Preston Park is Brighton's largest and oldest planned city park. Funded by a bequest from a local…read morebookmaker, William Edmund Davies, the park opened on 8 November 1884. The park is located on the main A23 road from London to Brighton, a mile and half north of the city centre, and next to Preston Manor. The main park is over 60 acres in area and includes wide open spaces of parkland with trees, formal beds along the side of the A23 road, and at the south end is a formal rose garden. Next to this is the Rotunda Cafe, which is open Monday-Friday 9.15-16h and weekends 9.30-17h. Moving northwards are 4 bowling greens and 8 tennis courts, mutli-sports areas with basket ball courts, a 500m velodrome, a children's playground, 4 soccer pitches and 2 cricket pitches. In the centre of the park is the Chalet Cafe, open daily 10-17h. Despite the all organised sport provided for, many come here just to walk or for picnics, or for nothing in particular at all. Other items of interest include a clock tower and the Hansel and Gretel-like tiled house (sadly now with its windows protected with wire mesh). As well as general recreation, the park is the location for many events during the year. The largest is the event after the Brighton Pride parade, which finishes at the Park, regarded by many as the premier free Gay Pride event in the UK. It regularly attracts over 120,000. (It takes place on 2nd August in 2008). Other events are held during the year, including concerts and family days.

Very pretty park…read more I didn't see or step in any piles of dog shit. I believe I got talked into taking a BMF class here or I might have been laying around the lawns waiting for a friend to get done with a class. Either way, it's pretty and clean.

The Super Booster Ride is Brighton Pier's most death-defying ride…read more It takes punters 130 feet into the air then without warning, drops them at accelerating speed. I'm not really a stats girl but the phrase 0-60 in 2.5 seconds should give you an idea just how fast it goes. To crank up the tension, the Super Booster is a stand-up, floor-less ride that means your legs dangle under you whilst your ass is perched on a seat resembling a bike saddle. Of course, the force of gravity means you can't move as you're plummeting down towards the sea then vigorously swinging over it but I'm sure it's entirely possible to feel your stomach doing somersaults. Have I been on the ride personally? Do I look like a masochist to you?! I've seen the mixture of ecstacy and horror on hundreds of riders faces as they've clamboured off with shaking legs and that was more than enough! * The only downside to Super Booster and other rides on Brighton Pier is the price-tag. This ride takes 5 tokens so works out around £8 a ride. If you buy a book of 30 tokens for £20 however, it works out slightly cheaper.

Queen's Park is exquisite in all seasons. It has a bit of everything to suit everyone…read more The play park has loads to offer the kids as far as swings and slides go and lots of patches for parents to set up camp and have a natter. The cafe is in the centre of the play park and sells yummy cakes + sarnies, well earned cups of tea and ice lollies. It boasts a huge duckpond, with an island in the middle - home to some rather large geese. Be wary if you're feeding the ducks! I've been chased by the geese several times and I'm still as frightened as I was when I was 3! I'm a bit of a big girls blouse though... There's a huge bit by the clock tower - perfect for football and picnics. There are tennis courts, a wild herb garden and a dog walking section. Getting onto the dog walking section, there is a huge row going on with the dog walkers of queens park (check out their facebook page!) and the council at the moment about the amount of space there is for the dogs. They want the old bowling green to be handed over to the dog section to make it a larger space. It's getting heated! I enjoy coming here with my pooch every morning, whatever the weather it feels magical. It's an extremely beautiful and peaceful place to be. My sons favourite part of the park is the rockery. He spends hours in there exploring and making houses in the caves, playing hide and seek. I feel very lucky to have this place just on my doorstep.

I had a really weird experience last time I was in Queen's Park. It was New Year's Day 2009 and I…read morehad hopes of walking off my wretched hang over so took myself off to the park for a stroll. What confronted me when I arrived was bizarre. Someone had, in their New Years revelry, filled the pond with shopping carts and rubbish bins! Ok so that alone just sounds like a big old destructive mess, but the pond had frozen over night, creating quite an amazing spectacle! I was torn between self-righteous indignation and 'ugh, the youth of today' thoughts and thinking it actually looked like a pretty cool art installation. Anyway, enough with the storytelling. Queen's Park is a beautiful park bordered by Hanover on one side and Kemp town on the other. It's not massive, but it's perfect for a leisurely Sunday stroll before heading to 'Home' for brunch or the pub for a roast. As well as the aforementioned pond (which is usually quite normal and lovely looking) where you can feed the ducks, there is a wildlife garden, where a local herbologist holds workshops for anyone interested.

I remember frequenting the ESSO garage for paraffin poi back in the day and think that the current…read moreuse of the land is a vast improvement. You really need to check it out in mid spring or summer to get the full aesthetics and it can appear to be a bit of a brown zone at other times. That being said, it really epitomises the Brighton community spirit and you will find a lot of activities and occasional film or music events taking place here. It would be nice to see the council step in and fund the site to save it from the claws of Tesco, but I guess time will tell how that one plays out. Seeing that Lewes road is always a bit dreary, I think that the garden injects a welcome lease of life into the area and deserves all your support if you are in the area. Power to the people in a horticultural fashion.

When I first saw Lewes Community Garden, I actually thought it was the exact opposite of what it…read moreactually is. I thought the fence was indicating 'Keep Out.' However, it's actually the most inclusive and community focused garden ever. The inside is a bit barren at the moment, with only the colourfully painted signs keeping it cheerful, but once summer comes, there's foliage and good-times galore. Last year, gardening classes were offered monthly, there were various musical performances, and yoga classes were held inside the garden every morning. I'm sure these will start up again once the weather is nicer, although I noticed a sign the last time I walked past saying there might be a Tesco Express going up. Perhaps it's worth looking into this further for people in the area - it would be a shame to lose the green space to another grocery store when there are already three in the immediate area.

Nice beach walk nearby with a few restaurants that are pretty good. Although they aren't on Yelp,…read moreavoid Vurger at all costs. Most of the shops just sell overpriced jewelry so just go to the lanes to enjoy the cozy streets. That being said, the area has fallen on hard times as of late, something reflected in the state of some of the shops and the level of trash/graffiti found in the area which, along with the level of dirt and grime, has been on the rise in recent years.

Hove Lawns inspires one of those quite frequent moments where you turn to the nearest listener and…read moreproclaim "aren't we lucky?!" and then nod in mutual agreement. No fancy trimmings here, The Lawns stretch for just under a mile from the border of Brighton into Hove. What would normally be an inconspicuous flash of green in any other location, this great big strip divides the urban cityscape from the seafront, providing a great place to plonk yourself down and admire both. Anything goes here, so you can eat, sleep, play, run, do the hokey-cokey or impress passersby with an unfathomable yoga position. You're also just a quick jump from a number of seafront cafés and toilets. It's dog and child friendly, but the only thing separating this space from the main road is the pedestrian path and cycle lane. I recently made the mistake of confidently letting my pooch off his lead only for him to become excited by a chain of passing cyclists. The frantic jumping, screaming and flapping that ensued is not something I want to be remembered for locally. You can also catch some great events in the summer months, such as the annual Foodies Festival or land based fun to celebrate Paddle Round the Pier. A good alternative to the knobbly seating the pebble beach has to offer, just be mindful of errant dogs, children or other particularly excitable members of your party.

This park is home for hundreds of kids in the Mile Oak area and is always full of life. In the park…read morethere is all your expected treasures so that the kids are kept busy with football pitches along side for playing and walking dogs. I used to knock about here for as long as I can remember and was never let down. With the Sports Centre across the street this area although out in the suburbs of Brighton there is plenty going on.

Easthill Park is a large mixed-use park next to the Portslade Village, north of the A270…read more Formerly part of the park of Easthill House, built in 1851, now it is a public park cared for by Brighton & Hove City Council. It comprises a large grassy area with a football pitch, a small wooded area and a wildflower area, a delightful walled garden and a well-equipped children's play area. There is a small garden of remembrance next to the war memorial. The park won a coveted 'Green Flag' award in 2007. Practicalities The park has toilets, a car-park and is close to the 1/1A bus route, with frequent services to central Brighton.

This park built in 1851 has been around for centuries! It is the life and soul of the local area as…read moreit literally is completely surrounded by housing so that it is well sheltered from ouside noises. It has a top park with all sorts of climbing frames and swings, a football pitch and a historical memorial to give it some culture. It was awarded the 2008 green flag award which I assume means it must be good. I spent a lot of time playing man hunt and gladiators in this park. Also, there is a great place to play wembley as there are 2 trees the perfect distance apart and a wall 5 yards behind so you do not keep losing your balls. Dog walking is a bit part of the park with people walking dogs all day long and I am sure they often time it so that in the early evening a few people meet up and have a chat whilst doing so.

This park is a bit of a jack of all trades in the fact that so much is there for such a variety of…read morepeople. As, it isn't that well known it is only really busy in the best of summer days which in my opinion lets it down a bit. The playground area is one of the best around with tonnes of things to keep the kids busy for atleast a couple of hours. The park itself is kept well and surrounded by trees which encloses it slightly. This place is perfect if you want to get out of the office and have a bit of lunch and get into the sunshine which I have done on numerous occasions in the past. The tennis courts offer those who can't stay still, a chance to burn off all that energy.

Blaker's Park is a smaller local park wedged between Preston Drove on the south end and Stanford…read moreAvenue at the north end. It is much more compact park than Preston Park down the road and works perfectly for families and young kids. The whole park is on a slope which makes it a little more difficult for portable barbecues but great for rolling down the hill! As you walk down the grassy slope from Stanford Avenue you reach a lovely red brick clock tower and a small cafe stand (great coffee, GREAT cakes!) and two tennis courts in excellent condition (free before 10am). Next to the tennis courts is a small playground for young kids with a sandpit, slide and various climbing frames- as well as some picnic tables for parents. Grab a coffee and watch your kids burn off their energy!

What an idiot! So…read moreI've lived in Brighton (well half of me has, the other half of me is living in London on some days) for nearly 3 years now. I must obviously always head down towards the beach/town when I'm going out but if you head up from my flat this park is a 2 minute walk and I'm embarrassed to say I only found out about it a few weeks ago! I had a lovely walk around the park on a warm day, stopping to chill out on a bench watching the ducks on the pond in the centre of the park which is really pretty. The park has a fairly big children's playground where most of the visitors seemed to be congregating. This place is perfect for picnics and there were a couple of benches/tables dotted around too where you could eat easily. This is really a great spot if you want a more quiet secluded hangout place away from tourists and the hustle and bustle of town and somewhere as a change of scenery from the beach. It definitely seemed like a locals place. Oh and you get to see Sophie's face on the poster on the notice board here...what more do you want!

Had a lovely afternoon in the park. I go with my friend and work out by the tennis courts. The park…read moreis clean and lovely on a sunny day. Ideal for kids with a big adventure park and duck pond. Also great to see loads of dog walkers being civil and having a laugh. My only negative is to be carefull after dark as we were leaving small grps of late teens drinking cheap cider sprawled out being loud

The Level is a funny old place. On the one hand, it's a great green space for lounging around with…read morefriends and a few beers in the summer. On the other hand, it is a roosting spot for some pretty dubious characters- I've seen a lot of quite open drug use happening just yards away from me, which can be a bit uncomfortable if you're just trying to have an innocent picnic! I'm generally a 'live and let live' kind of girl, but if you're a bit more sensitive... Although I guess it is technically a park, it feels a bit more like a green or a common, as it is essentially just a stretch of grass and a skate park. I just realized I'm still defining a park as somewhere that includes a children's play area. I'm 25! Oh dear. Despite my encounters with some dodgy goings on, I still enjoy a spot of sunbathing on the level, as it's really close to my house and lots of nice local pubs. And if you steer clear of the little wall lined with benches at the north perimeter, you'll be a-okay. There's plenty of space for Frisbee, football and all sorts of other summer games. In the Autumn the Level is visited by a funfair complete with waltzers, candy floss and groups of local youths.

the level puts everyone from all walks of life on a level playing field so to speak. You never know…read morewhat sorts of people you will get down here which can be good and bad. Think of it as an experience either way. People are always happy for you to get involved in their games and it is always good to spend sometime with people you have never met as you always learn something. At night however it can be a little bit strange so really use it during the day. Everything else has been covered by the guys before so read up on their review.