Six Lexington and Central Kentucky parks to enjoy nature’s beauty, play and unwind
With the heat of summer in the rearview mirror, October might be the perfect time to head outside.
Central Kentucky and Lexington has a bounty of parks with fun playground equipment and natural areas where kids (and grownups too) can romp in creeks, climb trees and reap the benefits of exploring the great outdoors.
This list and guide has six of the coolest and best parks around you might want to check out this fall for a good time to unwind before winter comes knocking.
Legacy Grove Park, Winchester
Legacy Grove Park, a relatively new 30-acre park on the site of the old Clark Regional Medical Center at 1107 W. Lexington Ave. in Winchester, includes a two-acre fenced play area designed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities, including those with limited mobility.
The playground has loads of opportunities for creative play and a unique design that seeks to convey a sense of place.
“Natural boulders and mounds represent geological landforms found in the knobs region of Kentucky,” said a news release issued last summer when the park was dedicated. “The stone walls, saddle, and concrete horses in the Building Maze represent the Bluegrass Region. Exploration Creek mimics a natural freshwater Kentucky stream, surrounded by native plants, narrow and winding with small waterfalls and ‘down log’ crossings. The Dulcimer Climber is a one-of-a-kind climbing piece, designed to represent a dulcimer. Homer Ledford, Kentucky’s most renowned dulcimer-maker, made the musical instrument in Winchester. Aside from climbing, children can relax on top of the undulating roof, find quiet and shade underneath and ring steel bells to make their own music.”
A 24-foot-tall metal sculpture created by Prometheus Art in Lexington calls to mind the ginseng plant that grows wild in Kentucky woodlands. It provides shade and is the centerpiece of the play area.
Bigger kids and little ones alike seem to enjoy an unusual multi-user swing and the earth slide, a steep hill covered in artificial turf. A flattened cardboard box works well as a seat for this activity, and it might be a good idea to bring some along.
The building maze and loose parts play area has posts with horse shoes attached to them that are intended to be “connection points” that children can build from, Beth Jones, of the Greater Clark Foundation, said in a statement. Because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the loose parts are not out right now, but eventually children will have access to “lengths of bamboo sticks, 2x4 lumber and colorful, stretchy building fabric squares and triangles.” By connecting fabric to horseshoes, kids will be able to make a maze, Jones said in an email.
“It’s quite fun, imaginative and colorful,” she said.
While the parts are only being used during supervised programming for now, Jones said “the goal is keep loose parts out permanently when it is safer to do so.”
Outside the play area, there are green spaces, walking paths and a dog park. The park was developed by the Greater Clark Foundation, and it is managed and maintained by a nonprofit organization, Legacy Greenscapes.
Shillito Park, Lexington
Longtime Lexingtonians might miss the old wooden playground at Shillito Park, behind Fayette Mall at 300 W. Reynolds Rd., but the newly revamped, handicap accessible play areas that opened almost two years ago are well worth a visit.
There are separate climbing structures intended for younger and older kids, both of which seem to give a nod to the previous castle-like design of the old playground. There’s also a wooden playhouse, a water feature for some not-too-messy water play, a merry-go-round with ground-level entry, an area for making music, double swings that allow a bigger person and small child to swing together and more.
The playground is large, but there’s good visibility for keeping up with multiple little ones, and several picnic tables and benches for weary grownups is an added bonus. Mature trees provide shade to the area, with newer plantings promising even more shade in the future.
Charles Young Park, Lexington
Charles Young Park, which encompasses a full city block off Midland Avenue, Shropshire Avenue, Third Street and Lewis Street, now features one of the newest and largest playgrounds in Lexington. When city officials opened the playground in August, they touted two firsts in terms of Lexington playground equipment: the city’s first turf slide and first “globe-shaped spinning climber,” saying the equipment was chosen by children who live in the East End neighborhood. There are also the popular face-to-face tandem swings and a saucer swing.
This park promises even more fun in 2022, after Splash! a new $900,000 sprayground and water feature is added.
An added bonus: Charles Young Park is within easy walking distance of several other cool points of interest downtown, including the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden, which also serves as a trail head for the Legacy Trail, Lexington’s iconic Thoroughbred Park and Northeastern Park, a small park off Eastern Avenue.
The Arboretum and Kentucky Children’s Garden, Lexington
A visit to The Arboretum, Kentucky’s state botanical garden near Kroger Field on Alumni Drive, is a treat for both adults and kids. While adults may be more drawn to the abundance of plants and flowers and peaceful, picturesque spots, kids will love climbing on (and maybe even in) old logs, exploring the paths and visiting the two-acre Kentucky Children’s Garden.
The children’s garden, which aims to educate kids about plants and the environment through hands-on activities, offers safe opportunities for youngsters to wade in a stream, dig in the dirt and “fish” in a pond. Thomas the Tank Engine is the star of a model railroad display where the trains typically run for an hour three times a day. The children’s garden also has a log cabin and nature center, but both are currently closed.
While The Arboretum is free and open from dawn to dusk daily, the Kentucky Children’s Garden does charge admission and has more limited hours. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays until Oct. 30. Admission, which can be purchased in the visitor’s center, is $3 for everyone age 2 and up, or $10 for a family of four or five. Masks are required inside the visitor’s center.
Jacobson Park, Lexington
Jacobson Park’s playground — complete with lakeside views, lots of ducks and geese and pedal boats available in summertime — is one of the largest in Lexington and handicap accessible.
It includes separate climbing equipment for multiple ages; regular, tandem and saucer swings; large rocks that tempt kids to hop from one to the other and a separate play area specifically for toddlers under 2. Those big green pipes are a public arts project called Livestream, and they make music. In summer, an adjacent sprayground provides an opportunity for kids to cool off in the water without grownups having to put on a swimsuit.
While the playground is the main attraction at Jacobson Park, there are also natural areas — a grove of perfectly-spaced pine trees, a small stream near the dog park, open fields just right for flying a kite and some wooded trails — that might be just as fun. Even a pile of dirt left behind from a previous project in a more secluded area of the park has provided hours of entertainment for some kids.
Veterans Park, Lexington
If it’s an outside playground you’re looking for, Veterans Park at 650 Southpoint Dr. in Lexington probably won’t be your first choice, but the miles of trails along Hickman Creek have made this park a favorite with many families.
There are wide paved trails through this park, but young ones may prefer the winding dirt paths that provide easy woodland hiking or biking. The allure of the stream and the bridges that cross it are an added bonus. Veterans Park is perfect for just a quick jaunt in the woods, as opposed to natural areas like Raven Run Nature Sanctuary or Frankfort’s Cove Spring Park that, though fun for kids, might require more of a time commitment if you’re driving from Lexington.
This sprawling park near the Jessamine County line also has two smaller playground areas with climbing structures and swings, though they can be easy to miss. One area with a cute clubhouse-style play structure, tandem swing and merry-go-round is at Shelter #1 near the Southeastern Cal Ripkin baseball fields. Down the steps and behind the shelter are three more pieces of equipment for swinging, spinning and climbing that might appeal to bigger kids. The other play area at Veterans Park features a small climbing structure, swings and a merry-go-round and is near the park entrance at 900 Rockbridge Rd. Kids might enjoy parking at one play area and taking a walk to the other.
