Springfield Parks, Greenways, and Outdoor Spaces

4/2/16

We had a long day today and ended up visiting 15 Springfield-Greene County Park facilities today on the north and west sides of Springfield. We only started out planning to go to Jordan Valley Park and Doling Park but ended up stopping at seven more parks while driving home from Doling Park.

#26. Jordan Valley Park 635 E. Trafficway

This downtown park is on 12 acres and has lots to offer. This is the site of the Mediacom Ice Park, the Creamery Arts Center and a one mile section of the Jordan Creek Trail. There are picnic tables, a large kinetic robot structure, a Springfield Wagon play structure, an amphitheater and a series of fountains that kids can play in seasonally. The amphitheater hosts events and can be rented for weddings, etc. We were actually here early for the Big Party 5K/Half Marathon. I ran the 5K and two of my daughters ran in the Half Marathon relay. After the race, we walked around the park and down the trail walking around 1/2 mile and spending about 20 minutes. We have been here many times before for various events including Shakespeare in the Park, concerts, multiple 5Ks and just bringing the grandkids here to play in the fountains.

#27. Jordan Creek Linear Park James Ewing to Jordan Valley Park

This trail, also referred to as Jordan Creek Greenway, is currently in two one mile sections and is connected to The Link walking/biking trail(see the blog of 3/22). One section is here at Jordan Valley Park and there is another section between Cruse Dog Park and Ewing Park. According to the Ozarks Greenway website, the trail will eventually extend west through future West Meadows Park, where it will then connect to Wilson's Creek Greenway and on to South Creek Greenway too! We walked down the Jordan Valley Park section this morning. We have walked this trail before and many of the 5Ks starting at Jordan Valley Park follow this trail.

#28. Mediacom Ice Park 635 E. Trafficway

We were in the ice park this morning just to keep warm! We have been here before and previously went on a tour of the facilities but have never skated here. According to the website, there is open ice skating, figure skating, and hockey teams with lessons and leagues available for all ages. The Ice Park is home to the MSU Hockey Bears, the Springfield Express Junior-A Hockey Team , the Springfield Youth Hockey Association, and the Jordan Valley Figure Skating Club. The Ice Park is available for birthday parties, group functions or special events. There is also a pro shop.

#29. Doling Park 301 E. Talmage

This historic 56 acre park in north Springfield formerly was the site of a roller skating rink, an amusement park, dance hall and water rides. Our primary reason for going here today was for the tour of Giboney Cave but we walked around the lake, on the trail in the Merrell Cooper Conservation area, and around the playground/picnic area. We had been here before but not for several years. The lake improvements were not completed the last time we were here. This park has trails, a playground, tennis, basketball, bocce and horseshoe courts, the cave, a museum, a family center with indoor pool, a senior center, and a picnic pavilion with multiple other picnic tables and grills. We walked around for about 45 minutes and covered 1.2 miles.

Giboney Cave Doling Park

This is a former show cave which had boat tours at one time. It is open for public tours a few times a year and there are weekday school field trips available. There was a walking tour and a tunnel(crawling) tour available and we took the walking tour. The guides gave the history of the cave and the park and pointed out the cave's features. There were several interesting formations and a waterfall and the cave is home to tri-color bats. This was the first time we had been in the cave.

#30. Doling Museum. 301 E. Talmage

We have never been in the museum but it was closed today. It is open on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday afternoons and features the park's 130-year history with memorabilia from the amusement park. The façade from the roller skating rink is one side of the courtyard which is available for event rental. We walked around and looked into the courtyard but will have to come back and tour the museum another time.

#31. Doling Family Center 301 E. Talmage

We had never been inside the center before. We walked in and went and looked at the room with the cardio equipment. This center has a gym, indoor track, the weight/cardio room, aerobics room and an indoor aquatics center with a zero entry pool with interactive features, a lap pool and a whirlpool. There are memberships and day passes available.

#32. Northview Center 301 E. Talmage

This was closed today but we have been in here a few times for special events, not to participate in the senior activities but I do see that we are both old enough to qualify!! This is open 8:30-4:30 Mon-Fri for senior activities but is available for special event rental and also has the Accessible Recreation programs for persons 18+ with disabilities.

#33 Tom Watkins Park 2100 W. High

We had never been here to this 20 acre northwest park before located near Kearney Street and Kansas Expy. There is a disc golf course, a ball field, tennis and basketball courts, large playground, pavilion and picnic tables and grills and the Tom Watkins Center. There are three parking areas and restrooms in the center. We  spent about 20 minutes and walked about 1/2 mile.

#34. Tom Watkins Center 2100 W. High
This was not open today and we had never been here. According to the website, Tom Watkins Center is available for rental for celebrations, family gatherings, meetings, and reunions. The facility has tables and chairs to accommodate 30 - 40 people comfortably and has a small kitchen. The website also states that the center is home to several Outdoor Initiatives programs but there were none listed for here in the Jan-April ParkBench.

#35, Lafayette Park site of Reed School-Park 202 S. Atlantic
We didn't know this park was here. It is right across from Reed Middle School and the sign states it was established in 1869 and is between Booneville Ave. and Robberson Ave. on Atlantic St. This six acre north side park has some unique playground equipment, and an unusual gazebo-shaped pavilion. There is a newer brick walled walkway down the center and tennis courts, a 1/4 mile track, a long jump pit and a soccer/football field. The Woodland Heights Community Center is located here but was not open today. The bottom five feet of the utility poles in the neighborhood have colorful designs painted on them. We spent about 20 minutes and walked under 1/2 mile.

#36. Grant Beach Park 833 W. Cahoun St.
This is an older north side park on 15 acres near Broadway on Calhoun and I really thought Charlie had played softball here 40 years ago but nothing looked familiar so I am going to say we have never been here. There is a really neat rock picnic pavilion, a pool with slides and a wading pool, a ball field, basketball and tennis courts, a large playground with some unique equipment, and The Railroad Historical Museum. Including the time spent in the museum, we spent over an hour and walked over 1/2 mile.

The Railroad Historical Museum Grant Beach Park
This museum is currently totally contained inside the railroad cars but there are plans to build a depot museum next to the train. We had never been here before and it is open May-October on Saturdays from 2-4 so it wasn't officially open today but when we walked over, two of the volunteers were standing in the doorway(we later discovered they were waiting for a birthday party that was late) and invited us in and gave us a tour. There were a lot of  interesting displays including a working ticker tape machine and a scale model Frisco locomotive constructed at the Springfield Missouri Frisco shops for display in the 1904 Worlds' Fair in St. Louis that still worked. My favorite was the Chicago commuter car that seats that could switch direction depending on which way the train was traveling. It is staffed by volunteers and is available for private tours and birthday parties.


#37. Nichols Park 1900 W. Nichols
Charlie actually DID play softball here 40 years ago and the ball field is still here but we have not been back since. This park is on Nichols St. just off Kansas Expy. There are also tennis and basketball courts, a soccer field, a play ground, a pavilion, picnic tables with grills. We walked around for about 10 minutes and walked 1/4 mile.


#38. L.A. Wise Park site of Bisset School-Park 3100 W. Nichols
This six acre park is next to  Bisset Elementary School on Nichols St. and Hillcrest Ave. We didn't know this park was here. There is a soccer field , a 1/4 mile track and a playground with slide/play structures. There is also the school playground next to it. There is no parking on Nichols. We spent about 15 minutes and walked 1/3 mile.

#39. Westport Park 3100 W. Mt Vernon
This 16 acre park is next to Westport School on Mt. Vernon St. west of Golden Ave. Charlie also played softball here but it has been completely remodeled since we were here 30+ years ago and doesn't look the same at all. There are two playground areas, a zero entry pool with interactive features, tennis courts, football/soccer field , a track, a pavilion and picnic tables. We spent about ten minutes and walked 1/4 mile.

#40. Zagonyi Park. Mt. Vernon and Park
This 10 acre park is just west of Kansas Expy. and north of Sunshine and this is another park we didn't know was here. There is plaque here stating this is the site of a Civil War charge led by Major Charles Zagonyi. There is a playground, baseball fields, tennis and horseshoe courts, and picnic tables and grills. We walked around for about 10 minutes and walked under 1/4 mile.

We ended up visiting 15 facilities at 9 different locations plus toured Giboney Cave and The Railroad Historical Museum. After we left Doling, we spent about another 2 1/2 hours visiting 7 parks, several that we had never been to before leaving 62 Springfield-Greene County Park facilities to explore. There were lots of people out in the parks this afternoon.