A hidden gem in Des Moines?…read more We think so. We have ridden by here a lot on our bikes following the Neal Smith bike trail, which is another gem of the Des Moines area! It goes right by on the levy and you can see this park just off to the northwest. We have also been here for several concerts as part of the river view concert series that are hosted by the City of Des Moines and parks and recreation systems. They host a fantastic and safe party. Please keep doing this!!! They bring in vendors and food trucks to provide food and refreshments for the attendees. They are parked right of the sidewalk and easily accessible without being in the way! Whether or not there is something happening on the stage, the place is perfect to enjoy with kids of all ages. The park equipment is all newly installed, Ada compliant and have historical themes, based on the rides that used to be here when this was an amusement park. The place is great, check it out and check out my pictures!

Came here during 4th of July and it was so much fun! Two very cool bands played on the stage which…read morewas such a cool experience. Plenty of food trucks and beer options too. Parking was right across the bridge and there were outhouses available as well

I love it and it's the best place you could be it's very good and it's just the best because you…read morecan do all sorts of stuff good for kids I forgot what this the rules of the park separation I'm pretty sure it said to 2 12-year-olds

Memorable park with the famous ROCKET SLIDE!…read more It's a fun playground because it has a unique structure that is considered vintage. Made of metal. The slides are plastic. During COVID19 review: Came out here with some moms for a play date. Rocket playground was open as well as the north playground. Wading pool was NOT operating. Didn't see anyone using the restrooms or the drinking fountain. A few park benches around to sit and picnic at. Grass was very tall but landscapers were working on mowing. Well maintained with no tree debris. We've been to this park before and it's a popular place to come. But during COVID19 there is way less people around. 3 other families and 1 small day care of 4 kids were there with our group. Made for around 20-25 children playing around each other. Would recommend if you're in the neighborhood.

A community center for all!!! I love Valley Community Center…read morefor its beautiful center, all the activities they offer, and for a wonderful meeting place. For professionals and casual meeting. Been coming here for most of the summer and I can't believe we haven't taken advantage of this center as much as we have before. Parking lot is plenty and spacious. Out front is an outdoor playground with even wheelchair accessibility. My kids LOVE this park. Going inside, guests are welcomed by the sweet smell of complementary coffee! There is an open gym with scheduled events going on. Restrooms are always clean and plenty. Mini cafe that serves espresso and coffee drinks with a variety of easy snacks and drinks for kids. Prices are nice! A small drink with espresso (latte) is $3.65. I've seen Richard (the barista) there every time and he's very personable. We sees regular customers a lot and still remembers us! There is an indoor playground as well!! Parents can work and sip on coffee while kids are playing inside. I LOVE THAT! Legos, books, and blocks are outside of the indoor playground. Glass windows separate the lounge and playground. We have been here on different days and they always have something fun to do! This Monday was a free kid movie and popcorn day! Two fridays ago was free creamsicle day! I love this community center and highly recommend anyone to visit and make connections here. Great place for play dates and meetings.

This is a really nice community center. Great playground…read moreand tons of room outside and inside. Really beautiful building. I bring the kids here every year for the Fall (Halloween) party. It's connected with the valley church across the street, but they don't push religion on you at all and I like that. It's very welcoming and inclusive to everyone. My kiddos absolutely love it! We've come for the last 4 or 5 years. For this specific event they get: *to dress in their Halloween costumes *have pony rides *big blow ups for the kids to play on *face painting *root beer floats *popcorn *candy *photo booth pics *tons of carnival games *balloon animals *and more And get this... it's all absolutely FREE! For this event alone this community center gets 5 stars from me. It's become a Halloween tradition for us :)

Serves free summer lunch on weekdays and has a good playground with a little jungle gym of ropes…read morenear.

Really great park. Nice baseball field, Tennis courts, lots of green space, shaded picnic areas,…read moreplayground equipment for all ages and yes here it comes the ultimate... A splash pad for hours of summer fun! I dig that you can be far enough away from any roads here, so as a parent you are less stressed about your child running off or something. Big parking lot and it's super clean.. Really one of the best parks in town and also hidden secrets it's never too busy!

Spacious park with nature in mind…read more Huge park with 3 playground sets to play on! What kid WOULDN'T like this park? During COVID19 review: Came out on a week day 9:00am-11:00am with a friend with her two kids and it was pretty busy. 5 other families with at least 3-5 kids in each family were out here. They were not affiliated with each other. Social distancing is challenging with kids. Families tried to keep their kids together but many wanted to play with each other. No one was wearing masks but adults were keeping distance. BEAUTIFUL park with great scenery (if you don't mind the construction by the IPTV station) Soft trail for walking near the playgrounds and lake and a hard trail for walking/biking into the woods. Fishing is allowed at the lake! Picnic shelters and amphitheater near by. There is also a community center up the hill. Playgrounds are very fun and unique with 1 structured as a tree house. It's a fully equipped park! We enjoy coming here since it's close to our home. Highly recommend exploring this beautiful Johnston park. Might be the best one in Johnston yet!

This is a great park, situated around a small lake. There is a playground on the premises and a…read moreshelter. There are also modern toilet facilities. Clean. Well kept. Family friendly. Plenty of parking. Great walk around the lake. Good for dog walking. Marcydiner tantrum scale of 5/5-no screaming kids. We have also seen people fishing here, although we haven't tried it yet. We used to come here frequently, not so much now that the kids are older.

This is a fun park to take my 3 kiddos to, they have several swings and although it looks like a…read moresmaller playground, there's lots to do on it! We also walk/ bike around the lake. Shady areas and picnic tables are around as well.

I wish they had a Pickleball court. I live in Windsor Heights. There are a lot of seniors in…read moreWindsor Heights.

Colby Park has been updated! My son checked out the playground equipment and said it seems the same…read moreas the new equipment at Raccoon River Park. They added a splash pad which will be nice in the summer.

This is not a business but it is a highlight of Des Moines!!Wow this is a mega park!!!…read more This specific playground area is extremely large for your typical park. The only playground I've ever seen with canopies to provide shade. (My favorite part of the play equipment) I love the wheelchair access to the playground equipment too. We visited on a Tuesday afternoon and there was a large school bus full of kids. There was PLENTY of room to play and run for many families including my own! I wasn't as disappointed realizing how much room there was for all the kids to play. I love there are hiking trails within the woods. One was closed due to the wetness of the trail. Another trail was beyond the soap box derby track and was open. Over all it was a very pleasant visit and i really enjoy this park! This park is a highlight to the south side of Des Moines!

Being from out of town, I'm always unsure when I look for a park. You never really know what you're…read moregetting in to. This park, however, is one of the good ones. It's clean, there is a lot for the kids to do, and even though it was packed there was still enough room for my 9 y/o and 1.5 y/o to play. The people we met were nice and it seemed everyone was looking out for each other. That's hard to find at a park, so I appreciated it. There was also a lovely trail to walk if you're tired of the playground. Oh, and there was a less busy playground across the street. While it wasn't as new as this one, it was still a good place. There are bathrooms with water fountains and porta-johns as well.