Beachgrounds Park, South Hadley, MA

I first heard about this new park because they had a big opening day festival. I was later reminded of it by an acquaintance, Julie Ross of Belchertown, who took her two children to Beachgrounds in July and was pleased with the park, though not the restrooms.

On Sunday morning we finally made it over there, and the whole family was quite impressed. It seems a feat of urban planning - the small park is eco-friendly in many ways (recycle bins, rubber tire "mulch," recycled plastic "lumber" used for benches and tables), surrounded by a variety of housing types (apartments and a neighborhood of single family homes), aesthetically pleasing, designed with varied age-groups in mind (for instance, baby swings near the toddler play area and regular swings off to the side). The playground structure itself was an unusual one, which is great. All too often I find myself trekking to a new park only to encounter pretty much the same equipment as they have in the park by my house. My 5 year old described it as an obstacle course and "completed" the play structure a number of times. Both older boys loved the spray park, in which the water is activated by a sensor which my middle son enjoyed figuring out and then using. The spray park is laid out in an organic way which seemed to encourage the kids to move & to use the entire spray pad area. The pad includes a sprayer that the kids can move around, and which is cleverly designed to shut off when sprayed toward the outside of the water pad. The water feature is significantly smaller than the one found at Look Park, but there was plenty of room on the day of our visit.

The park also offers the opportunity to head down to the riverbank by the Holyoke Dam. This was an adventure that our family undertook - it is not advertised as part of the park. The trail down to the water was steep and the rocks on the edge interspersed with broken glass and the occasional piece of trash. However, it was nice enough to teach my oldest to skip a stone.

From several articles (here's one) I've seen on this project, it seems that the funding and creating of this space was a triumph of the political process, as used by community/local organization. This sweetens the experience of watching the kids play there.

Groff Park, Amherst MA

Located just off Rt. 116 in Amherst, Groff Park is a great destination in good weather. A large parking lot is mostly sunny, but if you don't mind crossing the lot, there are shady spots near the baseball field. The park boasts many tall beautiful trees, picnic areas with seating, including a pavillion. At the top of the hill, a decent playground and nice set of swings are near the restrooms, newly constructed a couple of years ago. They are not disgusting, though I've rarely seen toilet paper there. A wading pool with fountain is fenced in. The pool is open for a short season - essentially July and August. The pool might be closed on any given day due to lightening, bacteria levels in the water, lack of lackadaisical teenage lifeguard, or some such. You should not psych your kids up for it unless you call to confirm that it's open. A sandbox and small climbing area at the bottom of the hill are very inviting. A shallow river (Fort River) flows by the park and is followed by a sandy path, so a nature walk is included along with the rest of the features here.

Amherst Wading Pool Schedule
A Review of the Trail at Groff Park

Mill River Recreation Area, Amherst, MA

The Mill River complex is home to a pool, a wading pool, a playground, pavillion, and access to the Julius Lester Trail.

The wading pool is a tad deeper than the others in Amherst, which is nice for budding swimmers. The fountain is more of a spout and not very exciting.

There is a toddler playground area, including baby swings, and a newer structure for the bigger ones, pictured above.

Amherst Pool Schedule

War Memorial Park, Amherst, MA

This park is adjacent to the Amherst Regional High School and has proximity to downtown Amherst. You can park on the long drive that leads from the High School to Triangle St. You can also park in the school lot during the summer months.
The playground portion of this park is not wonderful. One very small structure is new, and dinosaur shaped. The rest of the equipment, a couple of slides and a jungle gym, is outdated. There are swingsets that include baby swings.
The wading pool has a fountain and is fenced in. It is best to call ahead because the pool is often closed due to high bacteria count, lightening, or other problems such as repairs to be made.
The phone number for the Mill River Pool (brain center of the Amherst Pool system) is 549-6875.

There is a full size pool in this park also, with proper locker rooms. You may use the restrooms in the locker room as long as they are open.

You may also purchase ice creams and a few other snack items from the commissary at the window where you pay admission to the regular sized pool.

In the summer, day camps use this pool all day long and play in the playground also. They do not go into the wading pool area, but the playground is crawling with them.

Amherst Pool Schedule

Look Park, Northampton MA

Look Park is beautiful. You'll have to pay a $4 fee per car as you enter. Then you can park wherever you like. There are a LOT of activities here.

Water pad: instead of a wading pool, they've created a concrete "pad" with motion detectors which are linked up to a couple dozen different fountains which randomly turn off and on. Though it seems like kids would fall, they rarely do. Plenty of benches and chaise lounges encircle the pad. Many are under small pavillions providing shade. Bathing suit activity. Fenced in with two points of entry/egress. Free.
Petting zoo: Corn from a little machine costs 50 cents. A path leads through a wooded area lined with animal exhibits. Bald Eagles, sheep, owls, mountain goats, peacocks, chickens, more. The animals are well cared for, but the area is not too fancy.

Three playgrounds (small, large, and extra large):

The small playground is located right outside the petting zoo (convenient distraction!) and near the train station.

The large playground is on the other side of the park, near a pavillion, a stream, and some restrooms.

The extra large playground is right next to the water pad and restrooms and has a toddler structure, two other large structures, and swings.

River running by for rock throwing.

Train: Each ticket is about $2, the ride is cute - 10 minutes maybe? The kids LOVE it.
Paddle Boats: The rental fee is not ideal, but the ride is fun.
Picnic Areas with BBQ (rental fee), several pavillions for rent.
Restrooms are located near the water pad and are ok.