A 40 acre wetland in Edwardsville, IL, the Watershed Nature Center was transformed from a city…read morelagoon to a city park in 1995. Our friends from Edwardsville took me and my wife there on a hot Monday afternoon. It was great to see collaboration between residents and city government to transform and maintain land used by both wildlife and people. This land was a sewage lagoon until 1984, when it was filled and stopped being used. In 1990, a proposal was made to transform it into a nature preserve, and a non-profit was formed to coordinate. Over the next five years, both public and private money was used to slowly terraform, until the center was officially opened to the public in 1995. The center features paved hiking trails, a raised marsh walk, and an air conditioned welcome center with educational classrooms. The Nature Preserve Foundation maintains the trails and native habitats. We saw quite a few animals during our stroll, with various birds (our friends are birders) and even a large snapping turtle close to the concrete marsh walk. We realized later that there was a female turtle underneath. There was also an area where bamboo was growing, with it being pretty clear how fast it can spread and grow if not intentionally controlled.

Located in Edwardsville Illinois,this is a nice 40 acre park with wetlands,woodlands and…read moregrasslands. Paved and gravel trails are well marked . Most trails circle the small lagoon. Pets are welcome. Plenty of parking.

Township Park is a wonderful park to take kids and family to for a beautiful day out! There is…read moreplenty of space to run and place plus they have lots of play ground equipment to keep everyone busy! I don't like you can't bring pets, but I do understand to a point also. It's a great community park!

The best park for kids I've ever seen. Someone posted a bad review saying there weren't any…read moreswings, but I saw lots of swings! My little guy loves going to this park! It's a true gem for this area. Also, there is lots of area to play ball, throw a frisbee or fly a kite! It's fun to take a blanket and have a picnic in the grass, but there are lots of picnic tables too.

Our new favorite park. A friend told me about it and we've been going weekly or daily since. The…read moretrail around the park is great, clean and easy to walk. It's scenic with the lake and in the summer people paddleboard, fish and kanoe. I have nothing but great experiences here and happy to live near such a good park!

Delightful and peaceful stroll near bike trails, clean bathrooms, plenty of benches, many "exercise…read moreareas", quite a few colourful and creative sets of playground equipment. Stop by Bobby's frozen custard on a hot day after a good day of climbing and play!

Best Public park! Located behind the Public Safety building. Has a splash pad and concession stand…read morealong with plenty of spots to picnic.

This Park & Splash pad just opened this summer and I finally got around to taking my little guy up…read morethere to play. What a fantastic place! It has the most awesome splash pad! I love the design and colors! Its very whimsical and fun! He had a great time playing in the water. There are plenty of pavilions for picnics or to just stay out of the sun. Across from the pad is a play area with wonderful equipment for the kiddies to play on. This place also has a concession stand so you can get something to snack on or drink. This park also has restrooms by the concession stand. We used the family one to get him changed into his swim trunks. Everything is well thought out and perfectly executed! What a great addition to Edwardsville. I know we will be going back many times to enjoy this wonderful place.

This is such a cute little park to enjoy a nice stroll around the small pond or hang out on the…read moreplayground with the kiddos!

Joe Glik Park is a new park with pavilions and ponds, slightly rolling terrain, and recently…read moreplanted trees. As they mature, the landscaping will look really nice, especially with planned improvements. In the meantime, JGP has the widest concrete paths I can remember in any park I've visited, like the concrete guys were hurting for business, and offered a double wide, two-for-one deal. I imagine it offers a smooth surface for skaters, though I haven't noticed any here on my rare visits. Most importantly for Onyx H. and her little buddy Ruby H., this place is dog-friendly. There's a fenced dog park on the northeast side, and at least one doggie-bag dispenser. That doggie-bag dispenser can be most important when the stock of plastic bags in your pocket is exceeded by your pet's desired number of pit stops. JGP is a perfect place for a short winter walk with your canine companions.

A hidden gem in Edwardsville. Found this when I was desperate for a place to walk our dog while in…read moretown. Beautiful setting, ponds, fountains, trees, pavilions and wide walking paths. We will be back!

Very pretty gardens, photogenic area. There were at least 3 photoshoots going on while we walked…read morearound. The walking trails were well-groomed, easy to follow. If you walk long enough you will end up on SIUE campus. This is a pretty short, relaxing walk - I do wish there were more trails through the 36 acres of the whole gardens.

Recognized as a "signature garden" by the Missouri Botanical Gardens, its multimillion-dollar plan…read moreis only partially realized. With each passing year it looks a little more refined. The Gardens has become a popular venue for outdoor photography, and on Saturday afternoons you might find wedding parties; high-schoolers celebrating milestones such as homecoming, prom, or senior year; or a family snapping birthday or holiday photos. The half-mile loop is a pleasant place for a mind-clearing walk, though it can feel a little remote, and might be safer to travel with a buddy or two. If you're a biker, you may like to know that the entrance is off a paved trail, part of the 100-mile Madison County bikepath system.

I would be hard pressed to find a Hotz park that I wasn't a fan of. This is the second Hotz park…read moreI've visited, but the first I've reviewed on Yelp. This particular park is notable because it's only 0.2 acres, the smallest park in the city of Edwardsville. Located at St. Louis and Randle Streets, there isn't much to it. No playground equipment, no fountain, however it hosts a bench and a stone bearing a bronze plaque, commemorating the city's five resident governors.

Pretty solid little dog park. It is well-maintained and clean with nice turf. Great place for dogs…read moreto run around off-leash. They are stocked with tennis balls and potty bags. They also have a little water fountain area with some bowls for your pup to drink. Our pup met some nice doggie friends there - it wasn't too crowded though, which was nice. The doggie "jungle gym" hoops and things are cute. The only suggestion I'd have is for them to have a few more benches there.

This is a great spot to take your puppers! It's really clean and people seem to pick up after their…read moredogs well too! The turf is really nice, it can get a little hot for paws in the summertime tho. It's a great spot to let your dogs run free and play for a while!!

Glen Carbon (valley of coal) is an old mining community, hence the name "Miner." MP has at least…read morethree pavilions, trees for shade in the summer, and hills for sledding in the winter. It's right next to the lovely Glen Carbon library. Nickel Plate Trail, part of Madison County's extensive system of bike trails, runs along the west edge of the park. In preparation for my wilderness backpacking trips ('04 and '06), it was the turnaround point for my training hikes w/ 45 lb. backpack. Since I live in E'ville, that means the trip outbound was downhill, and, unfortunately, the trip inbound uphill. Miner Park was (and remains) a pleasant place for a water break before the journey home.