Great park. We visited on a 90 degree day and didn't feel the heat at all. The playground was…read moremostly shaded which was awesome and we were able to sit and eat lunch at a shaded picnic table. Lots of trash containers around as well as restrooms to use. Overall very clean and a great spot that keeps you cool in the heat! The whole area has a lot of very big trees which makes it nice.

Named after our chief of police (s) that served our town faithfully for many years. Phillips Park…read morehas a play ground, basketball court picnic area and two baseball fields used mainly by the HYAA. If you walk around the fields and perimeter of the park a couple times you can get a mile or two in. When you enter the park to the right there is a beautiful memorial Veteran's Park War Memorial, for those who served in our community. There is a sitting area for prayer and reflection. About our Chief Phillips's: Joseph Phillips Joseph Phillips was Holmdel's first Chief of Police. Chief Phillips served the Department from 1947 until 1971, while also serving as the Township's school bus driver, and mailman. R. Bruce Phillips Bruce Phillips was appointed as a Patrolman with the Holmdel Police Department in 1965, and was one of only three Officers in the Township. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1968, and as Chief of Police in 1971. Under Chief Phillip's guidance, the Department grew to 42 Officers. Also during his tenure he oversaw the creation of numerous programs, including Neighborhood Watch, Domestic Violence Response Team, Police Youth Academy, the Department's participation in the Homdel Drug and Alcohol Alliance, and much more. Chief Phillips retired in February 2004 and passed away in 2018.

Mercer County Park is a complete park that offers something for just about everyone's needs…read more Whether you're looking to take the kids to the lake for a swim, go kayaking, let the dogs off leash in the fenced in dog park, ride your bike along paths both paved and natural, or just go walkabout to enjoy the largest park in the county. There are even a small number of campsites that can be reserved during certain times of the year. There are also large playing fields that host tournaments throughout the year for baseball, soccer, lacrosse, etc., and rowing regattas are hosted on the lake. At 3.9 square miles, Mercer County Park is a whopping 1.7% of the total acreage in all of Mercer County. The NE portion of the park is part that I like best, as it's also the part that gets the least amount of traffic, with the only folks you see being people walking the trails, birdwatchers and BMX bike riders. I wouldn't advise taking a gravel bike on the paths in this part of the park. I used to come here often with my bike, but now I'm also enjoying the trails on foot. If you're a road bike owner who's just looking for a short ride, the paved paths that run the length of the park, and the broad shoulder of the main road offer a good conditions for a road bike, but you'll need to look elsewhere for a longer, challenging ride. Also, I've yet to encounter the entitled dog owners who think that the leash regulations don't apply to them. I'm sure that they're out there, but perhaps they're not as common as they are at places like Mercer Meadows or Mountain Lakes--fingers crossed.

Great family park, great for walking, running, a nice stroll, picnic in the summer, day date,…read moreplaying football, soccer and softball.

Great open trail for walking or hiking. The parking can get a bit crowded when there are soccer…read moregames and baseball games going on. But the trails are usually clear. The trails aren't lit, so you're better off coming while the sun is still out. If you walk on the backside of the soccer fields there's a small bridge,which is my favorite place to walk by. There's even small playground area with a mini rockwall at this park. Theres also a dog park in the front. The bathrooms are usually locked most times of year until it's soccer/baseball season. If you're coming from Adams Ln you can turn into the park from there, but you'll have to exit onto 130 because it's a one way. I love the proximity of this park, it's great for a post-work stroll.

I enjoy this park, it is very close to me. Nice place to walk/run when the weather is nice. I give…read moreit 3 stars because it isn't really visually appealing. Most importantly you have to go when you know it will be dry ground. I went for a walk on 2/5/19, I didn't expect so have to step on so many muddy puddles and just very wet gravel all around. It wasn't raining for a few days but I know the weather was warmer, we had some am fog. But it was a splotchy mess. They should improve there grounds. You walk on gravel surface which by the way, enters my sneakers each time. I have to shake out my sneakers. It was very muddy this time around. And after just a normal rain there are so many puddles.

If you would like a quieter alternative for a morning walk, Cross Farm Park is your place. It's a…read morepretty large park that includes the following: -Paved walking paths -Baseball and soccer fields -Playground areas -Batting cages If you're looking for a more scenic walk in nature, you would probably prefer to go to nearby Holmdel Park. However, due to its popularity, it can be a little more busy. I'm pretty sure the fields are used for sporting events here, so that's when I would expect this park to be a little more busy. Otherwise, it's mostly quiet. And sometimes, that's just what I need.

Just moved to the area and was invited for a Social distancing play date and this was a perfect…read morepark for this.. huge wide open park with tons of soccer fields and I can imagine that when it's the season I'm sure it will be crowded with games and practices but otherwise it is super quiet. There are also walking paths that are paved and easy to follow and you won't get dirty and muddy..

Beautiful resurfaced tennis courts that get very busy in the summer time. You can go online and…read morereserve them for a fee if needed. Otherwise just go in early afternoon and you should be good. A lot of other stuff to do here too. Pickleball courts are always packed and bball courts are right there. Check it out.

Papaianni Park is synonymous to celebrations and events and a park that does it by a calendar…read morewithout missing a single beat. We have been here for a lot of events all these years. Their fireworks for Diwali is the best highlight of all and they light up the sky as equal to July 4th. We got here for a stroll around the lake and it was a nice calming experience. We wish the splash pad was open but it wasn't and the parking is humongous.

Beautiful park with wonderful light displays! I think it's great that they're celebrating their…read morediverse population by putting up lights for Diwali. The park is beautiful. It has lots of nature and ducks. However, there are many barricades due to unsafe parts around the walking path. While it's nice that they're keeping people safe, at this point those issues should have been fixed.

Found this on Yelp event and it was really worth it. My kids brought there dogs out and we listen…read moreto the bands, ate plenty good foods and just had a good day. Beautiful weather and two of my kids. So much fun. The food trucks were all reasonably priced and gave ample food for the cost. The Branchburg and Bridgewater fire departments did really good putting this together. Plenty activities for the kids and dog friendly. Really good event for all ages. I will mark my calendar for next year's event

Nice facility that is well maintained but the signage and parking are inadequate. Additionally,…read moregoogle maps says its 200 Baird road; It is actually 232 Baird.

I've played company softball on this field several times over the past few years. It used to be a…read morereally crappy field (read: torn up grass, weeds, divots, shoddy infield, pretty much dilapidated and forgotten-- conditions not conducive to a softball or baseball game) up until a couple years ago when it was totally renovated.* Now, it's totally, shall I, say beautiful? Well, if you like turf, it's quite nice. So, obviously it's a no cleats field. There is a really nice track that surrounds the one field as well. There are stands for observers, bathrooms (which is a HUGE plus for athletes. Trust me...when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. Also, the bathrooms are clean, AND they have soap and hand towels! I was amazed.**), and locker rooms, but those aren't open to the general public and are solely for students who go to MB high school. The field is impeccably maintained too. I saw one groundskeeper (no, it wasn't Willy) who actually raked the infield when we were finished with our game last night. I guess my only gripe is it'd be great if the infield was covered to protect it from rain. It was slightly muddy at home plate last night. Oh, and since it's almost directly under the Manhattan Bridge, it can get a little noisy, so you might have trouble hearing your infield. So, if you belong to a NYC softball league and are scheduled to play here, you're lucky, because it's one of the nicer turf fields in the city. *This could also be called "Verizon Field" if you want to be all corporate about it. I think they gave the high school money for remodeling. **Maybe if I knew you better I'd tell you of the bathroom horror stories at most softball fields...flies, no doors, port-o-potties, or no bathroom at all, which doesn't help if say, you've drunk too much Gatorade and can't stand and pee like a guy. Oh, I've said too much.

dirt infield which runs deep enough for baseball. softball outfielders will normally end up…read morestanding on the dirt. the rest of the field is turf, but non-metal cleats ARE allowed. nice views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. a previous review said turf and no cleats allowed, but that's incorrect. nice field, but well out if the way. best path is F train to east broadway stop, but that's still a 4-5 block walk from there.

I remember back in the 80s when this was a dilapidated chicken farm. In recent years it's been…read moreconverted to a really nice municipal park. It's really great for families. They have lots of baseball diamonds. They also have really good playground equipment. I know a grandmother who loves pushing her granddaughter around in the stroller on the track around the perimeter. There's no cost to use the facility, which is nice. It's not worth traveling to, but if you live in toms River it's a good place to visit just to get out or if you have kids playing games here.