How do you bribe your kids to ride with you for forty-minutes to get coffee? With pop tarts and a trip to the park. This trip to get coffee in Brooksville led my kids and I to Tom Varn Park.
Tom Varn Park is about a mile from downtown Brooksville. The structures are largely made from wood, which gives it such a cool aesthetic. The park includes two sections inside a fenced in area. One works better for older kids and one for younger. The play areas include numerous slides and some climbing poles with passageways up, down, over and around them. There are some balancing areas and strength objects as well. In the older area of the park, there is also a series of half buried tires. These large tires provide a great challenge for your older kids (climb over them) as well as fun for the younger ones (tunnel through them).
The park includes swings that are designed for younger kids (my three year old could enjoy them but he was getting close to being too large). I don't remember seeing swings that are designed for older kids (one of the knocks on the park). In the little kid area, there is a boat that sways back and forth with your movements as well as some additional slides and climbing areas.
Outside of the fenced in area there is a large grassy section where kids could throw footballs, kick around soccer balls, or sit under a tree to picnic. There was a pavilion full of picnic tables that could be sat at as well as bathrooms. This area seemed to be in slightly poorer condition than the rest of the park. The bathrooms and picnic area also weren't as nice as other parks I've visited in the Tampa/Pasco region.
To the right of the pavilion area was an area that included some electronic games (lights, dancing, shapes). There is a similar machine at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa. My kids and I didn't go into that section so I can't really speak about what shape the machine was in and how much fun it offered.
Tom Varn Park has a lot to offer anyone who has kids that are into being active, playing and being outside. It seems to offer a lot of shade which would be beneficial during the hot Florida summer. If you find yourself in Brooksville with a couple kids in tow, try it out! read more
