This is part two of a blog in which Kevin wrote about his summers as a kid and what summers are like now that he has kids of his own. Kevin and his family visited six local parks in July. Part one talked about the first three. Part two, below, talks about three additional park visits. Let us know if they pique your interest to get out there and see them for yourself!
Our region has a wealth of parks, over 2,600 to be precise. SEMCOG’s new Interactive Park Finder application houses parks and recreation information on every park in the region. Park Finder allows communities to promote recreational assets and helps families learn about the recreation options and park amenities both near and far. If you haven’t already done so, please explore this new tool, provide feedback on how it can be of most use and impact, and most importantly – use it and share it with your friends, family, and residents!
The Local and Neighborhood Gems
July 8 – George George Park, Clinton Township
Ever since we first visited George George Park in Clinton Township to take photos for a wedding my wife and I both stood up in eight years ago, we’ve made time to revisit and explore the park a few times a year. From its huge playscape for the kids to the winding and seemingly endless walking and biking paths to the beautiful fountains and manicured grounds, the park is a must-visit for a weekend picnic in the summer. In addition to playing and picnicking, this most recent visit included a crash course (pun intended) in graduating our six-year-old to the wonders of riding a two-wheeled bike. The trails of George George Park are unique, picturesque, and just empty enough for a newly minted two-wheeled rider to explore the extent of his skills. While one son was riding the ever-looping number of trails and paths, the other was busy climbing and jumping off the four-foot rock wall! Yes, if you didn’t guess, dad was “in charge” of the rock-wall jumping three-year-old.
July 19 – Ghesquiere Park, Grosse Pointe Woods
There is nothing quite like having a high-quality neighborhood park that’s less than a five-minute walk from your home. In our recent Access to Core Services study, we know that there are not too many households with this luxury (36 percent of all households are within a 10-minute walk). For our family, Grosse Pointe Woods’ Ghesquiere Park is not only less than a five-minute walk from our front door, but it also provides some of the best summer entertainment money can buy (i.e., free!). See, in addition to providing a great playscape and walking/biking trails, Ghesquiere Park’s true claim to fame is as the home to the Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores Little League with games being played nearly every weeknight and certainly every weekend in the summer months. Taking a snack and walking over to the park to catch a couple of innings is certainly one of the highlights of living close such a great park.
July 27 – Safety Town at Garbutt Park, Ferndale
On Thursday, July 27, the City of Ferndale hosted the third in a series of five safety town events geared towards educating kids on safety best practices related to walking and biking, fire dangers, and playground safety. The main attraction of these events is the city’s newly implemented child-sized “town” that replicates and educates children on how to get around the city. It includes things like green-painted bike lanes, share-the-road pavement markings, railroad
track crossings, midblock crossing signage, and other key attributes of a town like green space and buildings. In the coming months, it’s expected that the safety town will install buildings such as a post office, police station, and city hall. After biking and “scootering” around the course while learning of best practices for nonmotorized travel (including SEMCOG’s Walk.Bike.Drive Safe campaign materials!), our oldest son took his newly honed bike skills to what may or may not be intentionally designed off-road bike mounds. Regardless of whether they are intentional or not, they proved to be of great enjoyment for at least one six-year-old who got to experience his first “dirt-bike course,” in a very safe and mom-approved environment.
All in all, I must say it was a really great month of getting the family out of doors and experiencing the many great parks and recreation locations across the region. Some are very well known, while others are a little more “off the beaten path.” Regardless, I hope you learned something new about what our regional parks system offers and, most importantly, that you look to explore some of these gems for yourself!
Related: SEMCOG’s Regional Parks Bus Tour is August 24. More information.
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