For a community park, this beats every other park I've been to thus far. We frequent this park…read moreoften during the week. Not in the winter, but in the summer we may be here 3 to 4 times a week. Some times we rode our bikes, 5 miles away from our home, to the park traveling on the ice age hiking trail and what a glorious trail that is. Once summer arrives, we eagerly await the opening of the wading pool. The closest thing we have to a beach really. The park is very well kept. The grasses are well maintained and trimmed. Restrooms are clean. There's also the travel center on the grounds, that also acts as the welcome station for Janesville. If you go there and tell them you are newly arrived they will give you a packet which includes several saving coupons that can be used at various stores and eateries. Parking is abundant and can be found at different locations through out the park. There are many picnic tables with fixed grills ready to be used. I bring a grill top just to be safe and clean when using these grills. You can fly kites, have large parties as people often do, and there are even short hikes with trail heads close by. The main attraction is the play ground itself. Designed like a large forest camp with many places to climb, run, explore it truly is heaven for kids as they run around expending energy. There are slides any one can go down. These have rollers so no matter how you are you will go down, and fast too. You really have to watch yourself coming down these type of slides. I have seen many adults land smack flat on their buttock, and I laugh every time watching them remembering my first time too. There's also rings for kids to strengthen their grip and rocking platforms to help control their balance. When the wading pool is open it gets crowded but several life guards are always present to make sure there is no misbehaving by kids as well as adults. The spouting whale slides and umbrella water rain falls are excellent attractions for the kids to take pictures on. The surrounding area also offers kids to begin their exploration of nature. There is lots to see in plants as well as bugs. Many have vibrant colors and are so strange looking that makes them very interesting. We loved coming here. It's a great way to spend family time while your kid unleashes that bottled up energy and get a good work out building his physical abilities with coordination. Many fond memories and pictures are here. Wish there was one close to us now.

Amazing! We live in Illinois, not Wisconsin, but we're met with kindness and openness here. The…read morewading pool is a little dated, but serves a great purpose on a hot august day when you don't have access to any other outdoor pools. But it's fun for my son. He is 5 years old and made friends right away while splashing around. The breaks aren't too bad. We showed up during a break and there was an event going on (I think a lot of events go on at Palmer park) where they learned about seeds and growing their own seeds and vegetables and even got to try some colorful vegetables while being read to. Afterwards, the kids planted their own seeds in a cup and got to pick out a book. So sweet. Then-break was over and back to splashing. The bathrooms are....well public pool bathrooms which are always gross. There's vending and shelters. Also, my sons favorite part is the gigantic playground. There's a Little kids section, a toddler section and a bigger kids section. He likes them all. There's also a mechanical swing for someone wheelchair bound to go in-wheelchair and all...and swing!! The floor is bouncy, so less injuries. Plenty of slides, places for parents to sit. Wooden maze under structure. The merry go round(?) needs help. It's stuck on something so that's no fun. There's a mini house and plenty of fun for hours and hours. On days that I want to surprise my son after school I pick him up and bring him there- 30 minutes away. Just a great place to be. I'd love to keep it to ourselves, but it's too good to be hidden. Also, a GREAT little Pokémon Go spot :)

Yes indeed a true natural treasure. This segment is not hard, so even someone like me can walk or…read morebike it.

Some of the best glacier evidence is found along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail that spans about…read more1200 miles through the state of Wisconsin. This review covers Janesville segment of trail beginning at the Rotamar Trail Head to the Mercy Hospital Trail Head. When I first heard of this trail I was real excited. It sounded like there would be many things to see and discover. I was disappointed to find it was paved. Not the entire segment, not yet anyway but most of it was. I felt that took away from the experience but did not deter me from continuing on the adventure. Even for this segment, we've never covered the whole of it. We usually start at Randolph Rd as that's where we were staying at the time and ended up at Palmer Park. It's about 5 miles one way. I first walked the trail from Randolph Rd. to about Brunswick Lane. This was during the spring when things were starting to pop up. All kinds of plants were coming out of the long winter hibernation trying to stretch as high as they can to reach the sun. I wasn't too impressed at the point. It just look like weeds. When spring was about to roll into summer, weather wise, about the end of May or early June, we decided to ride our bikes all the way to Palmer Park and picnic there. We packed up our food and a few snacks with a few water bottles. I wasn't sure if my little guy G would make it all the way but would play it by ear and make decisions accordingly along the way. By this time, the plants, trees and everything else was buzzing with life. Wish I knew what they were. There were so many things to see, smell, explore it was all captivating, including for G. The trail exist within the green belts thats cut through the residential housing allowing for wildlife to co-exist with the community. I admire that. We have seen deer and other animals I don't know bc I couldn't get a good look at them. Also along the trail is a spray of colors, beautiful flowers fighting for the attention of the bees and others, spring out at you letting you know summer is here. Part of the trail follows along side a river that you could take a break by. It was nice to cool off a bit there and take pictures. By the time we reached Palmer Park we were famished for food. We sat down to eat in the park. We allowed G to have time to play in the park. This is his favorite park and we have fun playing with him. I wasn't sure if he would be able to bike back but he did with no problem. I believe the Ice Age Trail kept teasing him and he wanted to see what was around the next bend. Although the Ice Trail is under National Park Service and there is good information there, you can also get additional information from the Ice Age Trail Alliance... http://www.iceagetrail.org/ice-age-trail/ ...who has done much of the maintenance work and providing informative material to the awareness, education and maintenance of the trail to the benefit of all. They also offer several awards programs, one for completing the entire 1200 miles for those of you wanting elitist.

Lovely little garden. Donation-based admission through March! So glad I went today and saw all the…read moremillion bitty spring babies popping up everywhere. The water is so clear you can see a ton of cool aquatic plants and fish.

A truly magical experience. If you are looking for a peaceful, contemplative journey, look no…read morefurther. This is a gem. From the lush Gardens to the Japanese experience it was perfect. We were lucky enough to be there on a beautiful sunny fall day. Lovely place for a wedding. If you want to feel it one with nature, this is the place.

nice beach right by botanical garden, water isnt too dirty, perfect for kids. definitely will go…read moreback

This beach could be beautiful and from afar, it is! However, once you set your foot in the sand,…read moreyou spend the whole time trying not step in goose sh*t. I hope they get someone to clean the beach before it opens officially. They have nice places to sit which are surrounded in goose poop, unfortunately. There is a concession stand and a dock for kayaking. Also, it's right next door to the botanical gardens!

A park for everyone. Clean, well laid out. Something to do for all ages. One mile running path.read more

The environment was overwhelming for us. There was just too many toys in a small space. We also…read morewaited for nearly 15 minutes before the staff noticed us. Lastly, a large heavy folding table was leaning against a wall in the playroom, and it almost fell on top of my one year old.

From the owner: indoor playground, birthday, party, party, toys, kids, kid, bubbles, blow ups, trampoline, town,…read moretiny, baby, play, toddlers, fun, dress up, super, hero, checkers ,kiddos, park, basketball, cartoon, ball pit, monkey, bars, grill, grilling, car, cars, bike, scooter, snacks, mini, balloons, Elmo, Mickey, Minnie, candy, pizza, cake, birthday cake, little, trucks, balls, bounce, house, slide, soft play, pillow, woody,bigbird, sesame street, roller coaster, pin wheel

This is a huge dog park. Plenty of room for big or little dogs. They have a separate area for…read morelittle dogs. There are bathrooms in the parking lot. There are paths around the big dog park and through it as well. People have placed dog bowls throughout. There are dog bag stations. A great place to bring your pooch.

Nice little park. It gets lots of use during summer and fall. The new YMCA has a playground over…read morecloser to their parking lot which is nicer than the park one I'm afraid.