A nice area for hiking/walking that has some wide paths and not so overgrown. There are plenty of…read moretrails to diverge from. Hemlock Falls seems to be a draw and is very nice to relax around but can get a little crowded. Because there are multiple parking lots with easy accessibility, there's a bit of trash and broken glass here and there which is unfortunate. There were quite a few hikers, trail runners and dogs but it never felt claustrophobic. The hikes aren't that difficult but there are quite a few rocks and protruding tree roots. Montclair is less than 10 minutes if you want a bite to eat afterwards.

Great walk. Nothing like a walk through nature. Taking in the sights and sounds, what a beautiful…read morething!!!

I love Meadowland Park. My favorite thing to do is to walk around the Duck Pond. Meadowlands Park…read moreis a great resource for locals in the area. In addition to the Pond, there are Flood Hill, the tennis courts, ball fields, basketball courts, and Beard Center. The Park is easy to get to from downtown if you live in the area closer to the train station, but you can also drive here and find street parking.

Have many memories here having grown up in the area. Known to locals as "Floods Hill" because of…read morethe part of the park that is a huge attraction after a solid snow fall for sledding. Along with Floods Hill the other sections of the park include the "Duck Pond" (where the meadowlands park plack can be found) - or what used to be since geese have taken up residence for the past decade or so and thrown out the ducks. Cameron field, where baseball, softball and other field games gather and "The Baird center" which is where all of the community and recreation affairs can be handled such as registering for youth team sports and tennis lessons. I have many memories of this park where much goes on in the spring and summer including hosting festivals and used to host 4th of July festivities. Still a great place to pass through and the most sprawled and varied park in town.

What I enjoy most about this location is the Live Music series they host during the summer. Usually…read moretakes place on Friday and/or Saturday evenings; the line-up contains a variety of talent. That aside, parking is scarce on site but plentiful nearby and surrounding area (near/at SOPAC). There's no shortage of eateries, at all!! So it's a great central location.

Nothing better than free summer concerts at this park. There's a seat behind the fountain where…read moreyou get to be close to the band while enjoying the misty water spray.

Grove Park is one of my favorites in the Essex County vicinity. It's great for relaxing, people…read morewatching, exercising (jogging or walking), and there's always parking available within its four corners. The grounds are clean and manicured. Not much shade, but the trees are around for a little relief if the sun shines too brightly for you! Nestled right off of the bustling South Orange Avenue street.

Having grown up in the area this park is very nostalgic and familiar to me. It's changed a lot over…read morethe years and though it's on the small side it has a big things going for it. The playground is the obvious attraction for youngsters but there is huge open field space perfect for picnics, kite flying, Frisbee, playing catch and much more. Framing the open field is a walking path that wraps around at about a 1/2 a mile. probably most widely used part of the park for walkers or people passing through off the main road. It can get crowded, especially when people ride on it with their bikes. There are adequate benches around the park, trash receptacles and a water fountain which is nice. The park is regularly cared for and for it's size, is a nice little place to people watch or bring the little ones if you have any.

Cameron Field is the third "part" of Meadowlands park (see my Meadowlands park review) - The other…read moreparts included within are - Duck Pond, Floods Hill, The Baird Center and of course Cameron Field. To look at, Cameron field may be the least "interesting". It is an open field perfect for soccer or American football practice. There is a baseball field where practices are also held. Just beyond the field is a playground and just beyond that is the community pool. Cameron Field has a lot of nostalgia for me as I recall little league baseball (competitive games) would take place here and the playground used to be a place of fun and a place to hang out before and after leaving the pool. I love that the Baseball scoreboard remains intact, though I am not sure how often it is still used, if at all.

Cameron field is the area of the park with the most athletic fields. While there are other parks in…read moreSouth Orange that have fields for younger kids (like little league age tikes), Cameron field has a regulation baseball diamond for older people. The field is lighted for night games, as well. Technically, the town's swimming pool and the tennis courts are here, as well. I've never been to the community pool, but have been to the tennis courts. It's never been terribly crowded when I've gone.

Also colloquially known as "Walton Park," Farrell Field is on Walton Road near the border of South…read moreOrange and Maplewood. Unlike some of the other parks and playgrounds in the area that are brimming with little people and their caregivers at all hours, this spot somehow manages to fly under the radar a bit. It's modest, offering a playground area for both little tots and bigger children, as well as two fenced-in tennis courts, a baseball field and plenty of open, grassy space. As far as these things go, this is one of my favorite go-to spots when the kids need to release some energy or just goof off for a while.

Ivy hill park offers several well-marked trails, each leading to a different corner of the park…read more The Trail" winds through a dense grove, its soft earth inviting you to explore. For a more challenging hike, take the "walk Trail," which rewards you with panoramic vistas

Was in town visiting family and needed a place to exercise. Fortunately Ivy Hill Park was less than…read morea five minute walk. The park is chock full of things for the entire family: bathroom facilities, tennis court, basketball court, play area for the little kiddos, walking trail and the most cool park, an exercise area complete with illustrations on how to use the area and execute the exercises properly, to prevent injury. There weren't lots of people out during our visit, but certainly people of all ages which was nice to see. Shout out to the city, county, or state, whichever is responsible for prioritizing creating free access to resources for the community to get healthy. Lovely park, Ivy Hill will be our workout location when visiting town.

Waterlands Parks is small park and far from the avenue. I came across it the first time when I was…read morewalking on 3rd street by the Gaslight Commons and noticed the Rahway River cuts through it. There's a nice walking path, which I like. For the kiddies, there's a playground area and little league baseball/softball fields. The only thing is that it gets dark there at night. While South Orange is safe, I'm not a fan of standing around in the dark, so I would recommend coming here during the day and leaving before dusk.

This is a wonderful place to bring the whole family. They have about 12 different trails, all…read moreseparated in different levels of difficulty. The trails are free to enter but they do request for volunteer donation for non members. Different tiers of annul membership available to purchase at main office that comes with some wonderful perks, such as free access to trails and special events. The main office also has some of the exhibition items like insect box and turtle box. Outside the office there's also bird and butterfly cages. We went to the center for our daughter to participate in butterfly feeding event. Upon arrival we found out we had to buy the tickets for one of the two scheduled events. Luckily there were slots available to the second event on the day. The ticket was reasonably cheap, only $8. It also came with an additional bird's exhibition that took place right in front of office deck. All the stuff members were very friendly, informative and interactive. We spent wonderful couple of hours here on beautiful warm summer day.

This place is huge!!!! Visit and buy a membership and go often! The staff is kind, dedicated and…read moreknowledgeable! Sign up for a program or hike today!