After our delicious breakfast at Shashy's, we headed to Oak Park to give the little one some more time out of his car seat. We walked around the Biblical gardens, and then sat on the grass at the picnic area just across the street. As we sat, a couple showed up with some fast food to enjoy the atmosphere.
It was a successful enough rest stop, and about half way through our trip, so we decided to stop there again on the way back a few days later. This time, we also got our fast food to go and headed for the park, though we just sat on the grass and let the little one crawl.
We'd noticed an odd-acting fox on the way in, near the planetarium. By the time we'd settled onto the lawn with our lunch, we noticed a couple of guys with a tranquilizer gun headed after him. It was somewhat entertaining to watch the two guys running back and forth to their truck to reload or get additional supplies to go after the fox. We were tempted to watch it play out, but it was time to head out, so we could avoid the rush hour traffic back at home.
Other than potentially rabid animals, it's a charming little park, with lots of oaks (and acorns) befitting the name. There's a large playground and several picnic shelters. We never found public restrooms, so I can't speak to accessibility or cleanliness.
I highly recommend the park as a short stop from the interstate when you need a break on a long drive.
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