Lewis Morris Park located on the outskirts of Morristown, NJ is a 2,196 acre park, named after the…read morefirst Governor of New Jersy, Lewis Morris. It is adjacent to Jockey Hollow National Park where you can find a museum, visitor center, and encampment reconstruction of the baracks the Revolutionary War fighters used in the winter of 1780. Lewis Morris Park has a dog park which Oatie loves, baseball and softball diamonds, picnic and BBQ pits, a newly constructed children's playground area, a mountain bike trail and 22.1 miles of hiking trails. Additionally there are fishing and equestrian opportunities. After hours of hiking you can take a dip in Sunrise Lake. Download a trail map online. Admission to the park is free. Sunrise Lake is closed Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday-Friday it is open 12pm-4:30. Admission is $9 adults and children & seniors $7. On the weekends the hours are 11am-6pm. Admission is $13 adults and $11 for children & seniors. Discounts can be found online. The small lake has a Wibit (inflatable obstacle) and a Zoom Floom (water slide) and paddle boats which can keep the kids entertained.

Reviewing Sunrise Lake in this park…read more A gorgeous little piece of paradise to go to that is close to where I live. Cost the same price as some beaches so it's affordable. Came across it when I was googling swimming in parsippany area. Found so many expensive member only places but then this one sealed the deal. They sand, paddle boats, kayaks, slides, and a little obstacle course for kids in the middle of the lake. Life guards on duty, beach volleyball court, barbecue grills, tent, picnic tables, and life jackets. A lot of things and you only pay $7 on weekends. I've came twice both times were on a Sunday. Not over packed were you feel there are people laying right on top of you. More kids and families come after 1pm. So if you are looking for some relaxation come early. The earlier you come the better. Beach is clean, sand is a bit tough because it has rocks mixed in, water is so refreshing. The bottom of the water has seaweed. Food and drinks are allowed and I'm sure no alcohol. Nice place for a party. Definitely going to be my spot for the summer.

Waterlands Parks is small park and far from the avenue. I came across it the first time when I was…read morewalking on 3rd street by the Gaslight Commons and noticed the Rahway River cuts through it. There's a nice walking path, which I like. For the kiddies, there's a playground area and little league baseball/softball fields. The only thing is that it gets dark there at night. While South Orange is safe, I'm not a fan of standing around in the dark, so I would recommend coming here during the day and leaving before dusk.

This is a beautiful little park. It's the perfect place for a quick stroll if you want to get a bit…read moreof fresh air. The space isn't huge, but it is very well maintained with fresh cut grass, lots of trees and pathways. During autumn there are some wonderful oak and Japanese maple trees, so I'd definitely suggest stopping by when foliage is at its peak. There is also a large map in the center of the park with a numbered guide to all of the trees. It was fun to learn about the wide variety of trees in the park. I haven't lived nearby during summer, so I'm excited to see everything in full bloom. I also think there is a summer concert series here, so that will be really nice. Oh, and this park is also adjacent to the town public library. Grab a book and read it in the park -- what could be better? Love having Roberts Garden so close to home!

This Historical Garden Wears Many Hats…read more One can not help but notice this large patch of green in the heart of the Morris Plains Community next to the Morris Plains Library. This park was once part of the Roberts estate and was donated to Morris Plains as a permanent green space. Roberts Garden normally serves as a sort of community Arboretum but it also plays host to a number of events in Morris Plains which as of now also includes 3 Poke Stops for Pokemon Go. In the summer Roberts Garden is the venue for the Concerts in the Park every Sunday in July from 6pm - 8pm. These concerts will feature local bands and bring out folks from the community. Music, lawn chairs, picnics, and kids playing through the grounds are a staple of these events. During Halloween it serves as the starting point of the Morris Plains children's trick-or-treating parade. This attracts families from Morris Plains and beyond which results in a sea of adorabeezle trick-or-treaters who will proceed to parade to Simons Park just a few blocks up Mountain Way under the careful watch of the Morris Plains PD. From Simons Park, the kids disperse throughout the surrounding communities for some good old fashioned trick-or-treating. The Morris Plains PD will continue to patrol around to ensure that trick-or-treaters and locals are staying safe while the event is on. My son loved the Halloween Parade so much that he wanted to do it every day for a few weeks after the event. During the snow season you can find young children and their families snow sledding behind the Morris Plains Library after a healthy snow. The hills here are big enough to be fun for smaller children to sled down, but small enough for concerned parents to feel safe about the situation. Try as I might, I could never get enough speed/momentum to get close to hitting one of the big trees at the bottom of the hill. If you come and check out the fun without a sled do not fear, the friendly people of Morris Plains will most likely offer to share some of theirs with you and your little one(s). There are no bathrooms here but that's not unexpected as this is not normally a place where you'll be coming to if you are farm from your (or a friend's) house. If the Morris Plains Library is open you can use the bathroom there. The true gift this park offers is the abundance of green grass, variety of trees, shade, and winding paths that let your stroll through the grounds.

Note: So there are actually two Memorial Parks on Valley - one is in Maplewood and one is in South…read moreOrange between 4th and 5th street. This is a Yelp review of the South Orange one. Memorial Park in South Orange is a small park. It's a good park for parents with small children. You can take young children here because of the playground and the swings. The playground set is for younger kids, like 2-4 years old maybe. It's also a nice little park where you can get in a quick stroll on the walkways, especially if you are pushing stroller or with kids. There is a circular path towards the back of the park farther away from Valley Street.

I recently discovered Orchard Park. It's a small park off of Ridgewood Ave in Maplewood, but you…read moreenter from De Hart Road, so it's kind of hidden. There's a playground for 2-5 year olds - with climbing forts, slides, a see-saw, and swings. There's a covered area in sight line of the playground, and tables and some benches to sit. There are also tennis courts and an open field. Cute park!

Orchard park is the overall best local park I have been to. The playground is completely safe and…read moreamazing for kids of all ages. It is great to bring the whole family, there is great seating like picnic tables and benches and built in bathrooms. We go there all the time and is an amazing experience.

Great park. Large bc it includes childrens area, then softball area (sand play), and lots of people…read moreplay soccer in the field adjacent to sand. Clean. And at the right time of the day, most areas are shaded. Highly recommend if you're in the area

This Small Park is a Place to Go…read more I've been passing this quiet little park for about a year while going back and forth from Morris Plains and East Hanover. I always told myself that I should go check it out. Today the weather was nice, my Slurpee was cold, and my son was looking for a new place to play. The stars have aligned and this park has now been visited by yours truly. The Township of Hanover Central Park is located at the corner of Eden Lane and South Jefferson Road. East of the intersection off of Eden Lane is where you will find the entrance to the private parking lot. In this park you will find a pavilion with the very rare, open, and functioning Men's and Women's restrooms. It doesn't happen a lot in New Jersey so you gotta take notice when it does. The bathrooms are of the aluminum fixture variety so no worries of catching bathroom envy here. What you will catch is some relief, when you need it, while you are at this park. On the opposite end of the pavilion you will find a drinking fountain and 2 picnic tables under the roof line to keep you shaded from the sun and dry from precipitation. The pavilion is also the hub of the park. To the east you will find the grass soccer field that is to be used by reservation only. South you will find a sand volleyball court and the entrance to the Tot Lot. The volleyball court looked especially nice surrounded by a sea of green grass. The Tot Lot is for 2-5 year olds and contains a sand box area with an excavator feature, 2 toddler swings, 2 wooden benches, and a small play structure with a slide. The little excavator kept our Pre-K son enthralled for the majority of our visit. To the South West you will see the large wooden gazebo that has 2 additional picnic tables next to it. The gazebo and surrounding trees provide a good amount of shade for the area. To the West you will see a recessed area in the warmer months that is filled with ice in the colder months to be used as a small ice hockey rink. Township of Hanover Central Park is small and in an awkward place, but it really does have a relaxing vibe to it. There are a few mature shade trees that are strategically placed through the park to offer some relief from the sun throughout the day. Due to the size and location of this park I would normally rank it as a 3 star destination. This park gets the 4th star because it has dedicated bathrooms on site which is rare in this area.

I have spent a LOT of time at Jannerone Park over the years and I thought it was time to give it a…read morereview... Jannarone was built a few years after we moved into town and is close enought for us to walk to for games and practices. When it first went in, we weren't happy about the lights and the whistles late at night, but we've grown accustomed to it over the years and it's just become background noise now. Our kids have played numerous soccer games here, our son is just finishing up his first season of lacrosse, and we sled here every winter so we know the park quite well and have gotten a lot of use out of it. The park itself includes a huge multipurpose turf field that is used for football, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. The turf is surrounded by a paved walking track (not a 'real' track) which is nice to have during practices that are conflicting with your gym time...five times around equals a mile here. The turf field also includes a nice scoreboard and an elevated announcers/videographers box. Across a parking lot there is also a decent baseball field set up for regulation play (60' 6" mound and 90 ft bases). Field is pretty nice, but doesn't drain well so it gets closed a lot after it rains-it doesn't get the use I thought it would, but it's nice to be able to use it with the kids for practice. Other facilities here include restrooms (heated in the winter) and during football games at least they also have a concession stand. For all the NIMBYs in my town who didn't want the high school fields turfed because they didn't want their lives disrupted I call BS. Having a lighted, turf field this close is great and has been a huge benefit to the kids in this town. Our HS teams deserve the same benefit.

Also colloquially known as "Walton Park," Farrell Field is on Walton Road near the border of South…read moreOrange and Maplewood. Unlike some of the other parks and playgrounds in the area that are brimming with little people and their caregivers at all hours, this spot somehow manages to fly under the radar a bit. It's modest, offering a playground area for both little tots and bigger children, as well as two fenced-in tennis courts, a baseball field and plenty of open, grassy space. As far as these things go, this is one of my favorite go-to spots when the kids need to release some energy or just goof off for a while.