Located at the intersection of Lake and Belle Avenues at the northern end of the city, Lakewood Park is, oddly enough, Lakewood's biggest park. Purchased in 1918 from the Rhodes Estate, the park contains Olympic-sized Foster Pool, with a new zero-entry Baby Pool; tennis, volleyball and bocce courts, softball diamonds, a bandshell, the Lakewood Kiwanis Picnic Pavilion (open), the Lakewood Women's Club Pavilion (year-round, with electricity and running water) and the biggest playground in town. This is the home of KidsCove, the result of a volunteer committee's efforts to build a state-of-the-art playground. The playground is made from a material called TREX -- which is a new wood substitute material that avoids splinters and other problems associated with wood. Handicapped accessible. Indoor heated restrooms are close to the playground for those potty-training emergencies. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this playground 4 slides. The City of Lakewood has prepared a Master Plan for future re-design of the Lakewood Park.

KidsCove at Lakewood Park

Where Grace Avenue meets Madison, you'll find Madison Park in the southeastern section of the city. Madison Pool was recently refurbished and features a water slide in the main pool, a separate diving pool, and the best kiddie pool I've ever seen. Admission for children under 6 is free, and a family pass for the season for two adults plus the children in the same household is only $40.00, and it's good at the Lakewood Park Foster Pool as well.

The playground equipment is similar to that at Lakewood Park, with a newer plastic playstation and the older, serviceable swings, slides and climbing equipment, all safety-matted.  For your older kids and other family athletes, there are tennis courts, two large soccer fields, basketball courts and the George J. Usher Memorial Softball Field, complete with lights and stands. There is also a covered picnic pavilion and indoor restroom facilities separate from the pool building. An additional bonus is that the Madison Branch of the Lakewood Public Library is located on the western end of the park. For the combination of facilities in close proximity, I give this park 5 slides.

North of the railroad tracks off Cove Avenue and behind the City Hall complex, I just discovered the existence of this small neighborhood park. In addition to a softball field, Cove Park has a small selection of older playground equipment featuring swings and slides. Unlike many of the other small neighborhood parks, there is off-street parking here.

Across Detroit Avenue from the Lakewood YMCA at the corner of Edwards Avenue, Edwards Park is the designated T-Ball field in Lakewood. Small climbing and sliding equipment and stands of regular and baby swings have been added to entertain the younger siblings of T-Ball players. There are also indoor restroom facilities, which are a thoughtful convenience for the targeted users of the park. Not a destination in itself, it is nonetheless a handy and well-equipped small park.

Behind the Mars Shopping Plaza on Detroit Avenue, Kaufmann Park stretches south of the railroad tracks between Andrews Avenue and Lakeland Avenue.  It boasts Lakewood Little Links, a municipally owned and operated miniature golf course, beautifully landscaped and actually challenging. (Of course, the last time I played there I was eight months pregnant, so maybe it's really not that hard!)  The major feature is the large baseball diamond, Jimmie Foxx Field, which hosts both hardball and softball teams during the day and under the lights. We're told it's the best infield in the city. Again, as in many of the other parks, a large modern plastic playstation has recently been installed, and there are a few banks of swings and two tennis courts. It's quite near the main branch of the Lakewood Public Library, making it a convenient stop on a kid-friendly outing. The Farmers Market is located on the short stretch of Arthur Avenue north of Detroit on Wednesday afternoons in summer.

Surprisingly enough, this mini-park is located at the intersection of Merl Avenue and Bunts Road, just diagonally across the tracks from the Finast parking lot.  New, modern equipment has been installed as of December 1998. Tried it out recently (May 1999).  Great climbing and sliding fun, on-site water fountain, great springy safety matting. Could use more swings, and the gap from the spiral ladder to the platform is too big for climbers under three or so.

Yes, Lakewood continues south of  Interstate 90, particularly in the western end of town.  Niagara Park is just south of the South Marginal Road, between Lakewood Heights Boulevard and Naragansett Avenue at Niagara Drive. The tiny space features a compact modern plastic playstation and a few benches for weary parents. It's a nice use of an irregular strip of land.

Another nice new neighborhood mini-park, Park Row Park is nestled just north of Detroit Avenue off of Park Row Avenue in the far western end of Lakewood, past West Clifton Boulevard. The modern plastic playstation is a nice diversion for families in the neighborhood.

Located between Rosewood and Orchard Grove Avenues at the point where Hilliard and Madison intersect, Wagar Park is a somewhat larger neighborhood park featuring a compact modern plastic playstation and larger older swings, slides and sandboxes, as well as a whole row of tennis courts.  (Lakewood really has a lot of tennis courts, doesn't it?)  My only complaint is that the sun was in my eyes while pushing Grace on the swings on an early summer evening.  But hey, it was better than rain!

Similar to Merl-Bunts Park in location, Webb Park is adjacent to the railroad tracks off Webb Road, which runs north from the Beck Center for the Cultural Arts off Detroit Avenue.  The equipment is that older "modernized" railroad tie construction, with climbing equipment, slides, swings and those ubiquitous  tennis courts.

Two sections of modern recycled plastic playstations are separated by a large row of swings. No baby swings, so this is a better playground for the more adept tot. There's a lot of climbing and platforms on different levels on both pieces of equipment, offering much scope for imagination.

Located in fairly quiet residential section of Lake Avenue, the Taft playground features the railroad-tie style of equipment, which can get a bit splintery.  There are two baby swings as well as big-kid swings, and a mini-ampitheatre for your budding Bernhardts.

Small swing, slide and climb playground with a mixture of metal and railroad-tie equipment.  Ball fields behind school on Bayes Avenue.

Located behind the Lakewood City Center and accessible mainly from Victoria Avenue, new equipment has recently been installed here. I went to this school when it was newly opened in 1969, and we had nothing to play on except some dirt mounds and a dolphin sculpture. While I'm happy to see the dolphin still here (somewhat diminished by time), I'm happier to see swings, slides and modern climbing equipment.

Madison Elementary School and Harding Middle School are located back-to-back, so there's a larger variety of recreational facilities located close together. Some of the playground's older metal equipment is broken in spots and should be repaired or removed  immediately. The platform for the tall racing slide is open at the top for access to a fireman's pole, so you might want to post an adult up there to block it off from the littlest ones.  In addition to the swings and climbing apparatus, there are basketball courts at the corner of Madison and Woodward, and Harding's softball field is a major site for the city recreational leagues.

The school grounds stretch the block between Summit and Lakeland, and the playground equipment is right on Clifton.  Parent volunteers recently installed new equipment, including a "log-roll" and a double racing slide. There are two baby swings, a tire swing and new benches provided by the PTA.  My colleague, who lives next door to the school, considers this a destination playground.

State of the art back in the wild space frontier days of 1969, the playground equipment is looking a little dated, with mostly metal structures and a raised hillside perch. I believe there is a secondary site with swings behind Lakewood Congregational Church, at the back of the school.

Just a couple of miles to the east of Lakewood, Edgewater Beach offers a broad sandy beach with a fair extent of shallows before it drops off. Access to the beach is off the Shoreway--this part of the park is known as "Lower Edgewater."  Down here there are also ball fields, fishing piers and concession stands. It's a big kite-flying venue, too. "Upper Edgewater," reached via West Boulevard and Edgewater Drive, has picnic facilities, including a covered pavilion, and a selection of playground equipment. A paved bike and fitness trail connects the two levels.