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    Athen's Big Spring Memorial Park

    5.0 (1 review)

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    3 years ago

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    All Kids Park - Personalized bricks

    All Kids Park

    4.0(1 review)
    1.6 mi

    This is a really nice park and the sportsplex of which this playground is a part, is very nice,…read moretoo! One of our grands had her 4th b'day party at the pavilion at AKP yesterday. The park features: "1 Pavilion, Slides, Swings including a wheel chair swing (how cool is that?!?!), Climbing Pole, Xylophone, drums, Merry go all, Expression Swings." I was really impressed by the playground area! So cool to have wheel chair accessible playground equipment! There is the covered pavilion and other tent-like (my words) covered picnic table areas (meaning heavy duty overhead coverings, not side coverings) for ample shade and lots of shade providing trees, with unprotected picnic tables, too. There's a nice looking (from the outside, since I don't go in) restroom (not porta potties thank the Lord!), plenty of trash cans and recycle cans, and ample parking. It appeared to have plenty of lighting, too. The children had a BLAST! Why no 5th star? There were wasp/hornets nests in the pavilion ceiling and the playground proper had some undesirable trash in it (don't ask). I think the pavilion rents for $30 a day for a limited, fairly expansive series of months, making it a great value for something like a kids party. Someone mentioned they have electric outlets in the pavilion to plug in fans, cell chargers, etc., but I didn't notice any. A very surprisingly nice park (as is Sportsplex) in Athens. Be sure to bring your own waters/gatorades as I didn't see any snack or drink machines and there are no onsite food/drink vendors. There is a gas station right across the street if you needed to pick up a quick drink or snack.

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    All Kids Park - Part of the vast sportsplex

    Part of the vast sportsplex

    All Kids Park - This is the wheel chair accessible swing. The blue mats are ",bouncy" nice safety feature!

    This is the wheel chair accessible swing. The blue mats are ",bouncy" nice safety feature!

    All Kids Park - Restroom in the distance

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    Restroom in the distance

    Jones Farm Park

    Jones Farm Park

    4.0(3 reviews)
    25.2 mi

    This is a nice park that I have driven by 1000s of times and never really noticed…read more Out during COVID, after a long work day and then afternoon errand day, my best friend and I enjoyed a lightly sprinkling afternoon break under the pavilion at Jones Farm Park. Since it was sprinkling out, there were only a few people out. A man BF knew walking his beautiful pup, Lilly and a man and his son who were fishing. I asked them what they caught and they caught a turtle! I was happy they caught and released the little critter. Or maybe it was big, I didn't get a chance to see it. Tom and Lilly were a delight to talk to - well Lilly didn't talk or bark either. And the pavilion and two ponds were a nice respite from the long day both BF and I had. There were ample garbage cans, nice walking/running paths, maybe (I wasn't sure) a free little library (it was empty making it hard to tell what it was), the pavilion with picnic tables and plenty of seating and lots of geese. Why no 5th star? Tom told us the goose poop was cleaned up recently, but it really was not cleaned all that well under the pavilion. Do check out Jones Farm Park, it is really pretty and peaceful. Looks like a decent spot to fish, too!

    My parents were showing us around the new neighborhood - new in two senses: new to them, and…read morerelatively newly built (it wasn't there when I was a GHS student, but that was over a decade ago...). The park is essentially a nice series of paths connecting Four Mile Post to Carl T Jones with some retention ponds, benches, and pavilions to provide some "natural" space to counteract the sprawl of the shopping centers next door. (And if you doubt that this is sprawl, ask me about what this area looked like when I was growing up and Carl T Jones was new...). We parked in the small lot around 10am on a Saturday. My mom said that we were lucky to find a spot since the lot is often full in the morning and evenings, to the point that they've already expanded parking and it's not enough. We meandered along the paths, letting our toddler be amused by the gravel and flowers, while others fished in the ponds and walked with purpose. We saw some great birds, including a red-winged black bird. It's close enough to the greenway to be a lovely addition to my runs whenever I visit my folks.

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    Jones Farm Park
    Jones Farm Park
    Jones Farm Park

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    Rainbow Mountain

    Rainbow Mountain

    4.9(8 reviews)
    14.3 mi

    Trail blazing in Madison? Even minor scrambling (the use of your hands for balance and pulling up)…read moreoff small slick rocks? Who would have thought we could do this just a few miles from home?! Hubby and I have been blazing this gem for over 2 yrs now since relocating to the south, and never once have we not enjoyed Rainbow Mountain nor have we left w dry clothing on our backs no matter what season we're in. PARKING Recently developed by the Land Trust is a 12-spot parking lot right near the entrance to Stoneridge Park. It's free. Once the lot is full, your alternative would be street parking which, of course, is also free. TRAILS The main trailhead is located next to the water tower. The trails here on Rainbow Mountain are relatively easy but can be strenuous depending on your experience, speed, and which direction one starts off with. So at an average, I'd say this is an easy to moderate trail to hike. Covering about 4 miles of single-track trails across 130 acres with a peak elevation of 1,150 and an elevation loss/gain of 388 ft, you are sure to break a sweat here. There are 4 trails that interconnect some how or another. And if you plan your route in advance, you can get a good 5 miles out of these. Rainbow Mountain Loop 1.5mi Ja Moo Ko Loop 0.9mi Spring Trail 0.3mi Wild Trail 0.34mi On a good Saturday morning after some light down pour, we usually cover 2.35 miles in about an hour hiking across damp ground and with minor scrambling through slick rocks on the Rainbow Mtn Loop and Ja Moo Ko Loop Trails. This hour timeframe also includes about a few quick pauses to quench our thirsts and another short break by the stream below. Most peeps prefer starting off on the leisurely southern route and taking in the panoramic views of Madison and the awe'ness of Balance Rock. We prefer starting off on the northern route. This IMO eliminates being caught in the crowd which often slows our pace. If I don't carry my DSLR, I tend to hike at a fast speed so don't get in my way! ;D It's a relatively quick hike for us but we're always drenched with sweat and ready for a shower by the time we're done. GEOLOGY and POIs Rainbow Mountain, known to be part of the Southern Appalachian Plateau, has many beautiful rock outcrops. Even the nearby homes have them as part of their natural landscape beauty. Here you'll find the Hartselle Sandstone formation which consists of sandstone, limestone, and shale. The erosive resistance of these rocks have resulted in what you'll see here - bluffs, very small seasonal waterfalls, and caves. Balance Rock is a must see. If you're trekking too fast, you just might miss it. It's located on the southern route of Rainbow Mtn Loop. I always find it interesting to see the wavy line features and pebbles in the sandstone on Balance Rock which supposedly was caused by the actions of water from long ago seas. There are also two caves here - Rainbow Pit (a 65 feet deep vertical cave), and Belly-Up Cave. These are known to be the result of water leaching the limestone rock. We've yet to search these out and explore these caves ourselves in fear of possibly falling in. However, I've heard that people have rappelled these in years past. It's also suspected that the nearby subdivision developer will seal the cave (if they haven't already) by placing a large boulder over the entrance to avoid potential lawsuits from ignoramus'. Funny but sad. Sad that such a beautiful piece of land can't be preserved for those of us that appreciate it and the history and features it holds. RECOMMENDATIONS & VERDICT Hike in the mornings especially if the forecasts includes humidity in the afternoon. Bring a minimum of 16oz bottled water per person, a snack (if you prefer), sunblock, hat/cap, hiking stick (if you have one), and a smile. And don't forget to stretch before & afterwards. That's the norm if we lead a hike here. This is close to home so we'll be back as often as our schedule permits, and weather permitting too. Check it out yourself! These trails are worth exploring!!

    Great terrain for experienced hikers and other beautiful terrain for less experienced, older hikers…read moreand children. Be sure to bring camera... in the fall, this is called Rainbow Mountain for a reason. Balanced Rock is a just short walk down from the end of Stoneway Trail.

    Photos
    Rainbow Mountain - Map detail of the southern trails

    Map detail of the southern trails

    Rainbow Mountain - Picnic Pavilion

    Picnic Pavilion

    Rainbow Mountain

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    Athen's Big Spring Memorial Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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