdrop for the trail wasn't spectacular. I actually am having a hard time finding fault in this place - really reaching here.  

COST: Free!

Kelly Glen Park

Kelly Glen Park in Apex was absolutely empty, and I know at least one big reason why. It smelled horrible. It is situated adjacent to a brick building that was emitting some nasty smells. Not a soul joined us at the park, either. So I'm sure I'm not alone in this opinion.

It was pretty boring - just a little playground, a shelter and a little space for running around. It was clean enough, but not spectacular. I wasn't impressed at all, and I begged my girls to leave because the smell was starting to make me feel sick. Then, when we got in the car, my 3-year-old said she wasn't feeling well. It went away as quickly as we drove away from the smell.


I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this one. Kelly Road Park (Kidstowne) is a few blocks (if that) away from this park. Just go there. If you live in the Kelly Glen subdivision I could see the draw occasionally, but this park was not for me. I won't return.

1701 Kelly Glen Lane
Apex, NC


HIGHLIGHTS: We had the park to ourselves, there was a shelter, it seemed well maintained.

LOW LIGHTS: It smelled so bad, there wasn't much to do, the swings were baby swings only, the website said this was a 2-acre park (I don't think so) and there was no grill (website said there was a grill). And an empty park is nice every once in a while, but we were so bored and there was no one to distract the girls. 

COST: Free!

Bond Park - Lazy Daze Playground is Wonderful

Shhhhh ... don't tell. We fed the duckies! I've been meaning to go to Bond Park in Cary for months but finally made it to play.

I took two toddlers and headed straight to the Lazy Daze Playground. What a great playground! There were two swing sets- one for babies and the other for big kids, two jungle gyms (one for big, and one for smaller kids) and two sandboxes. It was a lot of fun, and the parents and grandparents were so nice.

Then the girls and I headed for the boat dock. There is a trail, docks and even a little beach where we fed the ducks some bread. The hardest part was the parking situation. To park close to the playground meant you were a longer walk from the dock. I wish I had brought my double stroller because it was just a little too far of a walk for my rapidly tiring toddlers to hoof it on the way back. So we drove.

With older kids, no problem...  with the really small ones it's a bit more challenging.

Bond Park is wonderful, but the facilities are pretty spread out. Below is a list of features at Fred G. Bond Metro Park from the webpage on the Town of Cary website.

• Bond Lake
• Bond Park Boathouse
• Challenge Ropes Course
• Sertoma Amphitheatre
• Kiwanis Picnic Shelter
• Lazy Daze Playground
• Buehler Picnic Shelter
• Athletic fields
• Multi-use field
• 4.2 miles of trails
• Compost Education Center
• Screened Porch

801 High House Road
Cary, NC

HIGHLIGHTS: Beautiful park, lots of options for kids big and small, nice playground, great dock area and beach-like area to feed duckies, lots of sitting areas, very well maintained.

LOW LIGHTS: This park is really spread out, so you have to park and walk if you're going to visit more than one hot spot, bathrooms were not close to the playground.

COST: Free!

Sue Helton Park (APEX)

I wouldn't drive from Chapel Hill to visit Sue Helton Park in Apex, but we had a good time. It's a little park for pretty little ones. The sign said designed for ages 2-5, but my 3-year-old wouldn't have lasted five minutes at this park. There are a couple slides, some peak-a-boo spots and a large gazebo (the highlight for the kids).

We really had a great time, and I would go again.

201 Matney Lane
Apex, NC



HIGHLIGHTS: Small and good for little, little ones and the gazebo was good for running around.

LOW LIGHTS: It needed a little maintenance and cleaning, and there were no swings; very small area and not fenced in, no bathrooms. 

COST: Free.





- located on Matney Lane inside the Perry Farms subdivision