Rocket Park

I wasn't sure if I wanted to include parks in my reviews as it seemed a little unnecessary when there is usually a park just around the corner from wherever you are at any given time. However, as I've thought about it more, there really are certain criteria that might make one a "good" park to visit, and another one you'd might like to pass on. I will just begin with some of the parks that we like to frequent around the valley. Most of them are probably familiar to you if you have lived here for any amount of time, so I will have to get a little more adventurous in discovering some of those lesser known places! Please let me know if you have any favorite parks, especially out in the Palisade area, as we don't venture over that way too often.

The first park I will discuss actually holds a special place in my heart as my husband and I, even before we were married, would go and toss the Frisbee or football here. It is Rocket Park, at 26th St. and Orchard Ave. I always think it's so crazy when I bring my kids to a place we used to hang out at before they were around! Rocket Park just recently received a huge makeover that has made the equipment much more kid friendly. The equipment is all new, there is a large expanse of grass to run and play ball in, picnic tables and lots of big shade trees to eat lunch under. There are restrooms available too. My three year old loves this park.

Now the downside to this park is that it does have a lot of large, complicated pieces of equipment, so it is hard to keep track of your kids sometimes. Definitely not a sit-and-watch type of park. Also, it is flanked by a busy road and has side streets on all sides, so if you have a wanderer... beware!

Overall, a great park for it's nice, new equipment, grass, shade and on-site bathrooms.

You can get directions here, but please note that it is still under it's original name, Melrose Park, on Mapquest.