Drost Park aka "Dead Children's Playground"…read more I watched an episode of a paranormal show once and this location piqued my curiosity. I googled to see its location and we included it in our itinerary when we visited the South. The area is somewhat hidden and if you're not looking for it you won't be able to find it. We drove past an old cemetery to get to the area and the first thing we noticed is a covered section with picnic benches... like a picnic area. The playground area is in a little cove, not very deep, just slightly below, and there are steps to take you down. The locals call it Dead Children's Playground. There are rumors of the playground being home to spirits, dead children spirits. It's been investigated by many paranormal groups, from amateurs to pros. I can't remember the show I saw this episode from but if you search YouTube for "dead children's playground" you'll find other people's video clips and "investigations" posted on there. Supposedly, (from the paranormal show and internet stories) that in 1960's, a series of child disappearances cases were reported in Huntsville. With none of them turning up, it was suspected that an unknown person from the neighborhood killed the children. According to the local legend the spirits of children buried in the cemetery come out late at night to play on the playground. Swings move on their own, ghostly figures are seen on the equipment, and disembodied voices, laughter, and screams can be heard. They're especially very active between 10p to 3a which was well past most kids' bedtimes. Is it haunted?? The verdict: So far, I have not been able to document or find any proof that there is activity in the playground because none of the children came out to play with me. I'm sure Ryan M (San Antonio TX) can! Still fun to visit, though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Happy "ghost" haunting! Review #1859

Dead Children's Playground is a small playground that is just east of the Maple Hill Cemetery and…read moreadjacent to the cemetery. It is a sparse array of playground equipment, mostly swings. If you park near section 40 of the cemetery, it is a short walk up a low-ish hill. I've read where the children's ghosts come out to play between 10 PM and 3 AM and that the ghosts were either ghosts of Huntsville children abducted in the 1960s or who died from influenza during the Huntsville flu epidemic of 1918 and are buried in Maple Hill Cemetery, right around where the playground is today. The ghosts of these children are said to come out and play on the equipment. Some people who have visited Dead Children's Playground have witnessed some very strange things, including swings moving on their own, and many also reported hearing the sounds of laughter and children calling out. Some people have discovered orbs of light in their Dead Children's Playground photos after having them developed. I'm not a paranormal fan and this playground is, as my sister would say, a "nothing burger" in my opinion. I've been to this playground in the daylight, since the cemetery closes at dusk, and I never saw the swings swinging themselves, or heard children's voices and laughter. If you are a paranormal fan or an expert in paranormal, this playground may be interesting to you. For me, it is a "been there a couple of times and don't need to return" place. The times I went to this playground, there were no living children playing on the small playground and no paranormal activity.

One of my roommates and some friends of ours come to this park once a week and play pickleball…read morehere. We don't play competitive or on teams, just for fun. I use to play tennis in college and I quickly fell in love with pickleball while playing at Dublin Park. The park is kept well lit at night and is nice and clean. A lot of things to do here during the day as well

What an amazing place for people of all ages and hobbies! We came on a humid Wednesday around 5pm…read morefor the playground and my kids (almost 2 and 4) were immediately in love with the rock climbing walls, variety of swings for literally all ages, and the various structures. The only way we convinced our toddlers to leave was to promise smoothies/icees as a departure treat. Felt extremely safe, was spotlessly clean, and people there were friendly as well. Wish we had a spot like this near us.

Lovely little park with killer views of the Tennessee River and Scotsboro AL in the distance…read more Nothing to do other than the view, but it's a really nice one. The restrooms were great, well-stocked, and cleaner than most parks I have been to. Kudos for that park people! It's worth a stop if you are in the area. Gotta soak it all up when you can, folks. '26 - 122

Stopping here is a no brainer. It's just a quick turn off a long highway into a small parking lot…read morethat has a short walking path and an outstanding viewpoint overlooking a huge lake with mountains and trees all around. If you like taking a break from driving, looking at big lakes, mountains and trees at the same time, and listening to chirping birds and getting fresh air, this is your spot. Spend 5 mins getting a pic, or meditate in the grass for hours and get your chakras balanced and what have you. Easy to see. Worth seeing. Pull in and take a look for yourself.

Indian Creek Greenway is a pleasant little oasis that allows you to escape the ever growing…read morepresence of the city of Huntsville, Alabama. This was a part of a nice enough park and all in all, it was a cool place to spend a bit of time before climbing in my car and dealing with a couple hour drive. Our communities need parks and greenways. We need places that we can escape to and get away from modern living and get a glimpse of nature. Overall, I would definitely recommend here.

The best venue around, Huntsville Madison. 2 huge dog…read morefenced areas (1 for small dogs & 1 for large dogs ). People are so friendly & polite. Walking areas are paved say 4 miles going south to Madison PIKE and another 3 miles to north where new homes were built. You can go past Blue Horizon the Amazon facility where they build rockets. For folks just visiting Huntsville This is the Rocket City! Really growing, now the largest city in Alabama! Up from 168,000 to over 233,000 residents and still building

Sharon Johnston Park is a park we frequented growing up. Back then it did not offer all that it…read moredoes these days; however, they have always hosted a Madison County Youth Fishing Rodeo every May. The lakeis stocked with catfish, bream, bass and crappie. Other annual events are a classic car show and a fall festival. I always knew the park honored Sharon Johnston but didn't know anything about Sharon. Turns out she was quite the "dare devil" and was a stunt pilot who tragically died when her biplane crashed during an air show at the South Weymouth Air Station at the young age of 31. She lost control of the single engine plane during a series of spins and crashed. Her family donated the land to the community in her name because it was a place she loved dearly, where her father built a lake, worked to conserve wildlife, and taught his children about the wonders of nature. Since the 70s the park has really grown! Now it includes an arena (think horse arena - not concert venue), a marked walking/running course, rental pavilions, a playground with pavilion, Olympic sized swimming pool, campground for tent and RV camping, frisbee golf, and a shooting range. It's a cool park with some neat rustic touches like an old wooden carriage and log cabin styled structures.

We love this park!! More importantly, the kids love this park. We're thankful to have this nearby…read moreas there soo much to do here. Can't wait to plug in more with the activities here.

Trail blazing in Madison? Even minor scrambling (the use of your hands for balance and pulling up)…read moreoff small slick rocks? Who would have thought we could do this just a few miles from home?! Hubby and I have been blazing this gem for over 2 yrs now since relocating to the south, and never once have we not enjoyed Rainbow Mountain nor have we left w dry clothing on our backs no matter what season we're in. PARKING Recently developed by the Land Trust is a 12-spot parking lot right near the entrance to Stoneridge Park. It's free. Once the lot is full, your alternative would be street parking which, of course, is also free. TRAILS The main trailhead is located next to the water tower. The trails here on Rainbow Mountain are relatively easy but can be strenuous depending on your experience, speed, and which direction one starts off with. So at an average, I'd say this is an easy to moderate trail to hike. Covering about 4 miles of single-track trails across 130 acres with a peak elevation of 1,150 and an elevation loss/gain of 388 ft, you are sure to break a sweat here. There are 4 trails that interconnect some how or another. And if you plan your route in advance, you can get a good 5 miles out of these. Rainbow Mountain Loop 1.5mi Ja Moo Ko Loop 0.9mi Spring Trail 0.3mi Wild Trail 0.34mi On a good Saturday morning after some light down pour, we usually cover 2.35 miles in about an hour hiking across damp ground and with minor scrambling through slick rocks on the Rainbow Mtn Loop and Ja Moo Ko Loop Trails. This hour timeframe also includes about a few quick pauses to quench our thirsts and another short break by the stream below. Most peeps prefer starting off on the leisurely southern route and taking in the panoramic views of Madison and the awe'ness of Balance Rock. We prefer starting off on the northern route. This IMO eliminates being caught in the crowd which often slows our pace. If I don't carry my DSLR, I tend to hike at a fast speed so don't get in my way! ;D It's a relatively quick hike for us but we're always drenched with sweat and ready for a shower by the time we're done. GEOLOGY and POIs Rainbow Mountain, known to be part of the Southern Appalachian Plateau, has many beautiful rock outcrops. Even the nearby homes have them as part of their natural landscape beauty. Here you'll find the Hartselle Sandstone formation which consists of sandstone, limestone, and shale. The erosive resistance of these rocks have resulted in what you'll see here - bluffs, very small seasonal waterfalls, and caves. Balance Rock is a must see. If you're trekking too fast, you just might miss it. It's located on the southern route of Rainbow Mtn Loop. I always find it interesting to see the wavy line features and pebbles in the sandstone on Balance Rock which supposedly was caused by the actions of water from long ago seas. There are also two caves here - Rainbow Pit (a 65 feet deep vertical cave), and Belly-Up Cave. These are known to be the result of water leaching the limestone rock. We've yet to search these out and explore these caves ourselves in fear of possibly falling in. However, I've heard that people have rappelled these in years past. It's also suspected that the nearby subdivision developer will seal the cave (if they haven't already) by placing a large boulder over the entrance to avoid potential lawsuits from ignoramus'. Funny but sad. Sad that such a beautiful piece of land can't be preserved for those of us that appreciate it and the history and features it holds. RECOMMENDATIONS & VERDICT Hike in the mornings especially if the forecasts includes humidity in the afternoon. Bring a minimum of 16oz bottled water per person, a snack (if you prefer), sunblock, hat/cap, hiking stick (if you have one), and a smile. And don't forget to stretch before & afterwards. That's the norm if we lead a hike here. This is close to home so we'll be back as often as our schedule permits, and weather permitting too. Check it out yourself! These trails are worth exploring!!

Tons of trails and options while hiking here. The trails are moderate to difficult, with steep…read moreinclines and lots of stuff to trip on. I'd recommend bringing a walking stick, especially if it has been raining. The trillium were just coming out, not quite in bloom when we visited. I can see this being a very popular local destination to hike on the weekends.

Really nicely planned thought out park. They have all fields for most kinds of sports here, but I…read morethink baseball season is their busiest time of year. You can't go wrong with their concession stand with hot dogs, sodas, hamburgers, nachos, and lots of candy. Only complaint I have is there is no pets allowed, so I can't take my dog there for a walk. (and, yes, I don't mean walking the dogs in the ball fields, cuz no one likes poop on the ball field)

This is a cool little park located in the downtown Athens, Alabama area. I enjoyed walking this…read morelittle bit of park in this quaint town. There is also a nice pavilion and a children's play area. This park just screams of the appeal of small town charm and I am confident that the community of Athens, Alabama embraces this park. All in all, I would recommend a visit here if you are in the area. I will give it five stars overall.

This is my experience as someone who came here just to hike. The trails are great! They are not…read moreovergrown and the trail markers are bright and large! I would appreciate some wood signs discerning the junctions from one another. There are several social trails that will mislead you and could easily be fixed with a social trail sign or caution tape. I color coded the map attached to this review to show my route. I parked at the trailhead for the fitness trail. I walked the pink line to the museum and walked the yellow line back. Once I took a break, I did the green line. Due to poor planning I didn't realize the bike trail wasn't a loop and so I didn't intend to do two there and back hikes I'm not sure why it's not a loop as it could likely be connected from where it ends at the amphitheater to the 0.40 mile mark on the part of the bike trail headed straight to the museum... The visitor center/museum can be walked to from the bike trail. It's got information and artifacts from David Crockett's life and stuff. They also have several birds of prey outside that you can view anytime. The park rangers are very friendly and helpful when kids want to learn about the birds.

Stayed here for one night camping in hammocks. We actually got an tv spot because we were on the…read moreHarleys and it was a good place to park and also the bathhouse. Extremely clean park and the facilities were excellent. Will stay again if in the area.

This is a neat park if you're into science. My boyfriend is a researcher so he found it neat to…read morelook at all the different chromosomes. I thought it was neat to look at the water features & the geese. Different strokes for different folks I guess. You can tell this company spent a pretty penny to make the walking trail. You can drive it or walk the double helix. It's a very calming trail & you feel like you're out in the country & not in a research park.