Now that my kids are out of school for the summer, I will be scrambling to keep my two elementary-school-aged children happy and entertained! We don’t belong to a pool club, and my kids only have three weeks of day camp scheduled, so “Camp Mom” will be the camp of choice for most of the summer!
One go-to place for me will be Mercer County Park. The park is nearly in my backyard, and until recently, I’ve forgotten how great it is!
Just about a week ago, my family met up with friends at the park. My kids and their 9-year-old son spent a wonderful day there together, and the mom commented that Mercer County Park is so beautiful and wonderful. I guess that when something is right in your backyard, you take it for granted!
A Day on the Marina
One terrific way to take in the park is to spend the day at the marina on Lake Mercer. Nestled amongst the trees, the marina is quite pretty, and it is fun to watch the boats on the water. If you’d like to get out on the lake, you can rent a paddle boat at the marina—just make sure your kids are willing to do some of the peddling, or you are going to get a lot of exercise! (My kids always seem to tire of peddling when we are right in the middle of the lake.)
There is a snack bar at the marina, too—which is great after an exhausting session of paddle boating.
If you’d rather not paddle, the park also offers pontoon boat tours of the lake, which I think would be fun and educational for my kids. Tickets for the pontoon boat tours can be purchased at the marina.
Playground by the Lake
Just off the marina is the Lakeside Village Playground, which is fairly new. My kids love the playground and its variety of equipment, and I enjoy taking a breather on one of the nearby benches and watching them play!
Lots of Playground Options
Another great playground at the park that my children enjoy is the one at the West Picnic Area. There is a winding trail that leads from the marina and its parking lot to the West Picnic Area. An activity my kids enjoy at the West Picnic Area is playing “Pooh Sticks” on the footbridge. They throw twigs into the stream and see which trig floats to the other side of the bridge first!
Hiking and Biking
There are a few hiking trails that crisscross the park. My children and I have walked a few of the trails so far, but now that my kids are older (they are entering the fifth grade next year), we hope to do some more walking and exploring this summer. We also plan to take their bikes to the park—there are plenty of trails in the park that would be good for light recreational riding. (With any luck, I will get a bicycle this summer—now that my children are more at ease on their bikes, it’s hard for me to keep up with them now on foot!)
Picnicking and Playing
I also hope to spend some fun afternoons picnicking with the kids at the park—there are plenty of open spaces in the park that are great for spreading out a blanket and relaxing! There are also lots of open spaces for flying kites, playing catch or throwing a Frisbee.
Fairs and Special Events
The park often hosts many great festivals and events—my family has been to carnivals and dog shows at the park. Just check our calendar for upcoming events.
Maybe I’ll see you at the park this summer!
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