Lakewood Gardens started as a census designated community in Palm Beach County. In 2011 it was…read moreannexed by Palm Springs making it an official part of that city. Today Lakewood Gardens is known as a modest, residential. family friendly neighborhood. While in the area I popped into this park to get a few steps in. I was impressed that the entire park is fenced in which I am sure is a relief for parents with young children. There are quite a few amenities in this welcoming neighborhood park. These include a shade covered, ADA accessible playground, barbecue grills, basketball court, benches, pavilions, picnic tables, a sand volleyball court, and paved walkways. Overall Lakewood Gardens Park is a pleasant and accessible neighborhood park that offers locals a place for casual outings, picnics, active play, and relaxed afternoons. This open park feels clean and safe.

Alice Mickens Park is located in the historic Northwest neighborhood in West Palm Beach. In the…read more1920's this neighborhood was booming after WWI and it was made up of impressive homes owned by affluent middle class blacks. One such home was the Mickens house which was a destination of black scholars and intellectuals and visitors who were refused lodging at nearby hotels. These included Count Basie and Louis Armstrong when they were performing in the area. Other notable people who came here to meet with the Mickens family included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ralph Bunche, Asa Philip Randolph, who organized the first predominantly Black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach in 1929, who came to West Palm Beach to raise money and persuade the state Legislature to build a home for young Black women who would have otherwise been put in prison. Alice Mickens passed away in 1988 at the age of 99. She lived by the mantra "Service is the price you pay for the stint you have on earth." Alice Mickens was sixth and youngest child of former slaves from South Carolina. Dr. Mickens was born in Bartow, but moved to West Palm Beach at an early age. She was an honors graduate from Spelman College in Atlanta. Later in life Mickens served as a trustee at Bethune-Cookman for more than three decades and received an honorary doctorate from the university. A science lecture hall there is named in her honor. Dr. Alice Mickens may be best remembered as a pioneer for black voting rights. Dr. Moore's 1917 home built by her husband Haley Mickens and which has the distinction of being the oldest home continuously owned by a black and the Northwest neighborhood are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Through the years the neighborhood deteriorated but exciting things are happening. The city is in the process of identifying historic structures and drafting plans that include residential spaces and a restaurant. Some of the construction is happening across the street from the park. Alice Mickens Park offers am acre of recreational space in the midst of this historic neighborhood. Park amenities include a shade covered playground with areas for toddlers and older children, a full size basketball court, and benches. This park is the heart of a historic community in transmission. As a champion of historic preservation, I can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.

This small park is in the West Settlers Historic District in Delray Beach. Originally called the…read moresands for it's sandy soil, it was established in 1894 as the first African American community in Delray Beach. Settlers came from north and west Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina in order to work in the agriculture industry. The neighborhood is located from NW 2nd Ave to NE 6th Ave. Houses are in the frame vernacular style, bungalow, and mission revival styles that were popular in the 1920's. The neighborhood was added to the Local Register of Historic Places in 1997. Originally developed by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, as a result of the 2002 Downtown Master Plan, the park was named the West Atlantic Plaza before being renamed in August of 2012 in honor of Elizabeth "Libby" Jackson Wesley, a longtime resident and community activist. Born in DeFuniak Springs Florida, Libby moved to Delray Beach where she worked as a substitute teacher before becoming a full-time employee with the Palm Beach County School District, where she had a 37-year career. Mother to four children, Libby Wesley has dedicated her life to her family and volunteer work. Some of the many organizations she worked with include the Delray Beach Rotary Club, the Urban League of Palm Beach County, the NAACP, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. In Delray Beach, In 1978 she was the co-founder of the Roots Cultural Festival, which ran for over twenty years and has now been turned from a one day event into year-round programming and a summer weekend festival celebrating African American culture. Awards Libby Wesley has received include the Old School Square Lifetime Achievement Award; the Service Above Self Award from the Rotary Club of Delray Beach; the JM Family Enterprises African American Achiever's Award; the Sojourner Truth Award; and the Sun Sentinel Publisher's Award. Park amenities include native landscaping, a small outdoor stage, benches, and a bike rack. There are two public art art works in the plaza. Endurance is a steal and mosaic glass installation celebrating the Caribbean pioneers who came to this area to farm and fish. The west side of the park shares a wall with a building on which is painted a red and white mural by David Paul Kay which includes as frog as a nod to Delray Beach's Frog Alley. Frog Alley is a street that had a nickname that has now been recognized officially by the city. Frog Alley is in the West Settlers Historic District and it was settled by Bahamians. When it would rain, the street would flood attracting a chorus of frogs. I discovered Libby Wesley Plaza while grabbing lunch at the Bear Snack Shack next door. This isn't what you would typically think of as a park. It is more of a plaza where the community can gather to celebrate events and performances in the city. For instance a weekly Zumba class is held here. This plot of land also honors the history of the Caribbean pioneers who settled Delray Beach when it was nothing more than a mosquito filled swamp.

One of the last projects of Addison Mizner's storied architectural career resides in the center of…read morethe town of Palm Beach. Mizner moved to the area in 1918 and that same year he completed his first project, The Everglades Club. He was well known for his use of the Mediterranean style in his buildings which proliferated all over Palm Beach and Boca over the next decade. During the Great Depression the Memorial Fountain Commission chaired by Harold S. Vanderbilt, commissioned a fountain from Addison Mizner. It was presented in 1929 to the Town of Palm Beach as a "gift for its residents." Mizner based his design of the Fountain of the Sea Horses, an 18th century art piece created by Christopher Unterberget at the Villa Borghese in Rome Italy. The double bowl cast stone fountain features four mythical seahorses also called hippocamps from Greek and Roman mythology. The fountain is located at the end of linear plaza passive park which also contains reflecting pools, walkways, and palm trees. The park was dedicated in 1925 to the memory of Henry M. Flagler who brought the railroad and development to Florida and Elisha N. Dimick who opened the first hotel in Palm Beach, the Cocoanut Grove House in 1880. A World War II memorial plaque was added in 1985. In 2017 the fountain was restored for 1.5 million dollars and it won a national public works award. Experts were brought in from all over North America and the fountain was taken apart in pieces and the hippocamps were trucked to Ontario, Canada while other parts of the fountain were repaired in Delray Beach, and the base was fixed onsite. Once finished, the fountain won the top prize on the category of historical restoration projects that cost less than 5 million. The fountain was the start of the 7.9 million dollar Town Square restoration project that began in February of 2015 and was completed in December of that year. Today the fountain is a well known Palm Beach landmark and it is a popular photography spot. In fact on the day I visited it was being used by a wedding party. If you can't get to Italy you can at least experience a little bit of European design in Palm Beach, thanks to the talented Addison Mizner.

This is a beautiful fountain park only wish I could have sat at this park but with the corona virus…read more,it best to just view it quickly. If you can come and see it one day . Dedicated by the Memorial Fountain Commission in 1929 and located in the commercial heart of the Town of Palm Beach, the plaza was presented to the town by Harold S. Vanderbilt, its chairman, "as a gift from its residents." The design was by local architect Addison Mizner. Mizner moved to Palm Beach in 1918 and later that year completed his first commission, the Everglades Club. For the next decade, his celebrated Mediterranean Revival style would proliferate in Palm Beach and Boca Raton with commissions also in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Memorial Fountain Park, realized during the Great Depression, was one of his last commissions. The design is a simple linear plaza with a central reflecting pool lined by walks, tightly clipped hedges and evenly spaced palms. On the upper terrace is a central fountain, inspired by the Fountain of the Sea Horses, an 18th century work by Christopher Unterberger at the Villa Borghese in Rome, Italy. Twin sets of staircases running the entire width of the plaza provide access to the upper terrace. The lower staircase on axis with the fountain has a central rill spilling into the pool. The plaza is punctuated by alcoves and walls for seating, and entrance piers with urns marking the arrival to the upper terrace and lower plaza. A World War II memorial plaque was added in 1985.

This small corner park is named in honor of Lesley S Smith, a long time Palm Beach Resident. She is…read morea member of the Garden Club of Palm Beach and served the town as a member of the Architectural Review Commission. She was Town Council member for seven years, five as Council President, and served as Mayor of Palm Beach from 2000-2005. In addition to her service in politics she is also an avid philanthropist who served as Chairman of the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League; supporter of Opportunity Inc., Boys & Girls Clubs, Adopt-A-Family, Catholic Charities, the Center for Family Services, Farmworker Children's Council, the Hanley Center, the Par 3 Foundation, Rosarian Academy, the Preservation Foundation, Seagull Industries, The Society of the Four Arts, St. Ann's Place, St. Ann's School, Take Stock in Children, The ARC, The Lord's Place and many others. Mrs. Smith also serves as president of the Fortin Child Care Foundation and the Fortin Foundation of Florida dedicated to improving lives and building strong communities. She is a trustee of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, founded by her late husband, Ambassador Earl E.T. Smith. The Lesly S. Smith Landscape Award was created by the Preservation Foundation in 2011 to honor excellence in landscape design. She also sits on the boards of the Pitt Foundation, Town of Palm Beach U. In 2001 she founded the Lesly S. Smith Pet Adoption Center. Mayor Lesly S Smith Park is located across the street from the Palm Beach Post Office on the corner of S County Rd and Peruvian Ave. The park has paved walkways, towering palm trees, benches, native landscaping, benches, and fountains. The park is a short walk to tony Worth Avenue. This pocket park has been elevated by the beautiful landscaping and fountains making it a peaceful place to sit and relax. I saw some people on the benches who were on break from the nearby businesses and as I was leaving a couple was arriving with their photographer for a photo shoot. This small park epitomizes the class and elegance of Palm Beach.

This 7 acre park was getting some good use when I stopped by as a couple of different birthday…read moreparties were underway with lots of kids running and playing. The park features basketball courts, a fitness trail, racquetball courts, restrooms, playgrounds and a solid perimeter fence. There is even a free wifi here though I wasn't able to get it to work. They have more than sufficient free parking though I would imagine that it gets tight if lots of people are here for the amphitheater. Check out the huge mural. This is a lovely park and a tremendous addition to the neighborhood. [Review 14793 overall, 295 of 2021, number 1286 in Florida.]

Sara Sims Park is the story of when a city cares and does something right. For years this 12 acre…read moresite and the adjoining cemetery were dilapidated and attracted crime. In 2010 the Community Redevelopment Agency hired REG architects to create a park. The city got input from the community about what they wanted the area to be. The park is named in honor of Sara Sims, a community activist who helped found the St. John Missionary Baptist Church in 1908. She is buried in the historic cemetery adjacent to the park. The city broke ground in October 2018. In November of 2019 a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the 1.3 million dollar renovation. The park has a steel amphitheater, new parking, restrooms, open lawn, exercise path with mile markers, four new pavilions with their own picnic tables and grills, upgraded racquetball and basketball courts, bicycle racks, and a playground. Security features were added to the park that included emergency call boxes, 5 cameras that allow officers to view the park at all times, and better lights for safety at night. As I was visiting a police car pulled up to keep an eye on the park. Only time will tell if the community embraces this park but the money Boynton Beach invested looks well spent.

Foxtail Palm Park is a small park located in Palm Springs Fl. The park is named for the Foxtail…read morePalm, a tree native to Australia. It is a popular ornamental tree because it doesn't need to be trimmed. The old palm fronds naturally fall off. The thick leaves look like a fox tail. A smooth gray trunk is capped with a bright green shaft From which sprout large shaggy looking branches. The trees are easy to grow and are drought and diseases resistant. The park was dedicated in October of 2020 and was paid for with grants from CDBC, engineering, and the Solid Waste Authority. Foxtail Palm Park is quite small. As you approach the playground area there is a stand of bamboo trees. The playground area has a shade pavilion with benches but no shade over the equipment which makes it a lot less enjoyable to use in the Florida sun. The playground equipment is also pretty basic. The park also has two picnic tables and a water fountain. Behind the park is a blocked off area with construction equipment. It looks like they might be building a lake with a path around it. Hatcher Construction and Development have been hired to oversee the construction. Since the park is so small, this area may be critical to attracting people. I was hoping to find a larger park with a lake that I could walk around. I left disappointed with the size and amenities and that half the park was closed.. This park is best for people who live in the neighborhood and are looking for a place to take the kids to play and maybe have a bite to eat outside. If you don't live in the area there are much better parks around.

Lake Clarke Shores is a small residential town in Palm Beach County. It was founded by John Newton…read moreClarke who arrived in Lake Worth in 1889. He worked various jobs before establishing a homestead and fishing camp. Lake Clarke bears his name. The land was developed into a town when West Palm Beach attorney William Travers purchased land that became exposed when the waters of Lake Clarke fell. He developed the land and sold lots and by 1956 there were 150 registered voters living in the area. The town was fearful of being annexed into West Palm Beach so in 1957 they voted to incorporate themselves as the town of Lake Clarke Shores. Pine Tree Park is one of five parks in Lake Clarke Shores. You can find it directly across from Memorial Park at the head of Lake Clarke. In 1978, the Town purchased the old Town Hall and Water Company site on Pine Tree Lane. The building there was razed despite requests by both Garden Clubs to use it as their headquarters. Today, the Town has developed the area as Pine Tree Park and built a heart trail with a landscaped 1/8 mile walking path and 5 exercise stations. There are also picnic tables and open space for play. Improvements may soon be coming to Pine Tree Park. In September the town met to discuss a $200,000 grant application for the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program to help finance improvements at Pine Tree Park.