A nice little dose of park life tucked behind a library!…read more Even though I was more than familiar with the Luddington Library, the Bryn Mawr Gazebo park right behind it is something that I've overlooked for decades, and would have continued to overlook if it weren't for the incredible Bryn Mawr Summer Twilight Concert Series, where I've enjoyed seeing the likes of Hoots & Hellmouth and Vienna Teng perform. Beyond the concerts, this gazebo comes with a ton of park life amenities tucked within a tiny space. There's a playground for kids, a community building with public restrooms, benches to lounge in, elaborate greenery, and some hidden tennis courts. for a park so tiny it really works in a lot! The summer concerts really are the best part that has been going on for decades, and they have a passionate local following. Now that Rising Sun Presents has also stepped in to help with the booking, it has also ensured that some known acts blend into the local flavor.

The BM Gazebo is in a cute little park next to the Ludington Library and has a few benches, a small…read morechildren's playground, and some tennis courts. I used to walk my dog through here, he liked the lush green lawn and I liked the benches. The real fun here is the summer concert series. They have shows through the summer with some great acts including Dar Williams, and this year one of my favorites, Hoots and Hellmouth. Tickets are cheap, you bring your own chair or blanket, picnic, and hang out on a nice summer night and chill to some good tunes. Most people BYO but you need to be sly about it. Otherwise the Ardmore Music Hall usually has some of their fine bartenders on hand serving drinks. Lucky to have this a few blocks from my house and take advantage of it regularly, check out the schedule! https://www.brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com/

This is a smaller greenspace, only 1 acre. So it's great for a picnic, just chilling in the…read moreoutdoors on a blanket, bug hunting, or maybe a careful game of catch. For those purposes, this is a sweet little escape in a relatively quiet part of the borough. The park is designed to be functional, and packs as much into the L-shaped acre as is reasonable. There is hardscaping and of course horticultural cultivation. One corner appears to have mini-amphitheater seating for talks or small performances, perhaps for classes to gather? There is a paved path that weaves through the park, great for strollers. There are currently no rules listed so I'm not sure if bikes, skates, boards are allowed? For me, this is a fun little loop off of Fifth Street as part of a longer walk, but I'd like to sit and enjoy some time too. This park is dedicated to black families who live/lived in Media, and their histories as they pertained to the town. I read this online but didn't really see any didactic about it at the park. I may have missed it? Or it's just meant to be a dedication and that's that. I get it, I guess the park is meant to be a park, and its history is accessible if anyone wants to Google it. I was so happy to see this land remain undeveloped for so many years, worried it would turn into the Mc Architecture popping up all over Media (and the new residents have the nerve to put "save our greenspace" signs out front). But the resident who sold this land to the borough really did save her greenspace!

I stopped off at the Rita's Water Ice across the street and picked up a nice, fresh chocolate ice…read morecream. Unfortunately, that Rita's does not have any seating so I decided to go across the street to Warner Avenue Park and Playground. The park has a large variety of benches and a few tables, which is nice. They were nice and clean as well. It was a great place to stop and enjoy a nice ice cream! The park itself is very nice as well. There is a large basketball court, two playgrounds and a small walking trail. Around the entire park, there are beautiful flowers planted. There is even a small section of the park where you can sit down and see the amazing beauty. The basketball court is very nice and well-maintained. It is also full sized! The court is very popular as well as kids were flocking to it. The two playgrounds were also very nice. They included a variety of events including many slides! Around the park was also a cool frog statue! Altogether, this is a nice little park in the heart of Bryn Mawr!

Crum woods is a lovely area to take a stroll; walk or hike through! I saw bicyclists; families…read morewalking their dogs and swimmers in the creek! Crum Woods has something for everyone! I enjoyed coming upon the outdoor amphitheater during my exploration..but I will see this be prepared for the different elevations on your walk! Be prepared and be agile! Overall, it is a great area to enjoy nature!

This probably belongs in "hiking" and "parks" and "pets" if there is such thing…read more.. We were looking for good places to take the dog where she could run around (preferably off leash) in grass or leaves or something. There's a website, believe it or not, for hiking with your dog, and this spot was in the top ten. I was semi-familiar with Swarthmore as a college, but had no idea they had all of this random land quasi-on-campus that was available for public use. Bonus: apparently it's Swarthmore spring break. Empty campus + lots of available visitor parking + relatively empty woods = dog in overjoyed exhaustion. There seem to be plenty of visitor-access parking lots around, we basically found the first one on campus and wandered over to the Scott Amphitheater. Our limited information indicated that there would be some kind of network of trails in that general region and that once we hit said trails it was kosher to let the dog off leash as long as she was under "voice control." As we made our way toward what looked like the beginning of a trail, we met a very nice woman and her very nice collie. The collie was on leash, but had clearly just enjoyed a nice dog-exhausting walk. We wandered a few yards down the trail and let her loose: bliss. There isn't really a single trail to a destination or a loop or anything like that. We took several forks, backtracked, wandered down what might have been a trail or might have been just random leaves having fallen in a semi-path, etc. There's plenty of space to explore and the trails range from 100% level and easy going to a bit more rocky and climby oriented. I didn't see any maps or other signs of civilization/development, but we followed various trails to what I think might have been the edge of Scott Arboretum. (Five different specimens of twelve different kinds of holly -- all labeled -- tipped us off.) Near that area is a pretty big meadow/clearing with some random stone-henge-looking arrangements that made a good place to stop and play fetch for a bit. The review we read on the dog hiking site seemed to indicate drinking fountains and dog bowls, but I didn't see anything like that, so if it's hot and/or you plan to be out for a while, bring water (your dog will be fine though, as there's a fairly clean looking stream/creek right alongside many of the paths). We ran into five or six other dogs -- all off leash -- during the approx. three hours we wandered around. Everyone was super-friendly and their dogs were excited to enjoy some random play as well. It's a bit of a hike from Philly (too bad Septa won't allow dogs), but worth it for some non-dog-park variety, I think.

Visited: Sunday - November 15, 2015 - 10:00AM…read more The "first-to-review" of P E. is spot on. Armed with a cup of hot coffee and bathed in warm sunny day, I visited this tranquil oasis. My lady friend and I walked around and through the park in a leisurely fashion. The bright sun reflected off the lake in blinding but welcoming fashion. As we walked, a flock of geese, majestically landed in virtual unison. We returned to the car carefully avoiding the little "gifts' left on the ground by the feathered flock.

This is a wonderful park nestled in the borough of Ridley Park. Fish off of the dock or the shore,…read moreor just enjoy the walk around the lake. There is 14 acres to enjoy. It's right next to a school so you might want to avoid it during certain hours if you are seeking peace and tranquility near the lake's fountain. There are lots of Canada geese here so look out for lots of droppings during certain times of the year.

Merwood is one of my daughters favorite parks to go to that is close by. She loves all the…read moredifferent options for play structures like teeter toddlers, fire truck, many swings, slides, Merry go rounds, jungle gyms, and rocking animals. There is also a little free library on site as well as 2 basketball courts, pavilion with a charcoal grilling setup, picnic tables, and 2 baseball fields. There is a paved path that leads from Hathaway lane down to the park, onto the man bridge that crosses the creek. Often ducks can be spotted hanging out there which is another fun bonus. There is plenty to do here and everyone we've met here has been super friendly and accommodating. When the nice weather months are happening, there are two bathrooms with running water, a significant improvement over most parks with only port-a-potties.

[462] 3 1/2 stars…read more This is a hidden park that I only "found" due to a sporting event. It's tucked away in UD. There are swingsets, baseball fields, soccer practice area, marble playing area, tennis courts and trails. The grass is cut so the park is kept up. I'll definitely be back but bring bug spray. We came right after it rained and the bugs were chomping on us.

A hidden gem at the end of the 42 bus line, Naylors Run is a small oasis in the middle of Upper…read moreDarby. With tennis courts at the entrance, you walk a windy road until you reach the trail. Within a few minutes you are surrounded by trees and walking along Naylors Run stream. Similar to the trails in Fairmount Park in all but size, this trail is great for a short (apx a mile) head clearing walk in the midst of Upper Darby. Don't miss the amazing tutor house on the right as you walk in, the house and natural landscaping are worthy of a look!

My main use of the Haverford Reserve Trails is for walking the dog. The trails provide a change of…read morepac E for the dog, some good exercise and lots of interesting smells. This is a leashed trail by rule, you will occasionally run into an off leash dog which is usually no big deal, but a bit of a hassle nonetheless. Parking is simple, the trails are safe and is a close by destination to get the dog outside!

Easy and beautiful trails with great scenery. Once you've passed the blue route, the noise of…read morenature takes over. Deer, chipmunks and squirrels are frolicking around. Disc golf course can be "human loud" on the weekends.