Ryan Park (aka the Father Francis A. Ryan Memorial Playground) is a public park and playground area…read morein the Mattapan section of Boston, Massachusetts. Amenities at the park include a playground with multiple playscapes, a splash pad with a wading pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, public restrooms with changing areas, walking paths, and convenient access to the nearby Neponset River Greenway. My family and I visited Ryan Park this past summer while we were cycling along the Neponset River Greenway. I had previously visited the park back in 2023 while I was cycling the trail with my older son. He had a lot of fun playing on the playscapes. Unfortunately, I didn't bring his bathing suit along on that trip and he felt bad that he couldn't play on the splash pad. On my more recent trip to Ryan Park, we were joined by my wife and younger son and this time we made sure to bring bathing suits. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the splash pad had been completely redone since my last trip. The newer splash pad had features that were more consistent with a wading pool. Both of my sons had a blast splashing around. Once swim time was over, we all enjoyed our prepared picnic lunch on a nearby picnic table. Afterwards, both boys had fun running around on the playscapes. Overall, my whole family thinks that Ryan Park is a great place for young children and it's easily accessible by motor vehicle, bicycle, or public transportation.

Why did I only find this on the LAST day of summer??!?…read more Seriously though. This spray park is AMAZING. It is really just a water slide short of being an actual tot water park. You would pay a $60 entry fee for access to a little water play area like this at a big water park. It's got a really good sized wading pool with lifeguards on duty. There are tons of spray features - an alligator, a turtle and a snake. There's also this awesome bucket contraption that fills up six buckets with water and then dumps them out over and over. It's totally fun! There are plenty of benches, with nice sun canopy shades overhead. There's even a bathroom / shower facility adjacent to the water features! That's just the water park. Ryan playground is seriously stacked. There's a huge area with two giant play structures. It's got a wood chip base (not updated with the rubberized surface that many newer playgrounds have) and some benches. There are also tennis and basketball courts! And it looks like they are currently finishing construction of a walkway to provide access to the Neponset River walkway. I'm excited for that! Last but not least - this is Boston after all - there is a parking lot! YES - parking. It is small, but dammit, it's there and it's free!!! We will be back SO many times. I wish it didn't take me this long to realize this place was 5 minutes from my house. Hidden Bostonplayground gem!

Terrible! Way overpriced for a lap pool. $75/month to swim laps for 20-45 minutes per day? No…read moregym, no access to anything else. It's a pool.

I've been meaning to write this review for many months but held back thinking maybe I was not being…read morefair. Well, I have had enough and finally came back this evening to write the review and saw the one written by Paul F. from Milton and thought "wow, I'm not alone after all." I have had the same exact experience as Paul and feel the same way. It's like a dictatorship. Payson does not really seem to care about the swimming, just the money. This club has been a huge and expensive disappointment. My son LOVED swimming but not so much here. I'm looking elsewhere ... even if we have to land at the Y.

This camp was lots of fun! I got the pleasure of going because of a training activity for my…read moreCollege. Sheldon, Cam, and Birk in particular were amazing! Everyone seemed extremely nice. Super fun games and activities. Would do this again! And I definitely recommend!

Bringing hale down a few notches. Since the pandemic started, Hale has had to make up for funding…read moreby charging people a $10 day parking pass or a seasonal pass which was fine. Since then, they have operated at almost normal capacity and now rent out the main beach, run camps etc. I think they can let go of the parking fee or at least reduce it. They claim it's to pay for things like roads and services etc. well I haven't seen one road repaired in the years I've been going. Because of the parking fee I definitely go less. I went yesterday with my two young sons and a party rented the main beach. We were told we couldn't fish off the dock but then gave us a little time before the party started which was within minutes of us being there. The kids decided to play in the sand and shortly after was told they couldn't because of the "party". Another woman was way off to the end of the beach with a baby less than a year old, and she was told she couldn't be there. None of us were interfering with the party and it just felt wrong for a Saturday to reserve a whole beach area to a party. Especially when the party wasn't using the whole beach. They should coordinate that a little better to allow for the public to use a certain area during times like that. They had about 7-10 life guards there sitting under a canopy. Maybe that's part of the problem as far as funds go. They need to reevaluate. Took me a while to get ready for a short day of fishing with my boys. Loading up the car, cooler, walking to the area and basically leaving after 10 mins was a wasted day. I could of gone somewhere else and enjoyed the sun. Was frustrating. The place could also use some upkeep to the trails and landscaping to allow for more areas to fish from. I've complained about hornets nest near trails where I was attacked one time and nothing was done. Keeping clear paths allows for a clear view rather than heavy cover where you can't see snakes (which I've also encountered), and avoiding ticks. Just a few things to point out since my first days of experiencing Hale.

One of the nicer playgrounds IMO. Site is clean, well maintained, and there is a lot of open space…read morefor kids to run around as well. We used to come here often when we lived nearby so it was nice to revisit and see the playground again. Highly recommend if you live nearby and you have young energetic kids!

I love this playground in Milton. Great for infants up to teens!…read more The ground of the playground is bouncy material - safe for littles to fall on. There are all sorts of hidden gem fun: the rain wall for example & the drums. Plenty of parking but missing one star because there's no restroom available.

Another amazing little place to practice all things circusy! I've been to a few open houses and…read morehave taken a beginner Cyr wheel class. They have a wide range of classes from aerial apparatuses, flexibility, juggling, acrobatics, and wheel. Classes are available for toddlers to adults and there are specific vacation/summer programs for youth/teens. There's plenty of open circus times available for you to practice whatever circusy things you need for a small cash fee. They occasionally offer taster classes for you to try out all the different things from silks to tight-rope to acrobatics. The staff at C3 are amazingly talented, nice, and care for your safety. A session of classes generally runs about 8 weeks and if you sign up early you get an early bird discount (10% off). When you sign up for 2+ classes you can get 5% off your classes. Pricing is fair and all classes start with a quick warm up before heading into your designated class. The Cyr wheel class that I took was hard but really fun and I'd recommend it if you want to try out something new! They're adding in new classes all the time (scaffold dance) and it's great to see the circus community growing. There's heating in the winter, and they've added AC for the summer months, so it's a great spot in JP to try out all circus things!

And yet another FTR for circus!…read more Since moving to Boston, I've been looking for a circus home where I can hone my non-flying circus skills, and I'm really glad CCC opened- not only because it's relatively close to my house, but because it's not yet overrun by us crazy circus folks. They've got plenty of classes at all level, and if you're experienced enough to utilize open gym, there's options for that too (although I wish they were earlier in the evening on the weekdays, and earlier in the day on the weekend, but I'm glad they have more than 1!) I'm hoping over time I can try more disciplines, and maybe if I hope enough, they will get a big trampoline. For now, I'll try the mini tramp, because that looks like fun. If you're looking for a circus experience that isn't overbooked, come here!

I bring my kids here regularly for their open swim hours. We love it and always have the best time…read more The pool is never crowded, the lifeguards are on full alert, and the place is kept clean. I love the hot tub and sauna.

This location is a GEM!…read more Located in the historic Ames section of Easton; The North Easton Branch of the Old Colony YMCA is a Cozy, Convenient and Accommodating location both with the staff and programmes offered. The pool section is my personal favourite aspect of this YMCA. Jeremy the Aquatics Director and the Head Life Gaurd Kevin are true professionals and a general pleasure to work with. I swim here 3 days a week and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Keep up the great work!

My son started attending Merry Deb in September 2022 after we moved to Weymouth from Cambridge…read morebased on a recommendation from a former co-worker. He was in the pre-school room as it was his last year before starting kindergarten. It was such a great experience. Not only did it prepare him for kindergarten (writing his first and last name, eating lunch within 30 minutes, etc) but he learned so much through the other programming (Black History month, Women's History month). He adores every single teacher and director at Merry Deb, and he was so excited to get to go back for "summer camp" for a few weeks this summer in between the other camps he is attending. If you are looking for a pre-school in the area, I cannot recommend Merry Deb highly enough!

Our 4 year old son started here in Sept and, on so many levels, it was a huge improvement over his…read moreformer center. They have a strong Pre-k program that is delivered in a warm and friendly environment. The hours are perfect and they have a great policy regarding school vacation weeks. There are so many wonderful things to say about this place but the best is how happy our son is to show us his work at the end of each day! Thrilled we were able to secure a spot for him at Merry Deb!

I came to Liz Boston Art Studio today and couldn't wait to get home to leave a glowing review!…read more I'm a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and am always looking for affordable and fun outings for me and my little. This place is a hidden gem! If you're art challenged like I am or are just looking for a little bit of inspiration, you can purchase a pre-stenciled drawing. If you are more gifted with a paintbrush or are just looking to channel your inner Picasso, you can opt for a blank canvas and let your inspiration flow! Walk-ins are encouraged and for $9 per canvas (includes all supplies), it's an economical and fun way to spend an afternoon. The owner is extremely friendly and for those who love dogs, Kona the Puggle is a friendly pooch who roams around the shop giving tips for your painting and only asks for a loving head rub in return. Plan your visit to Liz Boston today and you won't be disappointed. The staff is extremely friendly and their passion for art and their customers is apparent. Thanks for a great afternoon!

Highly recommended. I walked in with my daughter to do a little painting. For $9/person you get to…read moreselect from pre-stenciled drawings on which you can paint. The drawings are great and they provide plenty of paint to create your own masterpiece. The owner Liz is super nice along with Kona the resident puppy artiste. Even though my daughter is only three she still had fun splashing paint on the canvas. If you're looking for a fun activity with your kids, this is the perfect spot.