Nice clean park with several pickleball courts. Courts are clearly marked and always clean. Plus,…read morethe bathrooms are clean too.

Lots of gated areas to make sure there are no escapees. All dogs when outside of the gate were…read moreleashed. Dogs must be registered before coming! There is also a tennis court and soccer field basically on the/ next to it. We assumed it is all the same place. Wish it included some walking trail type areas but there was also a covered space with picnic benches and bbq grills. So a pretty well rounded little spot for multiple needs. Water fountains weren't functioning closest to bathrooms on tennis side when we went though...

This updated review is for the turf soccer fields. The youth Rainbow soccer league uses these for…read moreweekly practices. These are nice fields that don't really end up needing to be closed from rain since they are turf. The parking lot can get very crowded. I recommend backing into a parking spot so you can exit a little easier.

Went on a Saturday- I will say a fair number of dogs were unleashed which is never good in my…read moreopinion. We had to turn around a couple of times to avoid other dogs off leashes. The parking at the soccer field area wasn't bad but I do know it gets packed at that soccer field but there was also a playground and a couple of trails (the longest was about 1.1 miles so we did a couple). The trails were relatively easy to follow and had posts with color coordination. Overall a really close spot to me so will be visiting again. I do think the trails could be longer but overall are nice. Next time will visit the water with the overlook.

This pocket-sized park has a small walkway and a small terrace with benches. There is a large…read moreartwork featured at the center of the park, a clay-fired sculpture originally cased and fired on the Downtown park property in 2012. Kay Struffolino is an active volunteer for the Town of Cary events and programs. She's won a number of recent statewide "volunteer of the year" and "citizen of the year" awards. The park was formerly called "The Meeting Place" and I like that they changed the name to honor Ms. Struffolino. It's a neat park though there is not much parking. A good place to sit with coffee. [Review 11847 overall, 1629 of 2019.]

The town of Cary bills this as a "pocket park" and that's a good description. It's small, within…read morewalking distance of the Cary Arts Center and a nice spot to relax under the big shady trees. There's a small walking path, a couple of benches ideal for enjoying the landscaping. The focal point seems to be the clay sculpture that was moved from another spot in Cary. It's an interesting piece that, as the description suggests, resembles a church spire. The sign across from it, between the two benches provides a description. There's no parking available so when you visit, you'll most likely live in the neighborhood or be parked at or near the art center. On a nice day it's a relaxing spot to do what the park name suggests: Meet your friends before the show or as you explore other parts of downtown Cary.

....my favorite place after work!!!!....today's 5 on 5 was great!!!!....time to get some shots up!read more

Decent park located right next to Fayetteville Elementary, so be warned it gets noisy during…read morerecess. The park includes two gated basketball courts, a grill and small picnic shelter with picnic tables. Field lights and eight gated tennis courts with bathroom and water fountain. A small playground which is slightly separated from the rest of the park (by trees). If you don't live ON the American Tobacco Trail, it might seem overwhelming to find an access point. However, Elmira Avenue Park could make for a convenient place to park and run. There's direct greenway access to Rocky Creek Trail, which will lead you to about the 2 mile point on the ATT. What makes me second guess this park is it's location. There are so many regularly trafficked very safe feeling parks, and Elmira isn't one of them. It's proximity to a lower socioeconomic demographic leaves me feeling slightly on edge and very aware of my surroundings. Overall, this wouldn't be a park I'd spend a lot of time at, but makes for a good spot to know about if you need to stop along the ATT in case of bathroom, water or parking needs.

This is another small pocket park in the Raleigh Parks and Recreation system. Only two-thirds of an…read moreacre but there is a large concrete-surfaced basketball court that is fenced in, and there is a sand-surface playground. They have a small open grass area that could use a mowing but it is a great little neighborhood park. [Review 11916 overall, 1698 of 2019.]

I discovered Northgate Park recently while training on the Ellerbe Creek Trail, which runs directly…read morethrough this rather large park. Honestly, I CAN'T believe I've never spotted or been to this park before, it is really lovely, and as a self-proclaimed park connoisseur, it's embarrassing that I've missed this location for so long! What you should know: the park is really large, split into four sections. The main section and largest part of the park is my personal favorite. It is one huge plot of land that is divided into two segments with a stream and forest area in the middle also connected by a foot bridge. On half of this area you have a paved running trail (the Ellerbe Creek Trail), which winds through the park with lots of tree coverage and benches to rest on if needed. The other half of this area houses two playgrounds (one more toddler focused and one for older children), drinking fountain, bike parking, baby swings, picnic tables and shelter, chess/checker board seating and grill area. There are several open fields in this area of the park, but none are large enough to be qualified as athletic fields. The other two sections of this park include a dog park across the street and two tennis courts (and bathroom facilities) that host a variety of neighborhood parties, including Northgate Park food truck rodeos. Northgate Park has a seemingly great neighborhood association which is very active. In addition to the neighborhood park food truck rodeos, they host holiday events: Easter egg hunts, Halloween trick-or-treat festivities, etc. Make this park a destination in itself, or visit before/after a trip to the Museum of Life and Science, accessible from the park by foot or car.

Oval Park is your prototypical neighborhood park. It's snug enough to make you feel at home, but…read morelarge enough (it does span across West Club Boulevard after all) that you can run away from your friends or family if you want and still stay within the confines of the park. If you don't have kids, the high point of the park is probably the two tennis courts on the adult side of the park. If you do indeed have a few little rugrats, the most attractive asset of the park is most likely the playground complete with giant tortoise on the opposite side of the park. Aside from during the cold of winter, this half of the park is always teeming with parents and their little kiddies. Personally, I can't even handle a dog at this point in time so I probably won't be venturing over to that side of the park anytime soon. I'm not a tennis player, but the courts here do seem to be in decent shape and are usually unoccupied. If you're reading this, don't you dare come and swarm "my" courts because I just might take up tennis any day now and when I do I want a free court to make a fool of myself on! Despite my ineptitude in the tennis realm, I do enjoy playing a bit of basketball (also not well) and thus have done so here at Oval Park. The court here is not in terribly great shape and is only half-court. To make up for the lack of the other half of the court, the architects behind this park seemingly decided to jack the rim up to 11 feet. Thanks, guys. Come on, though--it's street ball! You deal with the conditions. As mentioned by Christina G., the park hosts monthly picnics and mini food truck "rodeos" during the spring and summer, which are obviously pretty sweet and a good excuse to get outside and enjoy the local 'hood!

I'm pretty grateful to have this park in our neighborhood. My husband uses the tennis courts, and I…read more... well, I'm more of a tennis ball retriever than a tennis player. The courts are on the South side of Club; but on the North side, there's a kids play area with pretty new equipment. And a giant tortoise. What's not to love? The community hosts monthly picnic/food truck get-togethers here, and it's truly the perfect place for a little outdoor/live music/get to know your neighbors action.

Trinity Park is one of my favorite parks in Durham. It's safely located directly off Trinity Street…read morein "Trinity Neighborhood" (around the corner from Duke East Campus). It has two playgrounds, one that is enclosed by a gate for younger children, while the other is open and has features that would interested 5+ ages (i.e. slides, monkey bars, fireman's pole, etc). Several swings, picnic tables, two grills and a water fountain are also on site, as well as a lovely gazebo. I've seen lots of birthday parties hosted here and it draws in a large neighborhood crowd as well. The only real downside to the park are the missing bathrooms. This is a problem if you're making this a destination spot, but it also keeps the crowd more neighborhood only. You can find parking on the street off Watts or Trinity and there's a "Little Free Library" right off Watts that you won't want to miss! This is a great spot for an afternoon (especially if your child is in diapers...), they also do a wonderful job of keeping up the landscaping and have some lovely flower gardens and herbs on site.