Big Beautiful park in Massachusetts. We visited the small zoo located in this park . It was beautiful. So many different animals to see. We enjoyed every moment of it. I would definitely come back here in future. Staff was friendly here too. read more

See all

This is such a great park. It's huge and well kept with something for everyone, even swan boats. On a beautiful Saturday in July it wasn't crowded, and we got a lovely picnic spot. There are ball fields and an amphitheater and a zoo and ponds and lots and lots of wooded or lawn-type space. Clean, nice people, low-key. I LOVE this park and can't wait to go back. One note - if you are meeting others in separate cars, better be really clear where you're meeting up with them because it's hard to find each other even with a park map. read more

Came to this park for a family gathering and we never could've imagined the sheer enormity of this park. We weren't exactly sure where we were to meet in the park, not being from the area so we naively thought we'd park and walk to avoid the traffic and the admission. Upon walking in we realized quickly how difficult that would be. This park is massive at almost 800 acres and has sooo much. It includes (but probably isn't limited to) - a baseball field, dog park, grills for picnics and bbqing, streams, historic houses, nature, biking, playgrounds and more. There are even hiking trails and paddle boats, though I didn't see them. The price to enter the park is $3 and $5 for out of state but because we were attending a memorial the lady was nice only charged us the $3. You could easily spend all day here on a nice day. The one thing about this park that was a problem is getting in. The front entrance line backs up quickly and it spills out into the street. The street is like 4 lanes with steady traffic, so if you're coming from the other direction making a left over the 2 lanes it gets a bit crazy. I'd think a traffic person or park personnel would help guide the traffic a bit. A better question is why isn't the back gate open? That might lessen the traffic. Beyond that though, it's nice big park with just about everything it seems, and for an OK deal. read more

See all

Beautiful Park With So Many Different Trails and Paths, Many are Drivable or Walkable (The Park is Massive!) Countless Ponds, Lakes, and Bodies of Water that are Serene! Several Older Buildings Inside the Park that Seem Historic to the Area that are Neat to See. The Whole Park is Very Scenic and Mostly Looks Like a Calendar Picture! The Area Around the Park Is Not the Best With Regards to Safety/Crime So Be Careful Leaving Your Vehicle Or Staying There After Dark. read more

See all

This is a wonderful park to come to when you just want to get away from it all and enjoy the beautiful scenery around you. There are various things to do here ranging from numerous tennis courts, lawn bowling, walking around the rose gardens, there is even a zoo! The zoo however costs an additional fee of $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and I didn't see how much it was for students, but it seemed like it would be worth venturing. Forest park has variety and definitely worth several visits. read more

See all

This is such a beautiful open green space and not sure if as big as Central Park, but pretty big. read more

Forest Park - Parks Near Me - Springfield, Massachusetts

As you enter this grassy paradise, the swoosh of cars, and choking sent of exhaust are left far behind. You slowly forget the feeling of being suffocated with trash covered streets and honking horns. The sweet smell of green grass begins to fill your nose and the sweet songs of birds surround you. Your mind quickly forgets that a moment ago you were somewhere starkly different as you begin to plan your path down the blissful walkways. For the first time in a while, you relax. The decision is easy. Should you walk beneath newly budding vines covering freshly painted arches? Or make a longer journey to hear the sounds of ducks splashing in their very own pond? The options are endless and all bring a sense of peace to your hectic soul. This is Forest Park. read more

Forest Park - Duck pond and beautiful blooms - Parks Near Me - Springfield, Massachusetts

Nice park with a little bit of everything. We skate, sled, snowboard, run, rollerblade, bike, picnic....plus they have a zoo & weekly road races & Bright Nights & on & on. We've always had good times during our visits & never run into any riff raff... Though I did spend some quality time shagging empties off the sledding hill so my kids didn't smell like booze bags. Also a nice spot for dog walking. read more

Forest Park - Parks Near Me - Springfield, Massachusetts

For all the reasons you'd go to a park Forest Park is a good one. It's one of the largest municipal parks in the country. There's a $3 entrance fee for cars (they do sell season passes if you're so inclined.) They have a zoo (reviewed elsewhere) and is the home of Bight Nights (reviewed elsewhere) during the Winter months. Lots of BBQ/picnic areas, tennis courts, a spray park, playgrounds, baseball/sports fields, amphitheater, lake/pond, streams, sledding in the winter, lawn bowling, gardens, etc. It's a nice place to walk, and spend a day doing park-like activities. Also, there's a lot of history to the place. Google that perhaps? read more

Beautiful! I really was impressed and surprised at the size, cleanliness and safe keeping of the park. Very scenic and organized. The Rose Garden, the Tiny Zoo and a lot more wonderful sites. $3 for MA drivers, $5 for out of state drivers to enter the park. A separate fee for the Tiny Zoo. I went alone, but almost wish I had a date seeing other couples picnic around the gazebos. Highly recommend this park for all occasions alone or with a large group. read more

See all

What is not to love about this park? There's a zoo, pond full of various birds to feed, paths to run on, picnic areas to enjoy... I can go on and on. The way it was designed makes it such a beauty. I cannot wait to share some of our engagement photos on here. There are so many stunning fixtures and plants. When summer rolls around, it gets a little chaotic here, so we tend to avoid it. We come here fairly often on our family walks. My son loves to feed the ducks, geese and swans. My frenchie's senses go crazy here, especially when she runs into cats being walked on leashes (who happen to be bigger than her). There are stairs that you can run on to get in some bootay work done. If you haven't checked it out, you must. read more

Forest Park in Springfield is a wonderful place to visit. It has ball fields, picnic areas, hiking trails, a zoo, a kiddy train, and water features (lakes and streams). It is visually beautiful and provides a great place for family activities. read more

This park is gigantic! We visited on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We rode our bikes in and avoided the park fee. There are fun dirt trails all around the park. We rode past the zoo and down the back roads to the duck ponds. The foliage was absolutely stunning. If you're in the area and need a scenic getaway, this is the place to go. read more

Great day spot. Went for the zoo. Didn't see on the site where you needed to pay cash to park so we had to leave to run to an ATM. Only took us about an hour to see all the animals but my son is older. Would take a couple hours with smaller kids. Next time we will take advantage of the rest of the park and stay for the day. Pool, picnic tables, and plenty of room to run around. Grounds are well kept. read more

Every time I try to bring the kids to the zoo, it's closing early or closed for the day. This is the third time we have tried to come see the animals. Today there was a half day at school so I checked online and Google said they were open until 4. We arrived just after one, only to find out they were actually closing "in twenty minutes or so". The staff at the front gate was unpleasant and said they were closing early "due to the weather". It's warm and sunny. I don't get it. I give up! read more

Forest Park - This is as much of the zoo as the kids have been some to see due to the "bad weather". :( - Parks Near Me - Springfield, Massachusetts

I've never been to a park that charged an entrance fee before, so I had pretty high expectations. I think I am spoiled living in Southern California, because I was super disappointed by this park. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot going on here. There's a lake, a rose garden, a duck pond, a pool, tennis courts, and a zoo. But with a $3 entrance fee per car (and the park is way too big to not bring a car) as someone just passing through, this place was both over and underwhelming at the same time. I was surprised by the size of the playground - just a small structure (with no swings) in front of the entrance to the zoo. The swings are a sad sight - just a few a trek around the corner, just sitting there all alone. You get a map that doesn't designate anything when you enter the park so it was also hard to navigate. I figured I'd be able to walk from one section to another, but it's not really designed like that. Plus, as I drove into the park, I got stuck behind a car club, winding through the narrow roads - a little like finding yourself as part of a parade with no way to get off the parade route. If you are local, probably worth an afternoon. If you are looking for a place to take the kids while the rest of your group checks out the basketball museum - skip it. read more

The women working the ticket area was completely incompetent. Argued about my military ID and then charged full price for my infant. Didn't want to argue just wanted to take my child to the zoo!!! read more

It's a great place to take the family out to and enjoy the outdoors and escape the busy urban life style of Springfield! It is hard to believe that Springfield has something nice to offer its residence, but Forest Park is one of my favorite place to be in the city. It has trails to hike on, a duck pond, numerous baseball diamonds, a beach volleyball court, open spaces to play a game of soccer/tag football, a zoo (though I haven't been there since 1st grade), and MOST importantly a steep hill! The steep hill is my favorite place to be during the winter since all I need is a trash bag to go sledding which is something I learned in ECOS (a program that Forest Park offered) while in grade school. The park also sponsor various activities throughout the year, such as Cancer awareness walks and Bright Nights. It is seriously hard to believe that one man used to own this entire Estate and was generous enough to donate it to the city and its residence! Furthermore, in full disclosure, I go to Forest Parks with my grandparents for the NUMEROUS Poké Stops that are scattered throughout the park. In general, Forest Park is the nicest park in the City of Springfield. read more