Bodie's Place Playground is an inclusive, boundless playground that opened at Eisenhower Park in Milford, Connecticut in May 2011. The 16,000-square-foot playground was made possible by a $400,000 fundraising campaign. The playground is named for John "Bodie" Vaccino", a local Milford boy who was born with cerebral palsy. When he was younger, his parents took him to a boundless playground called Hannah's Dream in New Haven. Bodie was able to play with his sister, Emma, as if he had no limitations. His parents then set a project in motion to bring a similar playground to their hometown of Milford. They didn't want a playground just for children with disabilities, but rather a community play mecca for kids of all abilities. The playground was designed by John Hollerbach, owner of Creative Recreation, who has worked on other projects associated with the nonprofit Boundless Playgrounds. An adjoining splash pad opened in July 2018. My family and I recently visited Bodie's Place Playground while we were on our summer break from school. My wife and I are always looking for good playgrounds for our sons, and we heard lots of great things about Bodie's Place. The playground actually features 2 large playscapes: one intended for younger children (ages 2-5) and another intended for older children (ages 5-12). We thought that both playscapes were equally impressive. After our sons played on them for a while, they changed into their swimsuits and headed on over to the equally impressive splashed. Both of our sons had a blast! I must also note that there are plenty of amenities at the park, including bathrooms, pavilions, picnic tables and benches available at the park. We highly recommend Bodie's Place Playground to families with small children and look forward to returning! read more

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This park is very clean and well maintained. The play ground is huge. In summer there's a large water park splash pad area. There's tennis courts & a handball court. There's disability swings & multiple bathrooms. Water fountains & a walking path through the woods. read more

Nice trails for walking your dog... lots of issues with people having dogs off leash (which is not allowed) that have zero control of their dogs. read more

Truly one of the best playgrounds I've been to with my kids. It's relatively well maintained (with some equipment exceptions), and there are lots of things to entertain. There's an older and younger (2-5) area, though my toddlers enjoyed most of the equipment in the older structure, too. There are things to climb, move, run through... Ample number of swings, including some swinging benches for those who just want to hang out. There's a garden or wildflower area as well as a spray park, which opens later than the playground. We can't wait to go back! read more

Great hidden gem in Milford. Came for dog park, stayed for neat trails. Most dogs unleashed some leashed. All dogs interacted with were all friendly. Big open fields and short trails with a nice flowing river. Came mid morning pretty vacant, however becomes pretty busy around lunchtime. Beautiful scenery. read more

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This is a great place to walk your dog! So beautiful, nice size, very quaint. It's kept nice and cool by trees, there are not too many bugs. They have a part where kids can play, along with a tennis area for adults and even a huge fenced area now for the dogs. There is a ton of parking and everything is well maintained. If you have kids or dogs I would highly recommend checking this place out. read more

Eisenhower Park - So pretty - Parks Near Me - Milford, Connecticut

This park has the BEST free splash pad in the area. Lots of free parking. Very clean changing area and bathrooms. It's all closed in and gated so nice secure and safe. Lots of shaded areas and seating for parents. The playground is located right next to the splash pad and had a lot to do for both older and younger kids. My kids are 4, 6, 10 and they love this park!! read more

Great dog park with expansive space and plenty of doggie bags. The dog owners are amiable and pleasant while the park provides place to run. There are a few mud puddles that dogs can get dirty in, but a hose at exit to rinse dogs off. A very nice spot to let your dog safely off lease. read more

Beautiful park, lots of walking paths, curving and winding. Very, very clean. I am a military veteran and certainly appreciate the beautiful veteran's memorial with the flags. Beautiful 911 memorial, and both near the lake. Thank you for keeping the park safe and clean. I will be back! read more

Went this past weekend and i wasn't happy with how much dog feces was in the area where the dogs can run leash free. It was too much where i didnt feel comfortable myy dog running around a feces dump basically. if it werent for this major issue i would have given more stars because the park was very big and easy to get in. But again i dont want my dog running around an arena of feces. Please pick up after your dog dont ruin others experience because this park is great for dogs to run leash free. read more

This is our favorite local playground. It's well-maintained and there are two separate playgrounds suitable -- one suitable for teeny kids and one geared towards bigger kids. It's all fenced-in, for peace of mind, and there are enough shady spots and seating to take a break. The pavilion has picnic tables, so feel free to show up with bagels and coffee or a packed lunch. read more

I love this park! We have been traveling from Maine to North Carolina with some dogs for a show, and this place was a great, clean location to let them out and run and play. For us as well! When you've all been cooped up in a car for hours on end, a place like this is exactly what you need to keep yourself going for a few more hours. read more

An amazing, well maintained playground. It has been a few years since our last visit and we noticed that they've added a climbing web which I've only seen at the Dinosaur Place in Montville. It's a two-level playground with nice seating throughout for parents. When entering/exiting the playground, you'll need to unlock the gate, which surrounds the entire play area. I think this is a nice feature especially if you're trying to keep track of more than one child. The first portion of the play area has swings, spinning ride-on's and a playscape for younger children (2-5 yrs), the lower level towards the back has a playscape for older children (5-12 yrs). A great place for a play-date, especially if there is a large age range in the group. The back wall features a lovely mural...wish I took more photos! read more

Eisenhower Park - The playground has something for everyone! - Parks Near Me - Milford, Connecticut

This is one of my favorite parks in the state. It hits on major pluses that many other parks don't have. First, it's well shaded. In the summer months it's so hard when we go to a playground and we all bake in the sun. Here the play structures are somewhat shaded as are benches for parents, and it isnt by artificial sun shades, but by lovely trees. Second, it's fully gated. If you have a young one, you don't have to worry that they've left the park. Third, in the summer they have restrooms! Actual restrooms. Fourth, there's a covered pavilion with picnic tables. We think the play structures are pretty great, to boot. read more

Only reason I am dropping this a star is because of a few frequent people who go there and don't curb their dog. If your dog shows ANY signs of aggression, they should not be off leash under any circumstances. If your dog is biting my dogs neck, jumping over him and knocking him down and growling and repeatedly going after my dog, your dog should be on a leash, not mine. Just because your dog is playful with most dogs if he or she is not playful with everyone, don't assume nothing will happen. My dog is normally very submissive but if he keeps getting provoked, he will stand his ground. He kept trying to run away and this dog keeps going after him and the owner telling him to stop but the dog wouldn't listen. I had to get in between them to grab my dog as I could clearly see it going south quick. Other than that a gorgeous park with generally really nice people! read more

This park is so great for kids and adults. They are kept busy for hours. With many interacting toys for big kids to little kids. The tennis courts are great also read more

This is a great park for kids! We sorta found it by accident while staying the night in Milford. Would highly recommend this park for your children. read more

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We bring our dogs to the dog run and to run through the trails. It is a beautiful park and pretty well maintained. There are 'regulars' who come often so the dogs get to make friends and have a fantastic time. There are enough trails that you can hike for hours and not see many people. The dogs love the water and it is definitely bath night when they get into the mud. The only thing missing is to have a place to let your dogs go off trail. The fenced in area is a good size. There are usually bags available if you forget your own and some folks bring gallons of water to share with other dogs. read more

It is a nice park for a family fun with tennis court,children's play ground with equipment a like swing, etc. Park has great walking space also. Overall this park is one of the best in the Milford/ orange area. Don't miss it. read more

I feel annoyed with lack of courtesy and supervision in the parks. I was with my child playing tennis against the wall and someone with a lacrosse stick and a very hard ball started slamming on the wall and just a few feet away. this is dangerous and i stated so but he did not seem to care. is on a milford lacrosse team i suppose since wore a shirt. perhaps an older high school student. if struck int he chest with this ball at the speed this person was using is very dangerous. we had to leave. we were basically forced off. thisi s the second time in a short period we were forced off the courts in milford. at the basketball courts behind the library downtown, a large group of grown men did not have a full court. it was being used by other men. so they approached a group of middle school aged teens and told them they were using a full court which is not allowed but half was not enough for them I have visited several times after to see that they do this all the time! they do not seem to be from milford. their cars, and many,, do not have stickers. are stickers required for parking int he lower area. today there wasnt a single space. a woman told me i had to drive to another area like her. she was going to the library and did not have a spot. there wernt any games going on but the court were crowded with these men who took them over again. young people hardly go there now. does not feel safe and they have been bullied more than once in one week.parents are not allowing them to play basketball in their local parks because it has become too dangerous! read more