Great park! Just exploring around McAllen and this is a stop you should definitely make while…read moreyou're out here. There are boat rentals that you can get to go out on the lake and gigantic swan boats too. Get here early so it's not as hot out and the experience will be even better! I was here on a Saturday morning at 8am and it was already busy with families, running clubs and fisherman by the lake.

It's great on the weekends Great place to barbecue with the…read morefamily and go fishing & activities! This is not a bot btw this place is actually good to go fishing and to have parties

Most reviews of the park are several years old but they were spot on…read more I enjoyed the park and due to its location and the fact they have primitive camp site there it would be a great place to camp overnight since there is no light pollution there. There is a camp ground next to the entrance for anyone with a camper. (Looked very nice and well kept) I rented a bike ($5.00 for 4 hours )

We visited the park yesterday to join a birding tour. John was fabulous and made everyone in the…read moregroup feel welcome. We saw and learned about many beautiful birds as well as plants. Plus our 2 hour tour ended up being nearly 4. The park was much prettier than I expected. The visitor center which had great items for sale was surrounded by beautiful foliage and benches. There were people hiking, camping, biking, and birding there. The energy in the park was so positive and friendly.

This is a park in a great central location in the Shary area and is a nice spot to bring the…read morefamily. For starters it's hard to miss the huge pond full of ducks in the front part of the park which makes it that much more beautiful! This makes it a great spot to bring your children to play with the ducks and feed them. I personally have taken my little brother and he loves it since he is an animal fanatic. The section to BBQ doesn't have too much space between tables making it feel a bit crowded when there are other families there too. They also have a track that goes around the full park that is 1 mile long making it that much great for runners. My recommendations for the park/city would be to make some improvements in the restrooms, park benches, and the basketball courts to make the experience that much better.

Very lovely park. It has a running/walking track, swimming pool, duck pond, and playground for…read morekids. Perfect place for a photoshoot. So peaceful and full of wildlife such as ducks, geese, turtles, frogs, fish, and birds. Lots of shaded trees and benches to sit. Perfect place for a picnic. Thank you.

This park needs the paths redone, in the low parts it is mostly mud. I live across the street from…read moreit and I drive to the one on shary where there is paved walking paths, and not muddy ones....sad.

Getting on a treadmill at the gym is very tiring, I prefer walking outside at this park where I can…read morereally open my mind and relax while working out. I come to this park about 3-4 times a week. It's a pretty good size park with a basketball court, volleyball court the kids playground, a pergola, and some huge rocks people can use to workout. On average there's about 20 people at the park when I go but about 12 people are always at the basketball court. So if you want to play basketball, get here early because there's only one basket. The location of the park is really good because there's a nice neighborhood behind the park and Idea School to the left of it so it's pretty safe. And most importantly, there are no clowns in the premises lol! This park is nice for picnics just make sure the kids go to the restroom at home because they don't have any restroom facilities at the park. While I was running one evening, I saw a family pull in, get some bags down from the truck, the dog, and sat under the pergola to enjoy their dinner outside in the fresh air. (It's October so it's pretty fresh at night)

Edinburg Scenic Wetlands & World Birding Center is a separate place than the Edinburg Municipal…read morePark, but they are next to each other and trails lead from in to the other. The World Birding Center portion has it's own parking lot and there is a modest fee to enter. The walking trail around the pond is free. You can park at the municipal park and use the trails around the pond and/or the multiple trails that go through the park. Both places are well developed and beautifully designed. The trail around the pond in the Scenic Wetlands area has some beautiful views. There are many native plants such as mesquite, palo verde, Nepal, and other cacti for which I don't know the names. The morning I went to walk, I was admiring the nopal which was blooming profusely, as well as the ducks, herons, and other birds enjoying the water. The walking trail is pleasant, "paved" with a gravel type material, much is shaded by trees which have branches arching over the trail (that is a big plus if you go in the daytime). I didn't see a sign to indicate the length of the trail that goes around the pond, but it took only about 20 minutes to circle it. It took me longer because I kept stopping to take pictures. Once I circled the pond, I went through a portion of the municipal park where there are also some ponds, trees, playgrounds, picnic areas, ball fields, restrooms, etc. My wife and I used to take our children (when they were small) along with a loaf of bread to feed the ducks in the largest of the ponds at the park. I have not gone into the World Birding Center portion, but intend to do so in the near future.

This is the second time that I have come from out of town and tried to visit and they had a…read more"private event" so the entire place was closed, but it wasn't posted on their website nor did they answer the phone so that you could check.

Absolutely a must see when you're in the RGV. This is one of the most beautiful parks I've ever…read morebeen in! I was initially drawn to check out the cool suspension bridge amongst the trees (costa rica vibes) and there was even more the park offered! We were greeted by two very friendly and knowledgeable workers at the visitors center, they were able to show us some recommended routes and things to look out for. The visitor center itself was so enjoyable to look around since it was like a mini museum with a bunch of history and information about the nature and wildlife. We took the Chachalaca Trail to the Tower Trail as recommended to get to the suspension bridge. Along the way you pass by a beautiful lake with many bird species and find a bunch of Spanish moss trees. When you get to the suspension bridge you take a tall spiral staircase and it's literally the coolest thing walking on the bridge. It was wobbly but very sturdy even when my friends were jumping on it! There was a lookout tower next to the bridge you take a separate staircase for and see a gorgeous overlook above all the trees. We later took the Pintail Lakes Trail to see the Rio Grande River outlook where you see the river and Mexico on the other side! After that we went up towards all the Pintail Lakes and took in all the gorgeous flora, birds, and scenery. The coolest thing we saw was a hawk carrying a snake!! We finished walking through it all in about 2ish hours. Can't recommend this place enough!

Beautiful hike and lots of cool wildlife and nature in the area. We saw a lot of very colorful…read morebirds also. The rope bridge was a fun addition as well

Lovely park in town with a great walking trail and playground for kiddos! Lots of areas to sit and…read morerelax. I went on a run here and felt really safe! Lots of parking too.

Very well maintained walking paths and decent bathrooms. I really enjoyed this park during my trip…read moreto McAllen. Go to Semilla coffee lab around the corner then come walk here!

This park is a peaceful park that isn't too loud nor too crowded. For walkers, there is an inner…read moreconcrete side walk, a good 13 feet of dirt and grass, or a street option around the entire park. You can find runners, cyclists, and hikers here, but all exercising in a peaceful way. Cyclists can be seen circling hikers and joggers also circumvent them. For children, the playground area offers shade by huge trees and restroom facilities nearby with a water fountain. You can find swings, slides, monkeybars, and bridges that are well maintained. A pool is available during the summer and it's usually packed, but relatively cheap to spend a day in there. During off season, it's closed and gated to prevent children entering. On the northern side, they have two tennis courts open to the public and two soccer goals. They aren't the full length of an actual soccer field but many a soccer player can be found daily. Newcomers are usually welcomed to join to have more complete teams. Basketball courts are also available with night lifting. Overall, it's a safe park. I usually come around 9 or 10 pm and done feel in any danger whatsoever.

Nice little park with a few very shady picnic tables and some small windy trails. We saw a…read morewoodpecker, Chachalacas, Great Kiskadees, a cardinal, and lots of speedy little Spotted Whiptail lizards when we went for a 30-minute walk in April. There was a "Ranger station" at the front but it was closed when we were there. (And there are permanent restrooms, which I didn't check out.)

McAllen Nature Center is a small refuge right off the road that has a good deal of walking trails…read moreand picnic areas. I'm glad to see places like this to preserve habit for all the little critters out there.

Beautiful location for photo shoots with a lot of great backgrounds people who work there are very…read morenice and helpful

The Hidalgo Pump House Heritage and Discovery Center is a great addition to this small town. This…read morelocation is being changed, remodeled, and repurposed to become more of a tourist attraction, but being kept with antique architecture that gives it a quaint but welcoming look. The pump house itself has a private parking lot and you can park for free. It's also free to walk around the outside of the pump house which provide many picture opportunities. However, if you are seeking this place out for event pictures (like a wedding photoshoot) then you do need to go to the front desk and ask for permission. I don't know, but I would imagine there might be some sort of fee involved. Though not quite a botanical garden, there are plenty of flora to look at, take pictures of, and enjoy. I have seen some pedal boats and kayaks in the river, but I have yet to see the business actually running, but I usually go after closing hours when walking as part of my exercise route. There is a small gazeebo that ends up at the river and other interesting paths to follow. A juxtaposition can be found once you bump into an actual fence that divides the US side of the river to Mexico's side of the river. This is a great place to propose to someone. They have an outdoor auditorium in which they will show free movies for children. Since you can access this location after hours, proposing to someone here makes it a beautiful reminder for your partner. Once you are done enjoying the sights, walking outside the pump house now offers the opportunity to frequent some of the local businesses that are growing around the area. There is a place really close by called Tikis which sells Mexican snacks, a tea house that has some sandwhiches and other meals, and a block further down is a crêperie called Creparis. Most of these businesses, though, close by 9:00 PM so plan ahead if you want to visit those locations. Also, since they are local emerging businesses and not chain restaurants, some don't offer the choice of paying with a credit card. I suggest you take at least 20 dollars cash with you. Over all, your night will be memorable and more so if you come during the Christmas time where they decorate entire blocks leading to this location. Enjoy.