Good play ground equipment for the kids. Plenty of space for cook outs. Nice trail for walking,…read more running or cycling. All around good park

I love this park! There is no entrance fee, which is great since many of the county parks do have…read morea fee. They have very nice, newly built play equipment for kids, but it is separated between young children (toddlers) and older kids (up to 12). There is a man-made lake with a sandy beach. It's nice to be able to stop here in the summer for a quick dip without fighting huge crowds. There are some baseball diamonds as well as picnic shelters. My favorite part though is the trail system. They have a well maintained system through the woods and around the lake, and it's never really busy so if you like to take peaceful, quiet hikes this is your place!

One of the best parks I've been to where I don't have to drive a long distance. My husband and I…read moreused to go during the mornings for a nice peaceful walk or run. It has never been busy, which I love. I'm from So-Cal and all the hiking and trail parks were always packed with people. I used to hate it when people would hike with their speakers on full blast, so annoying. This park is a complete 180, so peaceful. Another perk is you can bring your dogs on a leash. One thing I wish they had more of are trashcans to dispose of poop bags instead of having to carry the bags until you are back in the picnic areas. I wouldn't go into the trails during the winter since there are a lot of roots sticking up and could be dangerous. Highly recommend during the summer and fall, gorgeous.

A smaller park, but still super cute! Not much terrain to it, but definitely the changing scenery…read morekeeps things interesting. We did the biggest loop around the park which clocked in at about 3.7 miles and it was very doable for all skill levels. At the back of the park as we started looping back, we came across a punch of telephone poles which was a bit disorienting, but it happens. Dog friendly as well.

Located outside of Lansing Michigan,this is a fantastic place for hiking and biking. Over 4 miles…read moreof marked trails...many of which are paved. There are over 130 acres of green space ,maple groves and native prairie areas. There is also a Visitor's Center which we did not visit . No cost to enter and plenty of parking,this is definitely a place to visit year round.

This is a good local community of Lansing environmental education center with a beautiful storybook…read morewalk trail. We enjoyed the variety of trees and the many varieties of birds while getting out in the fresh air and sunshine. A great spot to stretch your legs.

I recommend Frances Park that's nestled along the Grand River on the southwest of Lansing. The park…read morehas walking trails along the Grandriver, with plenty of parking and some great views.. The main area of Frances Park has plenty of parking, many picnic areas, and a full enclosed pavilion that can be rented through the Lansing Parks Department . Within the park, they have a beautiful rose garden with a nice jiview of the Grandriver. Frances Park has a .9 mile walking trail around the soccer fields and through the woods. Great place to take in the views.

Despite living in East Lansing for six years, I'd never even heard of Frances Park until last month…read morewhen my boyfriend and I went there for a family birthday party. The park is located on the Grand River near the Lansing Country Club. The park itself is pretty large and very beautiful! There are elevated views of the river, a stunning rose garden, a sprawling lawn, a playground, and a large pavilion for events. We enjoyed the shade of the pavilion on the hot June day, and the kids at the party had fun playing on the playground. There are built in cornhole boards which the older kids had fun with. There are some short trails around the rose garden area that we walked on and stopped at the lookout point to check out the river. This park would be a great place for a wedding, wedding photos, birthday parties, picnics, etc. -- if I lived in the area, I feel like this would be my go-to park! No fees for parking or entrance and clean restroom facilities round out this five star park.

Nice park within walking distance of downtown Lansing. It looked like it was well used by people…read morehaving picnics, events, etc. Very walkable.

Hands down my favorite part of Lansing. Lots of places to hammock, read, bike, and walk. I love how…read moreit connects EL, REO Town, Old Town, and downtown. My only issue is that some people need to take better care to throw out their trash. It can pile up in certain spots, but will typically get cleaned up by community groups.

There are lots of picnic areas, thankfully in the shade. Plenty of tables and grills. Away from the…read morebeach. The sand beach was kinda small for how big the park is. Many people just spread out on the grass which was fine. Maybe that's why there wasn't as much goose poop as other beaches I've visited lately... The water has a mostly sandy bottom with some pebbles and such but I didn't really feel any seaweed which was good. There's a roped off swimming area that is very large. The lake itself was packed with boats and jet skis. The playground was awesome and a bit different than the typical structure. We didn't utilize the back track but it looked cute! There's a bar on the other side of the street that was playing live music and we could hear it from the playground easily. The new bathrooms are nice. There's also a concession stand - I think the hot dogs were $2 or $3, they had nachos and other basic beach snacks but we didn't get anything.

I grew up in Haslett and have such fond memories of this park. Every time we come home to visit, we…read morego paddle boating or fishing or swimming. It's a great place!

I don't play disc golf, but I like the idea of parks just having a bunch of disc golfing places?…read morefields? greens? scattered throughout the park! Disc golf, to me, is like the putt putt of the skies, except you have to go somewhere specific for putt putt and I like that disc golf is available at this park & just generally at random parks throughout! It was super vibey seeing families playing disc golf as my friend & I hiked throughout the park. The park is beautiful and so scenic in the fall & our dogs loved crunching through the leaves! They got to take a nice water break along Grand River, which was perfect too! Also, I'm not sure if Fitzgerald Park includes The Ledges trail, but I'm including my review of The Ledges here anyways because I couldn't find a separate Yelp page for it! I love that the park is connected to the trail! The trail is beautiful and a lovely hike too! On one side of you is Grand River, on the other is a bunch of gorgeous and unique sedimentary rocks! And occasionally above you is a bridge! The trail isn't ideally wide enough for social distancing, so it's a bit difficult as people walking towards you are crossing paths. It's also a bit frustrating seeing all these people climbing on the rocks, when there's clearly a sign at both ends of the trail that says NOT to climb on them because they'll get eroded!! Other than that, it's a wonderful trail to hike, and if you start from Fitzgerald Park, you can walk to the downtown Grand Ledge area, where there's a fun little island park restored in the middle of the river that you can loop around at to head back down The Ledges trail back to Fitzgerald Park! It was a lovely afternoon hike through the park, trail, and island park all in all! :)

This is a nice , spacious park with a walking trial with a river running through it, a mini…read morewaterfall, soccer field, play ground... I enjoyed my time here. I would love to come back.

Gosh, this was a blast from the past. Couldn't go to East Lansing without stopping by Potter's…read morePark. I used to take my two oldest children here frequently. It's a great little Zoological Park! It's accredited by the AZA and offers amenities like stroller rentals, a quiet room. The hours depend on the time of year and admission cost is based on if you live in the county or not. They do offer discounts for senior citizens and military personnel. They maintain over 300 animals with popular exhibits like penguins, lions, and giant anteaters. They provide wheelchairs, strollers, and wagons for rent, plus a quiet room and sensory-friendly bags. This zoo is one of Michigan's oldest continuously operated zoos, with a history dating back over 100 years. My husband and I found it very enjoyable.

I was pleasantly surprised at Potter Park Zoo - for some reason I thought it would be small and not…read moreas interesting, but I was wrong. Nate and I met with some friends at this zoo recently and got to take advantage of our reciprocal John Ball Zoo membership to get in free. Parking is $7 per car for non-residents. The zoo is larger than I expected, with plenty of very active animals despite the heat. My favorite animals were the Pallas's cat, the black rhino, and the binturong. We walked around for a couple of hours and enjoyed the plentiful shade, and relatively flat paths (way fewer hills than our zoo). It was fun seeing some animals that I'd never seen before! This zoo is open year-round, which is really nice. If I lived in the area I'd probably get a membership. As a visitor, I don't think I'd need to go back again soon, but I'm glad we got to check it out.