"Leave your cares behind come with us and find The pleasures…read moreof a journey to the center of the mind" (Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes) Center Springs Park is a serene and beautiful park smack in the center of Manchester. During our stroll around the park, we found a nicely maintained walking path cutting through the greenery and up to the park's free Disc Golf course. Just show up and shoot a round, as long as you bring along your own discs. The centerpiece of the park is a six-acre pond with three water fountains shooting streams of water high into the air. There were two long boardwalk bridges over the lake which gave us some nice views of fish and ducks hanging out in the lake. Throw in a playground, a gazebo/pavilion, picnic space, and some public art sculptures, and you have everything you need to spend some relaxing time in a pretty location.

Beautiful and peaceful place with lots of fish , fun experience . However I think it would be a…read morelittle better if they cleaned the algae around the fishing dock Aside from that it's a pretty fun place to fish and have a picnic .

My husband and I went to Wickham Park on Mother's Day . We haven't been there for years! It was…read morewonderful! Everyone else seems to know about it because there were many people there. The Chinese , English and Scottish and Irish gardens greet you as a first stop. We went to the aviary which had many exotic pheasants from Tibet, Burma so many far off places. The Aviary is home to injured birds who can't fend for themselves in nature anymore. We stopped at the sensory garden which was very informative with each area having a short talk to listen to explaining how our senses work and the related plants. We loved it. We drive around after two hours of walking because it started to rain. There are great picnic spots and a playground for kids ! It's a great family weekend spot or anytime to feel one with nature. It's a beautiful serene spot to relax in and enjoy a natural environment! Worth the $10 weekend fee and $7.00 weekday fee! So much to see there . You can walk in for free.

This was my first time coming to Wickham Park. Autumn is my favorite season. Such a perfect time to…read morevisit. They have many wonderful gardens. Photographer's dream location. So many native plants, flowers and trees. They rescue handicap birds and create a habitat for them to live in for generations Small fee of $7. Well worth it.

Great park! This is one of our favorite splash pads. The playground/playscape area near the splash…read morepad is on the smaller side, but it's modern and lovely and our toddler has a blast here. There's lots of seating -- benches, picnic tables -- tons of open grass fields, and a newish pavilion that is available for rental. There are ball fields, soccer fields, a basketball court, a larger playground, a covered band shell, and even a disc golf game! Access is a little funky. The park has two sections separated by a wall of trees. The main entrance off of School Street will bring you to the older section of the park with a ballfield, the soccer fields, the bigger of the two playground areas, the basketball courts, and the disc golf. The other side of the park (the newer side, with the splash pad, acres of open fields, volleyball courts, band shell, new pavilion) can be accessed either via a nice path from the School Street parking lot, or from an entirely separate entrance off of Corey Street on the opposite side of the park. The Corey Street entrance is off the beaten path in a neighborhood and it will bring you to a parking lot next to the new pavilion. This is usually where we park to go to the splash pad area. If you're attending something at the band shell, even though the shell is on the new side of the park it is actually closer to the School Street lot so I would go in via School Street and save yourself a walk across the Corey St. fields.

My son really liked the place, tons of space, clean, bathrooms on site, very accommodating, we are…read moreback here today with some friends.

Review #900: This…read moreplace looks and feels like a ski lodge nestled on the foothills of Talcott Mountain State Park. The Hublein Tower can be seen clearly. We went on a Saturday (February) afternoon and it was pretty busy but we were able to snag a table. They were playing reggae music, the fire was going, beers/cider/wine were flowing; a fun and chill afternoon. They offer so many beers from all different breweries! I didn't really know what to expect before going and this place was on my "to check out" list. I was pleasantly surprised. I was happy they were kid friendly because we brought our two little ones. I saw some people eating pretzels and we got some delicious buttered popcorn to snack on. The kitchen offers wings, chips/salsas, lobster rolls, bratwurst/kielbasa, burgers, etc. They have food trucks onsite, but when we were there (early afternoon) I didn't see one yet. I can't wait to go back during the summer/fall because their yard looked fantastic. They had a small stage, picnic tables, and fire pits. For recreation, they have disc golf, Cornhole, etc. In the summer, they also serve ice cream. This place will definitely be one of my go to spots to chill!

This is located at an old golf course under Hueblin Tower. Way under, although there are probably…read moretrails leading up to it. Parking is on both sides of the street, and it gets PACKED. I think I got the literal last spot outside of handicapped. The Talcott Collective is behind the gold course building, which is now something else I forget . They have seating inside and outside, lots of picnic tables, and a lot of places for small children to run around. Dogs are welcome outside and of the three or so there, were all well behaved. I didn't try the food because the kitchen opened at like four in the afternoon. There was also a food truck outside. It looked like typical bar food but the small children loved it.

Love this place…read more I've played over 100 disc golf courses all over the US and this my favorite. The course itself is on an incredibly picturesque setting with five different ponds, elevation, and Christmas Trees. The four hole layouts range from fun but challenging to super technical and crazy long which is what I went for just to get the experience. I got 3 evening/dusk rounds in while in Mass for work last July and not surprisingly lost a few discs. Much to my surprise I get a call from the course three months later asking for my address so they can mail the discs they found. Three days later the discs are waiting for me on my front porch in California. Can't beat that service!

Host to the annual Vibram Open Disc Golf Event. A very challenging course located on the Maple Hill…read moreFarm that offers lots of wooded holes and shots over water. A must play if you are in the area! It's got everything that you're looking for a private Disc Golf Course in the Northeast, enjoy!

I take my toddler to the playground here fairly often. The whole playground is fenced in. It has 2…read moremain playscapes, one for toddlers and preschoolers and another for older kids. My toddler loves the smaller playscape. There are a few slides and plenty of different ladders and stairs to climb. BEWARE- after a good rain the area around this climber is a giant puddle. There's a slide that goes right into the middle of it. We avoid this park after a rainstorm for this reason. The larger playscape seems pretty fun. My toddler still climbs on it when it's not too crowded. It has a lot of ramps and some fun slides. I climb with him or stay close by because there are some openings to climbing structures he cannot navigate that are pretty high up. There are also swings (including baby swings), covered picnic tables, a sand/ digging area, and some outdoor musical instruments inside the fence.

This is a great little park for an afternoon excursion with kids. In addition to the playing…read morefields, there are lighted tennis and basketball courts for evening play. We went with our 2yr old to check out the play area. It is very well done and arranged. It is ADA compatible which in addition to being accepting to everyone makes being a parent easier, ease of access to high areas. My daughter loved the slide that was essentially a string of rolling pins. The only slide of its design I've come across. There are plenty of swings and there is a nice covered area with picnic tables. It is completely enclosed and gated, so it takes a bit for the little ones to get away! Always a plus. In the play area there is a sand box with some shovels, the sand is pretty well used at this point and isn't all that soft but it's useable. There is also a really fun little pipe instrument setup with the gates. If you venture across the street there is some hiking trails in the woods, nothing overly long or daunting but it was nice for a stroll in the woods with the baby and the the dog.

I am doing my part to put this new course on the map of places to play some disc golf in not only…read moreWestern Massachusetts but in all of New England. This is a newly completed 18 hole course that has been built by volunteers who have a deep passion for the sport of Disc Golf. We have cleared all the brush from the playing field but still have plenty to drag deeper off the edge. There are still some stumps that need to be cut/lopped down too (especially the back 10) but overall you can walk through with no issues. At this point the tee pads are dirt but if a grant gets passed there should be some nice new ones sooner than later with the potential of having two pins for each hole too. We do have the acreage for another 18 holes but for the time being we are going to finish cleaning up this one. As for the course itself, it is a par 63 unless it has been changed without my knowing. It plays out like so: 01 - 4 02 - 3 03 - 3 04 - 4 05 - 3 06 - 4 07 - 4 08 - 4 09 - 3 10 - 4 11 - 3 12 - 4 13 - 4 14 - 3 15 - 3 16 - 3 17 - 3 18 - 4 As most woodland courses, it has its trees that will make you want to pull your hair out. It has a unique layout where the first hole starts by overlooking the soccer field then off into the woods you go. Two is a downhill throw with a unique hanging pin. Three is a short throw across the mountain then 4-9 you make your way uphill with some holes that have plenty of potential to be a favorite. At 10 you get the feeling that a tornado ripped through with how open it is. From there 11, 12 and 13 go back across the mountain as you start to go down hill. 14 and 15 are downhill throws with 15 getting a view of the town. 16 is a short throw to the left with lots of small trees and 17 is another downhill throw with an open green. Best of luck when putting on 18! I hope you use my review as a guid to make the trip out here and give it a go. There are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat in town too before and or after you play, check out my reviews if you are new to the area and want to support some local spots. I will guarantee this will be a 5 star course in the future but for now there is still plenty of work that needs to be done. Please feel free to reach out to me or the Parks & Recreation department if you would like to help out.

I don't know how long they were open but who cares this place is awesome. My instructor brought me…read moreand some of my classmates here and had a blast. Granted were awful but it was truly fun. They explain the course and what disc was what. It's kind of addicting. It's rough terrain and you do walk quite a bit. It's a great "nice weather" activity especially in Massachusetts if it ain't snowing it's nice. This place is located in a plaza so there's plenty of parking. It looks small but in the back it's a while 'nother world. Stay safe, have fun!!

The owner of this facility is an upstanding guy, highly knowledgeable, and patient with those…read more (like myself) that are less than knowledgeable and want to learn. A+ edutainment

This is a wonderful course for beginners and anyone who is looking to play somewhere new for free…read more I learned how to play here years ago then the course in Monson went up and I started playing there more as it is much more difficult. What I like about Crane is hole 1 and 18 are great holes to learn how to throw your driver. Plenty of field to really throw it and not lose it. There are plenty of lanes with twists and turns. It's about a 2 1/2 mile hike around the corse with plenty of uphill and downhill throws. Go get yourself a starter pack and come enjoy the fresh air!