The Trailside Science Center is a really great place to spend a few hours! I was impressed with the…read morequality, especially since it's free to visitors. I took my 3-year old niece and she really enjoyed it. The highlights for us were the taxidermy animals (beautifully laid out in a tree and landscape that spans all 3 floors of the museum), the live animals (fish, turtles, snakes), and a short film/experience about nighttime noises and animals. There were a lot of things to touch and open -- good for the little kids, and the older kids will get more from reading through the exhibit signs. No food or drinks are allowed in the museum. However, there are a ton of picnic tables right outside so that could be a good place to enjoy a snack or lunch from home. There's also a short sensory walk through the woods (0.8 miles) that begins right outside the science center.

Took my 5 y/o nephew here as a last hoorah before kindergarten. With just an hour left before…read moreclosing we were able to squeeze in quite a bit! He enjoyed the live animals, both land and sea. I liked the night theater, particularly love how it wasn't a screen but still entertaining and educational. Afterwards we strolled along the nature trail and checked out the sensory garden. This truly is a place for all to enjoy...and learn! Bonus: admission is free, bathrooms are clean and parking is plentiful. Had it not been so muggy out, we would've checked out more of the grounds as it seems there were more playgrounds to explore.

Phenomenal park with a good length of paved path that goes around a lake. This park hosts free…read moresummer concerts. Comes with a gazebo and plenty of trees to escape the sun

Nice little park with tennis courts, playgrounds and basketball courts and enough space to go for a…read morenice couple of laps of walking or running. It's kept very clean and well maintained by Middlesex county. There's some parking in the front and there's a giant parking lot in the back. They have a gazebo if you need to do wedding or photo shoot as well

This is a somewhat unique rating for me, because I'm giving it 5 stars based on its objective…read moreexcellence. For me, personally? Not my favorite of the 3 parks that are in the immediate vicinity of where I live. That's a purely subjective evaluation. There's Mountain Park in Basking Ridge, heading in the direction of Martinsville. I've reviewed that 1. There's Harry Dunham Park in Basking Ridge, near Liberty Corner. I've reviewed that 1 too. I walk/run in both of these parks on a fairly regular basis. Pleasant Valley? Not so much. Pleasant Valley has a playground, 4 multipurpose fields, a softball field, a baseball field, 2 "youth" baseball fields, 6 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts (I've asked this before, but I'll ask it again-- when did pickleball become a "thing?"), 4 "lighted platform" tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, a pond for fishing, an amphitheater, picnic shelters, indoor rooms available for rental, walking trails, and restrooms. Why would I subjectively give this less than 5 stars? Because the walking trails aren't my favorite, and walking trails are what I utilize these parks for. Anyone who has ever read anything I've ever written knows sports are, and always have been, anathema to me, but I do like doing exercises that hopefully will allow me to live a bit longer than I might without the exercise (funny story-- my oldest friend went to a high school reunion, and the others there said enviously, "You've aged very well!" My friend laughs when he tells me this and says, "Like it just happened! I work hard at it! I didn't just age well! I worked my ass off exercising and eating right, and they didn't. That's the difference. It's that simple."). I lift weights, and I walk/run, and walking/running the wooded trails has made me feel better physically (although it doesn't melt the fat off as easily as it once did) as well as put me in closer proximity, at least in my own mind, to the inchoate and unknowable nature of whatever "God" might be or the source of all creation and nature. It's in the sunlight filtering through the trees, it's in the cloud-filled or cloudless sky that I get glimpses of through the trees as I walk, it's in the sounds of birds and insects, the deer and other small animals crashing through the brush (not long ago, there was a bear sighting not too far away, and that would just be my bad luck-- all this exercise only to get mangled to death by a bear!), it's in the fragrant flowers sprouting up from the soil, the invigorating fresh air itself. There's a stretch of woods in the Dunham Park that's lovely. It's not a long walk, but it passes beneath the towering trees, and alongside a gurgling brook. If it's not the pristine beauty of the northwest CT countryside, it's pretty close. Mountain Park also has magnificent trails. At 1 point, I followed 1 down a hill to a river, but didn't go further, as I didn't know where it was leading to and I wasn't prepared for an extended hike through unknown wilderness. But you can walk the trails for a considerable distance and actually imagine you're far from any last vestiges of civilization (which might not be a positive, depending on your mood or disposition or anxiety level). All alone with nature! I found it exhilarating and spiritually restorative. Pleasant Valley? I occasionally ran the trails at Pleasant Valley with a running/drinking buddy of mine. At that time, we partied a lot (with a group of friends), but we exercised a lot too (just her and me); she ultimately married and moved to the Virgin Islands, and we sort of lost touch. But...hope she's doing well and... keep up the running, old friend! A few weeks ago, I returned to Pleasant Valley, to take a walk. The trails wind upward and certainly serve their purpose, but I prefer the trails of the other 2 parks. With them, at least you get the illusion that you're in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the mystery and majesty of God's green earth. With the Pleasant Valley trails, there's a uniform sameness to them, and when I deviated off the main trail onto a side offshoot, I ended up in a housing development. Again, maybe that's just my own personal quirk and won't mean anything to somebody else of a more "social" disposition. Me? I prefer to pretend I'm the pioneering hermit, the isolated "Stranger in a Strange Land," the searcher for solitude and tranquility, at least for an hour or so. So... objectively...this is a great park, with a lot of amenities and activities. Parking seems plentiful enough (although I have to agree with 1 previous reviewer who said that if the park gets crowded, parking could potentially prove a problem). I can't say I won't return on occasion to walk the trails. But...subjectively...it's not my 1st choice. Or 2nd.

Great park. Very well maintained. Pickleball courts redone (summer 2026) and there look and play…read moregreat.

I visited Parker Press park on a Friday evening for a concert. We had a great time and the band…read moreNine Deeez Nite was great. The park isn't big but there's a decent area near the stage and there's also free parking across the street. I believe the NJ transit parking lot can also be used if needed. There are 2 chemical toilets as well. Unfortunately, a few years ago they built a condo near the park so the area looks very urban, there's no longer that park/forrest feeling but it's still a decent park for concerts and people seem to be friendly around this area.

This is THE destination for families with young children in Scotch Plains. At first blush, that…read moreseems crazy, as the park is situated directly off of the busy Westfield Road. But, as one of the only fully fenced parks in the neighborhood, it has a fantastic setup to control the chaos that is the toddler phase. The park features a couple sets of swings, a few small areas with interactive pieces for smaller children, and a red merry-go-round that survived the 2023 park renovation. While I wouldn't recommend this park for older kids or those in the upper grades of elementary school, it's a perfect way to kill an afternoon with littler gremlins.

Great park for 2-5 year old. Bathrooms are on site. Benches and grass area for picnicsread more

Nice park to stretch your legs in. Bring the kids, bring the dog. Either way this park will…read moreentertain and keep you busy while enjoying the great outdoors. There is a picnic area and bathrooms that are well maintained.

I've lived close to this park for almost 6 months and just checked it out now. It's pretty large…read moreand well maintained. A few bathrooms, an outdoor theatre, playground, and picnic areas. They offer grounds for baseball, softball, soccer, and basketball. Seems that there are a lot of rec leagues playing here. Plenty of paved areas for walking/jogging. They have a fitness circuit too. Many different parking lots. It's sort of a sprawling park. The entrance is near the intersection of Florida Grove and 35.

I have been taking my three kids here to play ever since my oldest (now 11 ) was barely…read morewalking. They have revamped it quite a bit over the years,and what I believed was already a great kids playground to begin with,, having two separate play areas, very large lawn for kids to run around ,basketball court etc., now features soft spongy ground areas(as opposed to the cedar wood chips they originally had, even more toys and rides, plenty of benches and a covered sitting area,as well as a water fountain. They did remove the basketball court,however it was to make the park more younger-child friendly( basically trying to discourage older teens from hanging out) ,which made room fore the expansions. It is well lit(they added plenty of new lighting ,run off of solar panel energy),newly refenced,and simply a wonderful park in my opinion. They on occasion host free events for the residents,such as an annual Easter egg hunt,and one year they even had mini-festival. . Overall I'd say it is the best park in town,a wonderful place to get away and curl up with a good book, very ample play areas and activities for kids,and also a great place for an afternoon picnic.

Love my local park, I am hesitant to write a review because it is not crowded and a pretty well…read morekept secret ha. It is near a highway so maybe that is why people avoid it, but they have tennis, basket ball and roller rink courts. There is a nice grove of trees and a nice gazebo and fountain too. I use the tennis courts almost every weekend and they are hardly used and in decent shape. Only complaint is it could use a broom to clean leaves to be left there. There are also lights on the court at night for free and ample parking and clean bathroom facilities. Once you are done with a game you can head to wawa across the street!