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    Optimist Park

    4.0 (1 review)

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    3 years ago

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    Sharon Johnston Park - Yeehaw!!

    Sharon Johnston Park

    5.0(6 reviews)
    12.7 mi

    Sharon Johnston Park is a park we frequented growing up. Back then it did not offer all that it…read moredoes these days; however, they have always hosted a Madison County Youth Fishing Rodeo every May. The lakeis stocked with catfish, bream, bass and crappie. Other annual events are a classic car show and a fall festival. I always knew the park honored Sharon Johnston but didn't know anything about Sharon. Turns out she was quite the "dare devil" and was a stunt pilot who tragically died when her biplane crashed during an air show at the South Weymouth Air Station at the young age of 31. She lost control of the single engine plane during a series of spins and crashed. Her family donated the land to the community in her name because it was a place she loved dearly, where her father built a lake, worked to conserve wildlife, and taught his children about the wonders of nature. Since the 70s the park has really grown! Now it includes an arena (think horse arena - not concert venue), a marked walking/running course, rental pavilions, a playground with pavilion, Olympic sized swimming pool, campground for tent and RV camping, frisbee golf, and a shooting range. It's a cool park with some neat rustic touches like an old wooden carriage and log cabin styled structures.

    We love this park!! More importantly, the kids love this park. We're thankful to have this nearby…read moreas there soo much to do here. Can't wait to plug in more with the activities here.

    Photos
    Sharon Johnston Park - Entrance

    Entrance

    Sharon Johnston Park - Rustic Cabin on the grounds of Sharon Johnston Park, Coleman Rd, New Market, AL

    Rustic Cabin on the grounds of Sharon Johnston Park, Coleman Rd, New Market, AL

    Sharon Johnston Park - PoolArea

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    Jones Valley Recreation Association

    Jones Valley Recreation Association

    5.0(1 review)
    4.6 mi

    Walking past the neighborhood pool last night and hearing the sounds of cheering children for the…read moreweekly swim meet brought back such memories. Let me be clear - I haven't been to JVRA in years. But considering I spent every day of my summers there from age 4 until moving to college, it holds a special place in my heart. There's a main pool with a shallow end for kids, a regular lap area (6 lanes), and a deep end with a couple of 1m springboards. There's also a kiddie pool and a junior pool. There's a covered patio area for picnics and such. Sure the whole thing smells of chlorine, but the staff always took pride in maintaining the facilities. They also have tennis courts and offer lessons and clinics, but my strength was always in the water. My love for JVRA was solidified by my participation in summer swim team. At the time we were the city league champions for 4 or 5 years running. It helped that we had 2 swimmers who went on to become Olympians. I'm still proud when I talk to my parents each July and my mom tells me that they're league champions again (since 2005, according to the website). This pool really is family oriented. The life guards grow up through the swim team and then become the coaches. The 4th of July festivities are the best - particularly the bike parade, when every kid decorates his or her bike with red, white, and blue crepe paper. I will always think of JVRA whenever I smell chlorine and freshly laundered towels on a warm summer evening. #Yelp365 - 152/365

    Photos
    Jones Valley Recreation Association - RCSL summer swim Jones Valley Wednesday Nights

    RCSL summer swim Jones Valley Wednesday Nights

    Jones Valley Recreation Association - City Meet

    City Meet

    Jones Valley Recreation Association

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    Higher Pursuits - Left side waterfall

    Higher Pursuits

    5.0(59 reviews)
    59.9 mi

    Wonderful day in the river. River was beautiful and the staff were great. Looking forward to…read moreusing them again.

    This was my first experience on the Duck River, and it was a great one! Higher Pursuits made…read morebooking online really easy, the pricing was fair, many different options as to what type of boat you wanted for the day, and offered updates on Facebook in regards to weather/closings for the day. The location was really easy to find, once we arrived we checked in and were offered some general information about what to do and the location of changing rooms/restrooms. We were also given instructions about the route we would be floating, the vast collection of mussels we may see, and information about other wildlife we may come across, and safteg information. The launch is a quick drive from the base location. The employees were all very friendly and helpful. They got us all set up and sent us on our way. The water was shallow, but still had some nice current in places. The Duck River was extremely peaceful, and not over crowded (the spacing out between groups from Higher Pursuits helped with that greatly). Getting picked up at the end, and knowing where to stop was also made to be a breeze. Higher Pursuits runs things like a well oiled machine and really has a great system going! Between the ease of everything, the peaceful kayaking location, and the friendly customer service I could not have asked for a better experience!

    Photos
    Higher Pursuits - Waterfall from under a rock

    Waterfall from under a rock

    Higher Pursuits
    Higher Pursuits

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    Ditto Landing - Lemonade

    Ditto Landing

    2.9(12 reviews)
    12.0 mi

    I grew up bank fishing at Ditto more times than I can count. For bank fishing it is just fine. We…read morehad our Senior Skip Day at Ditto, also, which was big fun back in the early 80s. My sorority rented the small pavilion for a picnic reunion which was a good time, like Angela said, "in the golden years of my youth," :D Since Mom lives around the corner, she and I, (and my fav. Sister) have driven Mom to and around Ditto to stop and eat lunch, enjoying the view of the TN river, and just take Mom on a "joyride." Yesterday, Mom and I did a Ditto visit and, sweet 88 year old Mom summed it up as she was reading the ancient "beautification award" outside the larger pavilion, she said "beautification award - for what?!?!?!" :D Ditto has always had so much potential to be a true destination for **so** long and it just falls short. I can't count the times local news would announce a restaurant coming to Ditto and then the masterplan to develop Ditto into a destination (uploaded to the photos) was so exciting! These great plans never seem to materialize. I get it - it floods; however, the masterplan seemed to have mitigation plans for that. I attended an event (wine tasting maybe) in large pavilion in the 80s and it looks like, as of yesterday, the pavilion has had zero updates and hardly much upkeep since then. I didn't bother walking in to get a look see, it was just unappealing from the parking lot, which is in crappy shape, too. I'm happy we have Ditto, and it is a nice place for a shady picnic by the marina, and the smaller Winstead Pavilion was a nice area for my sorority picnic/reunion. It's covered (of course) and has at least one ceiling fan, with easy parking. I just wish Huntsville's masterplans materialized more often than they seem to, and again, wish Ditto was more than a harbor, campsites, RV hookups, a small children's playground, ample fishing from the banks, pavilions, and dry docks.

    No signage or direction on where to check in, had to call to find out where. Was put in a site by…read morethe road which most were. No real trees around so no buffer from the road noise. You had to park on a giant rock hump. garbage on the site was everywhere. The area up front was not mowed or kept up in any way. There are no amenities up here, just in the back by the marina. The road was rough to park our RV. No military discounts. so if you are desperate for a one night stay, go for it. I will not be back.

    Photos
    Ditto Landing - Kayaked 6.4 miles around Hobbs Island. 20160416

    Kayaked 6.4 miles around Hobbs Island. 20160416

    Ditto Landing - Leisure float yak'g and exploring near the Whitesburg Bridge. 20160610

    Leisure float yak'g and exploring near the Whitesburg Bridge. 20160610

    Ditto Landing - HSV's schematic/visual from 04/2105. Does Ditto look like this? Nooooooo

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    HSV's schematic/visual from 04/2105. Does Ditto look like this? Nooooooo

    Optimist Park - parks - Updated June 2026

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