Let's get this part out of the way - The park itself? Amazing. It is modern, has plenty of options,…read moreis well maintained, and has some great nature paths outside of the playground area. In an area that features many great playgrounds and parks to take your family to, Innovation Hills has always stood out. There is a lack of options for younger children though (no infant swings?). The three stars? One of the new features of this park is the addition of Park Mobile being introduced for the main parking lot. Signs everywhere reminding you that you better have paid your $1.50 an hour! There is of course a free dirt lot across the busy road for your convenience. Or a parking 'annual pass' you can purchase from the Rochester Hills website. Our society struggles with the concept of 'the third place'. Parks and playgrounds are a haven for families and a community builder outside of work and home. What in the world is the motivation behind suddenly charging for parking? 1 - The City of Rochester Hills wants to prioritize park access for its citizens? Charging for parking doesn't keep out non-residents and in fact just causes Rochester Hills citizens to pay more for something they are already paying for. 2 - The park is often extremely crowded so charging for parking may reduce visitor count? If this was the motivation I am confident this strategy is not working. 3 - We want to encourage more families to park in the dirt lot across the street and attempt to cross a highway? I have more faith in humanity than that. Oh, I think I got it! To quote Tim Robinson's sketch 'The Driving Crooner' - "I gotta figure out how to make money on this thing..it's simply TOO GOOD!"

After a long school day, we took the kids to Innovation Hills Park, and they had a blast! The park…read morewasn't too busy, and the kids explored everything, from the playground to the jungle gym. I loved the artificial turf--it keeps the area looking nice year-round. This park has everything--playgrounds, walking trails, a serene area with ducks, and even bathrooms. I'd recommend it to any family looking for a fun day out. Definitely a great spot for outdoor fun!

This review is specifically for the Dragon's Den playground and nearby bathroom facilities…read more Dragon's Den is one if the largest playground structures we've visited. My little one is 5 and it is rated for ages 5-12. This structure has several slides, swings, rock walls, monkey bars, and other "challenges". My son had a great time, but was definitely timid at times. This is a great structure for him to grow and learn. There is also a playground specifically for those in wheelchairs, etc. I love to see the inclusive design to allow all children to enjoy the playground. Nearby, is a pavilion with indoor bathroom facilities. They are very clean and well-kept.

Great park - for young kids to older ones. Unlike parks that have things geared strictly for young…read morekids, this park has a really nice play structure that older kids (9+) to play on. Large slides, few more complicated structures to maneuver on, and even some things for babies and handicapped children. Nice job to the city on this one

An amazing park and playground. Such a beautiful place to walk and check out Cass Lake. The…read moreplayground is great and they conveniently have nice, indoor bathrooms.

One of the places I tend to stop by just to clear my head. The view is beautiful and you have a…read morenice trail that you can wall or bike on around the park.

This is such a great little, picturesque park located to the right of the Clarkston Village…read moreoffices. It's a smaller space that's very well-designed with undulating grounds, sufficient open spaces, 2 little bridges that go over a small river (creek?) with ducks, a gazebo, and lots of trees. There are no grills or anything, but lots of perfectly placed sitting benches (even a few swinging ones) and a decent amount of picnic benches. It's a great place to walk the pups, the love interest in your life, or have a blanket or bench picnic with the family. I believe the gazebo side has hosted outdoor weddings and I have seen pro photographers snapping pics of their subjects (just to give you an idea of the looks of it). The kids playground has enough activity sets that are nicely spread out for tiny kids and big kids. My 3 y/o son loves coming here. I think it's his favorite spot thus far. He loves seeing the ducks who are super tame and will come right up to you on the banks expecting to be fed. Unfortunately, feeding birds like this makes them dependent on handouts and I didn't see any signs forbidding it so far. Maybe the ducks are on the Village dole on the off-season, who knows? Bread is really not the best to feed them with (little nutritional value), so consider taking things like cracked, corn, fresh peas, or grape HALVES (per the internet...so you may want to double check that info). If you decide to visit the park, also take the opportunity to walk the Village's small main street or walk off a date meal at one of the local hot spots (Union Woodshop and Clarkston Union). The walkable residential street of Holcomb (off Washington) has some nice old houses to look at or drive by. When you turn onto Depot Rd (keep your eyes peeled, you just might miss it), the parking lot is on the left across from the offices. They have doggie poo bag stations and (the one minus) porta-potties for bathrooms. Top Yelp-rated Cook's Dairy (ice cream) in Ortonville can be integrated into a trip to Clarkston Village. It's only 10 minutes away going up M-15.

Indian Springs is one of my favorite Metro Parks. The Discovery Center has plenty of exploration…read moreopportunities, including a fun indoor scavenger hunt. The lower level takes you underground to get a fish eye view of the pond where we were greeted by a bluegill. You can rent event space inside the Discovery Center or one of the pavilions throughout the park. Visit during the summer to enjoy the splash park. Visit year-round to slow down and enjoy nature!

I recently paid my second visit to Indian Springs, the most far flung Metropark from my Detroit…read moreNorth End home. On my inaugural trip I biked the buttery smooth cycling trail taking a loop through beautiful woods, a circuit just long enough for some scenery and exercise but without any what-did-I-get-myself-into exhaustion. They have an absolutely lovely bike trail out here in White Lake, one that I'd judge to be second best in the 13 park Huron-Clinton Metropark chain, trailing only the magnificent Kensington which makes a full circuit of Kent Lake. I was a bit bummed on my maiden voyage here that I couldn't make my way into the Discovery Center as it was booked for a wedding that day. I really wanted to see the pond dome, a basement aquarium that's just a big observation bubble beneath the surface of a pond. Them's the breaks; they gotta pay the bills and it did sound like an intriguing place to get hitched. Last week I made the drive back out here to get my pond doming in. It was really cool, but also slightly underwhelming. Not a whole lot of fish or much variety of fish and no frogs or other reptiles to be found. The dome was pretty sludgy in places but I could still see over 20 feet into the pond as demonstrated by a series of targets with labels showing how far away they were. Other reviewers have complained about not being able to see far which makes me wonder how often it's cleaned. It's really gotta be a serious pain to keep this dome free of algae and pond scum and what not. At any rate it was in reasonable shape on the day I went. And I wonder if the time of year figures into how few fish I saw. Maybe I'm spoiled by aquariums that stock aquatic life rather than this honest to goodness look into actual nature. Like I said it is really cool but it also didn't quite live up to the initial thrill and jolt of wonder I got from first walking into it. I didn't see a whole lot else in the Discovery Center either but the taxidermied wolf near the entrance is something else! I also walked a shorter nature trail on my second visit here. It was a loop around a hill with tall grass. There was another pond to look at but really the views weren't that great. I also wasn't far from the park's main access road - not do naturey. I posted one pic on Instagram of the overcast gray October sky above the tall swaying grass that I thought looked like could have been the moody inspiration for a Van Gogh painting and it only got four likes. So I don't think the trails that navigate fields here are so great. The longer hiking trails that wind back through the woods look a lot more appealing. Perhaps if I manage a third trip out this way I can tackle one of those. All in all, this is a fine Metropark but doesn't have nearly the amount of attractions as some of the other larger parks in the chain. Maybe cause it's out in the boonies. There's a kids splash pad but no place where I as an adult would feel comfortable cooling off with some water. There's golf but no disc golf for us frisbee throwers. All my grousing about this and that on here is mostly nitpicking. This is a good park and I'd probably have it at five stars if I lived nearby. But I don't so four stars it is.

This has been such a fun spot to meet friends and have playdates in the past. I love how there is…read moreso much for the kids to do in such a small space. I also love how walkable it is, very close to not only parking, but stores and good restaurants. This is a place where we will do lunch then play in the park, especially with friends. This is a spot we have taken people who are not from the area when we want to share a great park idea with them.

Great park. Just hard to get around to the other side with littles running through the tunnelread more

We love visiting this playground! It was recently updated with new structures…read more I love that you can use a real bathroom at the fire station, across the parking lot, or portapotties so you don't cross the parking lot. Cookies & Cream is next to the playground and has delicious ice cream, a stage for performances, and some lawn games (ex: giant Connect 4). The only concern is if you have a runner, there are too many exit points. For example, there's a slide at the top of a case of stairs. The top of the stairs also leads to the road. I'm really surprised they haven't put a gate up there yet!

A little creek running through the park on both sides of Broadway street downtown. It's quite…read moretranquil to listen to the water rush by. Some seats in the full sun or some under the shade of the gazebo too. A soft ground plays cape for the kids.

This review is for the spray park and playground, only. The splashpad is great, probably the best…read morewe have been to. There are features for ages 1-12. I wish they made it larger to accommodate seating inside for parents. If you have little ones, you either stand the whole time or plan to join in. There us a cost to enter, but it is low compared to other entertainment. Just be sure to have cash with you. The playground is situated just a few yards from the splash park and is very nice. There are, again, features for all ages and it looks newer.

I love our little hometown park! I've spent hours and hours and hours (x3 kids) at so many soccer/…read morefootball/ softball/ tennis/ baseball games here over the years. There's just something comforting about being here. Pro tip: If there is any type of big event going on, arrive early for parking!

This place really has it all, for kids and parents alike. This is our favorite play place to come…read moreto, as it has a good playscape, a full bar, games and food to boot. Plus, on Fridays they have live shows in the evening. It does get a bit chaotic and let's face it, it's difficult to watch your kid get picked on but it's the law of the playground. There's only one person on duty however at the front and behind the bar so play at your own risk. Also prices are high for food and drink. A beer is $8 and a cocktail is $12- $15... but the entry fee for kids is only $15 so... tradeoffs. Food is okay; soft pretzel tasted a little off but the breadsticks were good and it seemed like everyone was ordering pizza. Will have to try that next time. Games are also expensive; you have to load a card and most games cost about 40 pts per play, lasting from seconds to about a minute. Not a ton of games but enough. Also offer a family restroom for changing and children which is good. It's in a strip mall with a grocery store and a golf sim too and on a main road. Easy to access. Overall it's my go to play place for the kids and plenty of seating and overlook spots for parents.

My 3.4 year granddaughter loves Fairytale Fun Place Clarkston It was kept clean and not…read moreovercrowded on a sunday afternoon She played for 3 hours straight and would have played longer. it was great as she had other little ones to play with too

The party was not what we imagined. The heat wasn't on. The music wasn't playing. There were only 2…read morestaff members running multiple parties. One of the staff members had her own young child at work. A party guest was injured on a slide and no one could find staff. But the reason for the rating was because a staff member said something to my young daughter as she was waiting to come into the birthday party room which made her cry. She was so upset she left her own birthday party, missing the pizza, cake, and presents. The same staff member promised a refund. We spoke with management. This was never resolved. We had been to numerous parties at Pump it Up and they were nothing like the party we received. Absolutely do not recommend.

Brought my daughter here for a neighbor kid's birthday party, didn't learn until we arrived that…read morethey don't serve alcohol of any kind, not even beer or wine. The fact that there isn't even a single mention of this on their website is a major oversight. Also it was pretty loud. Only giving 2 stars because the kids seemed to have a good time.