Charles and June Calhoun park is our newest park. It features a small shelter, paved parking lot…read moreand access to the south side of Ada Hayden Heritage Park. In fact, this is where Gayle and I parked when we recently took a long "Figure 8" walk around Ada Hayden. The new park is definitely a work in progress and the nearby vehicle-based business somewhat detracts from its potential full beauty.

This park is awesome! Most use it as alternative trail head to walk the loop around Ada Hayden…read morePark. The figure 8 is 3.2 miles. Its easy to find my walking buddies because its a small lot. There is a very nice looking gazebo, so it would be great for small gathering. There is only 1 drawback, the parking lot was designed by someone that thought water runs uphill so the NW corner of the parking lot floods when it rains or snow melts. Also, watch out for cars traveling fast along Dawes drive as you cross over to the walking path.

Short on time but need to get back to nature? The Skunk River Green Belt is one of the best hidden…read moresecrets in the Ames area. Located just south of Story City this trail is a great place to take your dogs for a brisk hike. Although you can hear the traffic of the Interstate located less than a mile away you will see a lot of amazing wildlife and immerse yourself in dense, old growth forest that follows the Skunk River. There's an active beaver pond on one of the trail loops. There are large patches of native prairie that have a small maintained grass trail that meanders through it. I can personally verify that I have seen turkeys, coyotes and deer along with a great variety of winged creatures. This trail is best in the spring and fall, as the mosquitoes can get downright nasty in the summer months. The trail is a public-private partnership with easements. You'll walk through gated areas and may encounter a gregarious herd of cattle. It is possible to take a fortified 10-mile hike all the way to the Story County Conservation center if you're willing to walk considerable distances on rural gravel roads. The middle section of the trail "Bear Creek" is accessible from the southbound I-35 rest stop and has a scenic suspended bridge that crosses the namesake creek. Take a wonderful hike, then take a short drive north to Story City to grab a bite at the wonderful local restaurants.

Oh Lake Laverne! Such a happy memory of my childhood! This lake sits right in the middle of the…read moreIowa State campus, and is home to Lancelot and Elaine the white swans. I recently visited again in Dec 2017, and it was just as lovely as I remembered! I think they change out the swans though as they age, but the current two residents were super cute and lovely.

Inis Grove Park is an all-inclusive, sprawling, castle and nature-themed playground in Ames, Iowa…read more It is vast and covers a wide age group. There is a space for infant, toddlers, and preschoolers with a rubbery ground, bridge, dome, and playhouse. Nearby is a play area with spinners, rotating climbers, see-saw, swings, and musical instruments. Furthermore to the side is a larger space for children aged 5 and beyond. There are climbing apparatus, slides of varying lengths and heights, ropes, and a scavenger hunt game that encourages children to seek out the various animals, insects, and foot tracks painted throughout the playground. On the other side of the playground is a baseball field and several tennis courts. We were visiting from out of town but otherwise, we could've easily spent two hours here so that our girls could spend time in the playground and the tennis courts.

This is mainly a review of the Miracle Park playground:…read more What is the Miracle? Well, let me tell you. Every time I come here with my toddler he cries and yells at me every time we have to leave. It is the playground equivalent of a womb, I suppose. The real Miracle, though, is what it does to his digestive system. I don't know how this works, but every. single. time. we're here he goes #2 and needs a new diaper. I know that's not where you were expecting this review to go, but parents: if you're little one is maybe Not as Productive as he/she/they should be, then this is the spot (apparently). Oh and it's also a really beautiful playground! The music play equipment is sounds wonderful. The big multi-level play area is awesome. We have tons of fun here every time. Also: DID YOU KNOW there is a "secret" playground just around the bushes? This was a bizarre discovery, especially since that other playground is a little wild and kinda unfinished and maybe a bit dangerous but It's Also OK because with supervision you can have a lot of fun over there, too.

Outstanding community resource located at 6th and Duff Ave. I'd recommend seeing the Ames Community…read moreBand preform with Simon Estes during their yearly concert in July! A very Powerful performance!

Bandshell Park is fairly close to Downtown Ames and is the city's first and oldest green space.at…read moreover 100 years old. In addition to the attractive Bandshell (for various community performances), there's a nice picnic area, playground, and restrooms.

Decent lake for watersports in Ames, IA area. Water isn't the clearest, but a lot of fun…read morenonetheless. Unlimited engines allowed so great for canoes to jet skis.

Is Carr's Pool still open? I do not think so. Man....what a rush of memories! Was open long, long…read moreago and was state of the art at the time. Later on Ames High had a nice swimming pool....but it was not Carrs. Do a search on Google as Facebook has a memory page for Carrs Pool, and the historical society has photos of it, too. My little sister decided it was a good idea to ride her plastic caterpillar down the hill at Carrs Pool. She survived....but without 'breaks'.

We had our college retreats here and it was great!! Very accommodating and the staff was very…read morehelpful! Perfect for any size group and has different kinds of housing for all of your people. I believe most of the camp is wheelchair accessible as well.

I grew up at this camp. Spending a week as a camper there from as long as I could remember till I…read morewas a teenager. Then I started to work for the camp and worked there through high school and college years. It was such a blessing on my life and forever shaped my life. I don't think I ever made any better friends than I did at Hidden Acres. I will never forget my time spent there, nor the friends I made.