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!

Jack Marley Park in Angier - I LOVE THIS PARK! Totally worth the drive!!!

Jack Marley Park is the reason I started this blog! I wanted to find the parks that were beautiful, well-maintained and offer a lot for the little ones to enjoy. Places like Kids Together in Cary, Kids Towne at Kelly Road Park in Apex, Pullen Park in Raleigh and Music Time at Brueggers in Apex are absolute child-rearing treasures in this area, and I believe they should be shared. Jack Marley Park is in this class! 

Skate park at Jack Marley.

There are two jungle gym areas, swings, a beautiful pond with a water fountain in the center and lots of ducks, a .8 mile walking trail, workout stations, volleyball courts, softball fields and a skate park. Truth is, I didn't get to see it all my kids had so much fun playing and running around. It is clean (except the bathrooms), they let you feed the ducks and one of the playground areas is fenced in to keep the kids off the running trail and out of the pond.

As Pullen Park is my favorite, it is the park I measure all others against. So here is where Jack Marley falls a tiny bit short. Again, the bathrooms were not very clean. There are three sets of bathrooms at this park, which is pretty spread out, and only one set was unlocked while we were there. We could have had an accident, as the potties were at the other side of the park. We didn't, but I think it's good to know ahead of time anyway so FYI. Also, part of the .8 mile trail is right next the street and the parking area - there's not even a curb on part of it so my toddler had to be picked up so she wouldn't run in front of cars. She's a bit of a wild child. But that area is not really close to the playgrounds, so it was just an issue as we were walking from one end of the park to the other.

My kids have a short attention span, but they played nonstop for almost two hours. This park is in Angier, and I will not hesitate to make this drive in the future. It's worth the trip!


245 East Williams Street
Angier, NC 27501

HIGHLIGHTS: Two playgrounds (one which was fenced in to keep the kids off the running trail and out of the pond), volleyball courts, skate park, gorgeous view of pond with water fountain, ducks, walking trail, tennis courts and more!

LOW LIGHTS: The bathrooms were a little rough and some were not even open, walking trail passes right by the road and water.

COST: Free!

Action Park in Fuquay-Varina

 

Action Park in Fuquay-Varina was not without merit, but I am not sure I'll go back there anytime soon. There was broken glass and trash all over this park, not to mention the profanity and obscene drawings on the interior of the jungle gym equipment. The only place that seemed to be clear of the debris was the softball fields and press boxes that overlook them. (This is the park located off of Wake Chapel Road as you head into downtown Fuquay-Varina off of Hwy 55 - if you look off to your right).

The jungle gym at Action Park was fun, but it was a little high for the really little ones and didn't hold their attention for long. So we (my friend who also has a 1 1/2-year-old) had to be pretty hands on. There were batting cages the kids loved to run up and down; we ran the bases on the softball fields a couple times, sat in the dugouts and checked out the press boxes. (Mommy used to be a sports writer so I wanted to give my girls a little taste of mommy's profession.) We had fun, but after my 3-year-old picked up food off the ground and ate it while I was chasing the little one and about a dozen more trash incidents, it was time to go. I feared they would want to pick up the pretty green broken glass or worse!

Until the trash is picked up at this park, I wouldn't recommend it for toddler or preschool age kids. And beware the profanity for the older ones. After a quick call to the Fuquay-Varina Parks and Recreation Department, I learned they clean the park every day and often send someone out to paint and repaint due to graffiti. I'm not sure how thorough a job they do or if the nightly softball games at this park produce that much daily trash. Either way, I would steer clear of Action Park with little ones.

609 Wake Chapel Road
Fuquay-Varina, NC 

HIGHLIGHTS:The jungle gym was OK, lots of places to sit and well-maintained softball fields. The tennis courts seem to be filled, too, so I'm assuming they're nice. 

LOW LIGHTS: LOTS OF TRASH, including broken glass, jungle gym is a bit high, it was hard to find (cannot see the park from the road and you have to drive pretty far back to see it).

COST: Free!

South Park in Fuquay-Varina - A Nice Change of Pace

She's pretending to be upset. :)

Want to spend some time with really nice moms? Well this is the place to go in Fuquay-Varina.South Park is off of Main Street in Fuquay-Varina. There are softball fields, a little running track that goes right by the playground, jungle gyms (one for the toddlers and another for brave toddlers and older) and swings (both baby swings and big-kid swings).

I really enjoyed my morning with the girls. My smallest is just getting over a cold and got a sinus infection, so we've been sort of cooped up at home since Saturday. But we sneaked out for about 40 minutes to hang out at a new park and enjoy the sunshine. I am so glad we did. There's nothing special about this place, except maybe the track for runners/walkers that is in plain view of the playground for moms and dads who want to get a workout in while their older ones play. But the people were so nice.

We had a pretty good time considering it was right before lunch time, and my toddler is still a little sick. Don't judge - it's just a cold.

We will definitely go back, and we found out about another park in Fuquay-Varina that is great to go to in the evenings. Can't wait to check it out.

900 South Main Street
Fuquay-Varina, NC

HIGHLIGHTS:Awesome moms and dads! Maybe I just got lucky, but the people were so friendly - Adults & Children! It's not terribly crowded, and there's a cute little running/walking track around the nearby softball field so your kids can play while you work out (if they're at that age). Nice shelter nearby.

LOW LIGHTS: I didn't see a bathroom nearby, although that doesn't mean there isn't one. It's pretty small and doesn't have the newest of equipment.

COST: Free!