looking for a tennis partner early eves weekdays plus…read moremidday on the weekends

I sign my son up to a Tennis Clinic at West Orange Tennis. They have a beautiful outdoor facility…read moreconsisting of clay courts. The indoor courts are really nice. They have a nice locker room. A really good place to play Tennis. Surface in the indoor courts are fast as hell. The ball skids off the court.

I loveeee the "Little" Club in Maplewood. My company, Pour It Up, is a Mobile Bartending Service…read moreand we've had the pleasure of being booked here a few times over the years. The staff is ALWAYS sooo friendly and helpful. And the place, the bar especially, is ALWAYS so well kept and clean. I love the set up and the ambience this venue brings. It's one of my favorites! If you haven't already, be sure to book with them for your next event

I had my wedding here in the Month of June . Our wedding was intimate . I'm so happy I chose this…read morebeautiful venue . Sheri was A true Gem from the beginning to end on our special day . She really did go Above and Beyond for us on our day . I can't thank her enough . Gerald was also good help through the process . My family Loooooved the Venue and had such a wonderful time. Seriously this was the Best day Ever . I will never forget this day. Plz you will not regret choosing this Space .

Great little venue for events that you can reserve out - we had a school semi-formal here - parking…read morewas a bit tough given the snow and ice cut down on spaces. It's a good venue for a smaller wedding, but for the middle school kids, they didn't appreciate it as much (they complained it was their parents' style, not cool!). So much for appreciating the work that the PTO does. They do have some outdoor seating (couldn't use with the snow), a back area with seats/tables, a check-in area and coats were too many - they ended up on racks in the hallway. Probably better to do a spring/summer/fall event here when there are less heavy jackets. Food was good, though simple, per the kids - pasta was good, the sliders a bit off, and the cheese & charcuterie was not bad. DJ in the party was definitely loud enough (good acoustics for pop music, at least). Supposed to be the second oldest tennis club in NJ, and after a change in leadership in 2018, has revitalized itself into a family and event space along with tennis.

I attended a birthday party at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club and thought the venue was charming! The…read moreride up the winding driveway left us off in front of a stunning clubhouse that offered exterior old world charm with a renovated, modern interior. The party spanned throughout several rooms, each offering a bar and either hors d'oeuvres or the buffet dinner. The food quality was mixed, as I had bites of heavily under-cooked pasta, but the make-your-own taco bar was the fresh and delicious highlight. My friends were able to hire a live band, and the four members had plenty of room, as did the dancing guests. We did not stay long, so I cannot comment on many of the other items, but, overall, we thought it was a fantastic venue.

This park is huge with plenty to do but I only came for the rose garden. It is small, some labels…read moreare missing, and several beds need maintenance. It feels more like a city park than a quiet garden. I personally would not return, though I see why neighbors enjoy having green space nearby. When I visited, a large group had formed a circle that occupied an entire section of the small rose garden. There were no signs indicating the area was reserved, and their gathering unintentionally made the space feel closed off to other visitors. In shared public spaces like this, especially in smaller gardens, it is important for any group, whether local or new to the community, to be mindful of the park's norms and not treat the small public garden like it's only for them. Many people visiting or living here may not be aware of how these spaces are typically used, so a little consideration goes a long way in keeping the park welcoming for everyone.

I grew up with Brookdale Park. I would bike over with Daddy - or in the beginning, trike over - and…read morewe would ride the paths together. Down the little dirt trail by the stream near Watchung Ave., see if I could make it down the ditch under the bridge, then back up near the duck pond to look at the birds. Over to the playground, down the tall metal slide (burning in the hot sun), on and under the wooden playground (splinters and the occasional scary bee), and riding the swings, both pony-themed and regular. Slow forward to 2025. Brookdale still has the same paved paths. The old dirt trail gradually became a bunch of bumps for dirt bikes instead of my regular bike. The duck pond was filled in years ago but is now a wetlands area. The playground has been modernized a couple of times and is now modern, safe plastic. Still pony-themed swings. The old gravel track is now modern plastic for running or similar sports - though there was something special about sliding my bike around the turns on that gravel track. You just can't ride on a running track. There's an annual softball tournament there we still play, and the fields really haven't changed, though I've heard it's been getting tougher to get things reserved properly. So it's still a wonderful park, but without the ducks and with the complications to holding in park events, the fifth star has gone away with my childhood. That's OK. It will always be 5 stars in my heart.

I love Meadowland Park. My favorite thing to do is to walk around the Duck Pond. Meadowlands Park…read moreis a great resource for locals in the area. In addition to the Pond, there are Flood Hill, the tennis courts, ball fields, basketball courts, and Beard Center. The Park is easy to get to from downtown if you live in the area closer to the train station, but you can also drive here and find street parking.

Have many memories here having grown up in the area. Known to locals as "Floods Hill" because of…read morethe part of the park that is a huge attraction after a solid snow fall for sledding. Along with Floods Hill the other sections of the park include the "Duck Pond" (where the meadowlands park plack can be found) - or what used to be since geese have taken up residence for the past decade or so and thrown out the ducks. Cameron field, where baseball, softball and other field games gather and "The Baird center" which is where all of the community and recreation affairs can be handled such as registering for youth team sports and tennis lessons. I have many memories of this park where much goes on in the spring and summer including hosting festivals and used to host 4th of July festivities. Still a great place to pass through and the most sprawled and varied park in town.

Also colloquially known as "Walton Park," Farrell Field is on Walton Road near the border of South…read moreOrange and Maplewood. Unlike some of the other parks and playgrounds in the area that are brimming with little people and their caregivers at all hours, this spot somehow manages to fly under the radar a bit. It's modest, offering a playground area for both little tots and bigger children, as well as two fenced-in tennis courts, a baseball field and plenty of open, grassy space. As far as these things go, this is one of my favorite go-to spots when the kids need to release some energy or just goof off for a while.

I recently discovered Orchard Park. It's a small park off of Ridgewood Ave in Maplewood, but you…read moreenter from De Hart Road, so it's kind of hidden. There's a playground for 2-5 year olds - with climbing forts, slides, a see-saw, and swings. There's a covered area in sight line of the playground, and tables and some benches to sit. There are also tennis courts and an open field. Cute park!

Orchard park is the overall best local park I have been to. The playground is completely safe and…read moreamazing for kids of all ages. It is great to bring the whole family, there is great seating like picnic tables and benches and built in bathrooms. We go there all the time and is an amazing experience.

A park I used to frequent often in my youth and even now occasionally if there is an event such as…read morethe Jazz Festival. The park has a neighborhood-like setting with houses and even the aforementioned elementary school across the street compared to some other parks in Essex county that are a bit more removed. The park has a nice mixture of park staples for its size. This includes a basketball, baseball field, tennis courts and open field. The unique part of this park is the community pool, another place I'd frequent, but on my most recent visit it was not open despite being a nice day so hopefully it is still being operated. The park has a few paths for walking but not as extensive as some other parks in Essex county. The park has a nice amount of benches, parking lot along with street parking and a nice MLK memorial as you make your way around the park. Not the biggest park, but a lively and decent one a little off from the growing center of downtown Montclair.

I checked out Nishuane Park a few weekends ago for the Montclair Jazz Festival. It's held here…read moreevery year. I've driven past the park on so many times, but never realized from Harrison Ave just how expansive the park is. If you drive past the fire station on the corner of Harrison and Cedar, you won't see the sprawling passive green, walking paths, baseball field, basketball courts, and playground. Apparently, there's also a public pool (I didn't see that when I visited). So the day of the Jazz Festival, I was surprised that Nishuane was able to contain all festival goers that Saturday. There was even an area in the park where there were a slew of food trucks and vendor stands. It's nice to know that this park serves as the locations for this and other community events. Also, if you like to walk, I'd also recommend checking out the massive mansions on Stonebridge Road, between Sutherland and Llewelyn. Stonebridge is parallel with Harrison Ave. Beautiful, old homes. It's a very family friendly park and a wonderful place to spend your Saturday.

This is an athletic field in the St. Cloud neighborhood of West Orange. There's a small area with…read moresome parking, but it's more ideal for residents in the area within walking distance. They have tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, and playgrounds for the kiddos. It's down the road from Turtle Back Zoo and the South Mountain Arena, and right by Mama Dag's Seafood & Pasta Bar.

Very nice little park in West Orange. They have baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, and…read moreplaygrounds.