I love walking at Millennium Park. I have been exercising here for many years. There are miles and…read moremiles of paths to explore. I enjoy mixing up my different routes to go different distances. There are several small lakes, one of which has a beach and other activities such as paddle boats. There are two different entrances to the park, which helps spread visitors out on really busy days like weekends. On the Secchia Meadows side, there is a nice pavillon where my friends had their wedding. I highly recommend Millennium Park for anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors, spotting creatures such as deer, turtles, muskrats, eagles, and more.

I've got lots of thoughts running through my head, simultaneously, all the time. So when I stepped…read moreup to the check-in counter at Millennium Park Boat Rentals, the thoughts in my head were: Wow! It only costs $8 per hour to rent a kayak? Sweet! Wow! These people checking me in and telling me safety information are incredibly young! Will they be able to save me and my family if our kayaks flip over and we fall into the lake? Wow! What a beautiful day! But I wonder how often people fall into the lake. I also wonder how deep the lake is. I also wonder if it's possible to be trapped underwater if your kayak flips over. In the end, I decided to kick it on the sandy beach and wave at my family as they happily paddled on the lake. They had a great time kayaking. I had a great time not kayaking. Like Hot Chocolate says: Everyone's a winner, baby. Kayaks are either single-person or double, and we used one of each. There are very few instructions given, which was a little alarming to me. (You mean you just assume we know what we're doing?!) But fortunately, my family knew what they were doing, so they didn't need much instruction to get themselves out on the water. As you paddle around the lake, you pass the Millennium Park beach and splash pad, plus little islands here and there. There is about four miles of shoreline to explore. I was told that the lake was nice and calm, and that it was a pleasant time on the water. We rented kayaks, but Millennium Park Boat Rentals also offers canoes, paddle boats and stand-up paddle boards to rent. Keep in mind that rentals are seasonal -- this place is only open from Memorial Day-ish to Labor Day-ish.

Hagar Park is a great old growth forest with trails, old and "new" playground. Many shelters…read moreavailable for rent and picnic tables everywhere for a fun/ low key get together. I love biking or walking through the trails. I love how this park backs up to a neighborhood and feels quiet yet is still residential. There is a huge wooden play ground that overlooks a grass and rock replica of the USA complete with hills representing mountain ranges. You can walk the perimeter of it for a close up view, but the best vantage point is from the top of the hill. Many things to play on and do at Hagar Park. Pack yourself a picnic and enjoy the facilities during these warmer summer months.

We have a family reunion here most summers, reserving Maples Shelter. It is a gazebo styled covered…read morepicnic area with a concrete floor. There are several picnic tables, AC power outlets to plug in crock-pots, etc., and a counter to lay out food to serve. There is a drinking fountain just outside the shelter. Parking is close and the adjacent grassy area is great for yard games. It is also reasonably close to the massive wooden play structure and modern restrooms.

Hudsonville Nature Center ⁣ ⁣…read more76 BEAUTIFUL acres of woodlands, wetlands and prairies is tucked away is this neighborhood. It's absolutely gorgeous in the Fall. ⁣ ⁣ These hiking trails are well kept and well loved by the community. Along the trail are lookouts, bridges, and picnic areas. The nature center offers guided tours as well! ⁣

We have our monthly group walks and love the quiet and beautiful walk. Easy walk but definitely a…read more must see

I recently visited Johnson Park for disc golf - well, Nate and our friend disc golfed, I just…read more"hiked" the course with them. It was a super sunny and hot spring day, so the park was pretty busy with a lot of people looking to enjoy the sunshine. The parking lot got full after we arrived - not sure if there is overflow parking available. I can't really speak to the difficulty of the course for playing, but it is super hilly and made for a sweaty hike around for a couple of hours for me. There's not a ton of shade as many of the holes are out in a massive field. The areas in the woods are shadier but seems like it would be pretty easy to lose a disc in there. It's not very accessible - some of the holes in the woods are accessed by stairs with no ramping available. The park itself is huge and sprawling, with the majority of people playing disc golf. The course signage was good for 2/3 of the course - a few of the later holes didn't have the "next hole" sign directing you where to go. There are apps you can use that help with this. There is another park of Johnson Park that includes picnic areas, an open shelter, the historic shelter for events, ball diamonds, restrooms, playgrounds, and a winter sledding hill. There are trails to walk in this area as well.

Jack O'lantern works is a family friendly seasonal event. Overall we had a great time and it gave…read moreus a good excuse to get some steps in and socialize with family in the process. The carvings are pretty amazing- at first we were super impressed because some of the first ones we seen were fresh and clearly hand carved. As the event went on we realized more and more that many were fake and many were likely carved by lasers. Is it worth the stop? Yes! Just make sure to bundle up because it was a chilly one! Taking one star away for lack of clarity and direction on arrival. Also, some members of our group felt like the advertisement was slightly off because they emphasized hand carved pumpkins and it was clear most weren't done by hand.

This was a fun experience! Perfect not-too-spooky fall activity for families, younger kiddos, or…read moreanyone who just wants to see some pumpkins. There was a lot to see, and it was a very pretty experience, but it was pretty commercialized- fake pumpkins, supposedly hand carved but not homemade looking (which isn't a bad thing necessarily). It was a little confusing when we first got there- we couldn't find the entrance- but once inside, it was self explanatory. It was a little busy and we had to wait in line once inside for the first couple areas, but it got a little more spread out as we went. I think we spent about $22 each on tickets, which might be pricey for some, so something to keep in mind. Overall, it was a fun time, and if you have the money to spend, it's worth it!

Small park, the pond is more of a duck pond than a fishing pond but there are fish in it. Disc golf…read morecourse...sand volleyballa and picnic area. Overall not a bad city park.

Very nice, calming afternoon trail to walk. Has a couple options for trail routes, all around one…read moremile long. Big steep hills and rooty paths some spots. Fun, and nice park.

Everyone is flocking to the more well-known parks during the government mandated stay at home…read moreorder, as we can still leave our homes to go outside and hike, exercise, bike, walk, etc. However, it's not always easy to maintain social distance at a packed park! The City of Grand Rapids is recommending you try another park if the parking lot is half full or more in order to safely social distance. My boyfriend and I checked out Aman Park the other night right before sunset as the park closes at sundown. There are a few separate parking areas leading into the park, but the one closest to the yellow gate is the closest to the trailhead. There are several different loops, but we chose the shortest one as we didn't want to be wandering around in an unknown area after dark. The whole area is wooded and I felt very secluded in nature, which was nice. We only saw one other family walking around the trails while we were there, making social distancing easy. The terrain was pretty flat and easy for me to walk. The trails are marked which makes it nice to navigate. I would highly recommend checking out this park if you'd like to be in nature while maintaining social distance.

This review is more specifically for Millenium Park, which borders Grandville, Walker & Grand…read moreRapids. This is one of my favorite summer spots to take my girls. You have to pay to use the beach area & sprayground, put the playground area is huge and free. The beach area can get very crowded on weekends during the summer, so I stick to going mid-morning during the week, packing a lunch to enjoy there & then heading home for naptime. The grounds are very well maintained and there are very nice picnic shelters you can use. There is also a sand volleyball court and a walking/bike riding trails along a series of small man-made lakes. Last summer I didn't know that you could purchase an annual family pass for $40 until the summer was half over. I'll be going that route this year--we live only 10 minutes from the park and it's a welcome change of scenery for my kids, so I'm sure we'll be going almost one a week or every other week during the summer.

A great place for a bike ride or to take a dip at the beach. The splash park is also a great…read moreaddition. The entry fee for the beach and splash park is very reasonable.