One thing the Coronavirus has done is send me on new routes for walking the dog. I've actually…read morebeen letting him "choose his own adventure", which is how we discovered the Sharpe Park and Bird Sanctuary. It is quite modest, a corner spot on Haverford Station Rd and Montgomery Ave, but it has some statues\sculptures, trash cans, bird feeders and places to sit. Nice path thru and some pretty flowers. Doggo approves and loves to visit. One strange thing, we have only been there a few times, but each time someone road thru on a bike...I'd think no bikes were allowed in this little sanctuary. Anyway, if you are in the area, check it out, nice little spot we discovered on a new walk.

I went to Linwood Park yesterday for the "LOVE Rally" in response to the horrible events in…read moreCharlottesville. I arrived at the park a few minutes before the event started and was able to experience it's beauty. First, there is no playground or basketball courts, but it is rather more of a community park where people can get together. For example, they had a Little Free Library, benches where people were taking and a large open area where you can have catch! Many kids were having a catch or climbing their large trees. Around the entire park is a long, well-maintained cement trail! It is great to just walk on it and see the beautiful park, which has tons of flowers and statues! You can even use the trail at night as it has lights in it! One statue showed a boy and girl sitting on a bench together. That pretty much represents what the park is! There is also a reflexology walk. Though, you have to take your shoes off to properly use it. The rally itself was very nice and showed hope for America. U.S. Congressman Dwight Evans as well as State Representatives Daylin Leach and Mary Jo Daley spoke! This park is also run by a group called Friend's of Linwood Park who keeps it clean and up to date. They also host tons of events including Movie Nights and a day where exotic animals came! Altogether, this is an amazing park to have fun at!

While suburbia certainly has its fair share of parks and hiking places, one of the key things that…read morebeen missing is the communal city style parks; whether it be on the larger scale like Rittenhouse Square, or on the smaller scale like Filter Square. While it certainly isn't anywhere near the size of Rittenhouse, Linwood Park has been the one to deliver that type of atmosphere the best. Inside you'll find plenty of cozy spots to relax and read a book in, interesting statues hidden in gardens, and spots for kids to play in. But you'll also find a newspaper box re-purposed as a take a book leave a book station, a bike station with a built in tire pump, ramp style walls that make it skater friendly, and a pathway that illuminates at night. Toos in local activities like a farmers market and movies night, and you have a tiny spot that brings plenty to the Ardmore community.

I was in Gladwyne because I had to drop something off at house there. Only a minute or two away…read morefrom the home I was at is Saunders Woods Preserve and I decided to stop in. There is a medium sized parking lot towards the entrance of the preserve, which is convenient. I assume it could get a big crowded during the summer months. A large meadow that has path mowed down the middle greets you as you begin your walk. Eventually, the meadow leads to a wooded trail. Along the trail are some scenic sights including beautiful trees and a small creek. Overhead, you'll see many beautiful birds flying. Towards the summer, this seems like a nice place to see butterflies and flowers, too. There's also a historic building on this property, which is cool. There's a benches outside Altogether, Saunders Woods is a nice place to take a nice, casual hike!

4 stars for greenspace, but in the grand scheme of what Natural Lands has to offer, this is one of…read moretheir neighborhood trail spots, and not a grand destination preserve. This was my 12th NL preserve out of their current 20 properties. Saunders Woods is the second smallest preserve, and to give an idea, it is only 25 acres, while 90% of their preserves are over 40 acres, and 75% of their preserves are over 100 acres. That said, if you want a brief walk, or to sit in some serene nature, you've found a cool spot. This preserve has a swing on a tree that is wide enough to fit two adults. There is a meadow adjacent to the parking lot (one of the few paved lots at NL preserves), and the wooded portion is mostly the valley between surrounding residential neighborhoods. In the winter you can clearly see all the neighboring houses from the trail. It's great that this land has been made into a public nature preserve, and this suits locals as a wonderful spot to enjoy the outdoors. I don't recommend planning to visit if you are looking for a long hike, or a destination preserve with a lot to explore. Below is a list of all preserves from smallest to largest, so you can get an idea of the levels of wilderness they offer. Stone Hills Preserve 13 acres Sauders Woods Preserve 25 acres Stoneleigh 42 acres Hildacy Preserve 55 acres Wawa Preserve 98 acres Meng Preserve 101 acres Binky Lee Preserve 112 acres Willisbrook Preserve 126 acres Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary 200 acres Green Hills Preserve 201 acres Peacedale Preserve 222 acres Gwynedd Preserve 279 acres Harold N. Peek Preserve 344 acres Sadsbury Woods Preserve 508 acres Bryn Coed Preserve 520 acres Stroud Preserve 571 acres Crow's Nest Preserve 712 acres ChesLen Preserve 1,282 acres Bear Creek Preserve 3,565 acres Glades Wildlife Refuge 7,440 acres **Apparently 27-acre Sharp's Woods Preserve is now part of the Radnor Conservancy and is no longer a Natural Lands property.

Elwell Field is a great park/playground that is on our rotation of places to go with the kiddo…read more There are multiple play structures including a large wooden play structure that offers multiple stories of things to play on. Underneath has some pretend items for smaller kids to play in. Multiple slides including one enclosed 2 story slide that is a favorite of ours. 2 additional stand-alone slides, a geodesic dome, swings... plenty of things for everyone to play on! There is also a couple of baseball fields that are catty-corner to one another with some grass in between. There are two tennis courts that are in really great shape and two basketball courts that are usually open. The park is adjacent to the Haverford College nature trail which is a nice way to extend a park visit or change up the walk to and from the park. Parking is a bit of a pain in the butt, only street parking however it is worth the hassle.

Great park, baseball fields, basketball court, tennis courts, and a playground. My suggestion is to…read morewalk instead of park if you live nearby as parking can be annoying. Not much to say, fine park!

Vernon Young Park is part of a trio of three great Township Locations - the other two being the…read moreco-located Ardmore Avenue Pool and the Ardmore Avenue Community Center (AKA "The Shack"). This is a very well kept moderately sized park in the urban village of Ardmore. It's down the street from the Ardmore Library, Post Office and the PALM (Positive Aging Lower Merion) Senior Center. The park has four distinct areas. First, the playground, which faces Ardmore Avenue and is directly outside the pool entrance. It has a high fence (so no toddlers can easily take off, as they are likely to do), some fairly new play structures and lots of wood chips. There are also a few benches and shade trees. Then there are the basketball courts, which run games pretty regularly, both league and pick-up games. They are in good shape, have bleachers and shade awnings over the bleachers. Nice touch. There are some tennis courts, also high fenced, in very good shape. Then there is the 'lower' playing fields with two baseball diamonds and lots of grass. In the warmer months there are many baseball, soccer and flag football games going on basically every afternoon and all weekend. It's only downfall is that it is a more urban park, meant to be walked to, so if you're parking there it can be a challenge. Ardmore Avenue is one of the busier streets so it's not a quiet, tranquil place, especially when the adjacent pool is open. It is, however, well kept and well used, and has something for just about everyone (except the person looking for a quiet spot to read - not happening here).

Basketball, small playground, two baseball fields, tennis.read more

Wynnewood Valley Park is experiencing something of a Renaissance, lately, something I am very happy…read moreto see. The park itself is long and rather narrow, following along a valley created by a creek. The creek itself is a source of great entertainment for children and adults too - bring your water shoes! In the past few years via much cooperation with the park and other groups we have a revived the "sensory garden' for people with different sensory issues - from sound to smell to taste to touch. It's really lovely for all visitors and highly accessible too. The park also has recently added a 9 hole disc golf course that is both challenging and fun. There is a playground area and a grassy area where in recent years summer music events have been staged. It's a lovely park with so much to offer!

Lovely little park with two playgrounds, tennis courts and sensory garden.read more

Seemed to have skimped a little this year. Way less water stations and bathroom stations. The event…read morestarted on time this year which is great!

Had an overwhelmingly positive experience with this run. First of all--in terms of a tour of…read morePhilly, it's hard to beat a ten mile run down the main artery of the city surrounded by 40,000 other Philadelphians. Cruising by Temple University (complete with marching band and cheerleaders), the Philadelphia Orchestra (complete with tuba players and timpani) and city hall (with hundreds of locals cheering you on) is an absolutely delightful way to experience the city. I had so much fun and can't wait to do it again next year! The course itself is a dream--slightly downhill with almost no turns the entire route. Many personal bests to be achieved here! The crowd support is also amazing. I was shocked at how many people are out there supporting. This year was an absolute downpour yet there were still thousands of friendly supporters almost the entire route. Logistically the race went smoothly. It's very easy to pop on the septa and get to the starting line. Be prepared for a crowded ride, but it's a good natured crowdedness nonetheless. Got on the subway an hour and a half before start time and arrived about an hour early. Didn't experience lines for bathrooms or gear check. Really high energy before the start. I picked a corral that was on the slower side and was passing a ton of people throughout the entire race. I thought this was kind of cool because I felt speedy but for those who want a less crowded experience don't be afraid to estimate your time as a little on the faster side. One negative was the gear check pickup. Definitely a logistical struggle here, I waited about half an hour for my bag but I heard of people waiting over an hour. Consider leaving the gear at home unless really needed. I LOVED how close the end was to the septa station--was back home super fast (thank goodness, because as I mentioned, total downpour)!

This spot is a very nice community center. I see they have everything for people ing the community…read more They have daycare center, basketball courts, halls to rent out for birthdays, wedding parties, and babyshowers (which is how I found out about this place). You can also take adult classes here. Good looking out!