I took a few of my nieces and nephews to River Bend this week end.. It was a wonderful time. They…read moreabsolutely enjoyed their selves. However,, there were woodcarvers showing young people how to carve.. You had to be 10 or older. So they said.. we seen children there that we no for fact were not 10 yet it seemed almost sad that it did not concern anyone.. And likewise I met with a supervisor there that was less than warm to us.. I don't usually get any negative feelings from protocol or rules.. But for some reason this time around here on this day I got a really sad feeling from these few individuals.. I dare not mention much else as I'm certain they will know who I am.. We did after this sad encounter .. meet up with a few awesome volunteers that didn't seem to care one way or another who we were or what we were..and they showed the kids how to build a fire and gave them some awesome knowledge.. but I think I'm gunna stick to Colonial No one to pass judgement .. thank you ...

I just discovered this park earlier this summer and love it. It's serene with beautiful vegetation…read moreand has a great trail that follows along the Root River. The trails are well maintained with either gravel or wood chips to prevent walking in mud. I have seen herons, bunnies, and deer up close and personal while hiking through the woods. It may just be my favorite park in town.

This beautiful park is located about 15 minutes east of the I-94 freeway. There is a driveway that…read moreleads to a large parking lot far enough away that one cannot hear automobiles from the adjacent road. The park hosts a large pavilion (it can be rented out) with a lot of picnic tables that are like brand new, grills, nice indoor bathrooms, a softball diamond, a large playground, a basketball goal, a sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits, and plentiful areas for picnics. During the time of my first visit, I was unable to explore the hiking trails that lead through the natural areas of prairies, woodlands, and wetlands. However, I was able to enjoy the tranquility of the surround landscape while discussing upcoming plans with friends. There were a couple family with kids playing at the playground and a man walking his dog along the edge of the manicured lawn and prairie plants. The lights are on a timer at the Pavilion and turned on at dusk. The women's restroom was clean and I did not see any spiders (this is extremely important to me.... I hope it continues to remain spider free!). After a Google search, I discovered this park was created recently to serve as a "pollinator paradise" that also slows runoff from the surrounding landscape into the Pike River. *my heart* It's everything I went to graduate school for and then some. This is an ideal place for a nature hike, meeting, taking your kids to play, picnic, family reunion, bridal/baby shower, etc. I was really impressed with the up-keep. Although it is a 35 minute drive, I plan on returning to explore the hiking trails with my pup and meeting up with friends. This is definitely a successful project that was completed by Mount Pleasant and Root-Pike WIN (with assistance from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Fund for Lake Michigan, and other partnerships). 5 stars!!!

I don't make it out to the Kenosha area very often.But a friend's band was playing at the…read morepetrafying Springs beer garden, so we took a drive out for some Saturday evening entertainment. Tons of parking available. A huge amount of picnic table seating around the small stage. Plenty of activities happen all throughout the week.On the different days. The beer garden has a wide selection of beverages and also has large refillable beer stein's available for purchase. All the food that came out of the kitchen looked absolutely amazing. We tried the kenosha Pizza and also the pretzel, which was accompanied with somersausage cheese, curds, a delicious mustard and an absolutely incredible cream cheese type dip.I highly recommend it. Music was done at nine o'clock and the beer garden closes at ten. Played an interesting game which you can view in the photos. Very kid and dog friendly with a playground and dog park nearby. Wasn't able to walk through the rest of the park , but had an amazing time just at the beer garden. Stay thirsty my friends.

What a nice park. We were cruising through town and saw this on the map and decided to check it…read moreout. There is a lot going on at this park. + Free spring water where you can fill up your own jugs. + A dog park + A beer garden (though unfortunately it was closed given it is off season) + A golf course + Plenty of picnic areas and shelters + Hiking trails + Bike trails + A raging river (spring runoff) + Many playgrounds + Free Wifi (given the ravine it is in cell service was spotty - at least T-Mobile) The one negative is that a number of the picnic shelters do not have convenient parking nearby - it is a very odd set-up. Overall a real gem for this community.

Hawthorn Hollow will always have a special place in my heart because I grew up as their neighbor…read more The Pike Creek is truly a hidden gem in southeastern Wisconsin. The land is serene and peaceful, filled with wildlife throughout the area. Great for bird watching or taking a nice hike with the family. Hawthorn Hollow hosts a variety of fun events and workshops. The folks that work there are some of the friendliest as well. Highly recommend visiting Hawthorn Hollow if you've never been!

This was my second visit to this quaint, tucked away nature mecca. I was in awe of the natural…read morebeauty and history that is so delicately preserved. After driving all the way to the back, we parked our car near a discreetly tucked away porta-potty. There is also a small building with information and photos for the visitors. Personalized bricks are available for purchase that are then placed on the floor in front of the visitor's building. Classes, concerts, tours and options for wedding photography are available. I was struck by the many private trails and paths to choose from. They wind around vast amounts of foliage and over streams. We only encountered one other group of three women the entire visit There is a tiny outdoor theater area with small wooden benches, where you can attend shows and concerts and a teepee hidden back in the dense wooded area. At the front of the park, there is an place for honeybees to work - doing their thing. Also, toward the back of the park, the trees open up to a beautiful field of grass and flowers. Set way in the back are three tiny white buildings. First and second Pike River School Houses and Somers Town Hall stood, with quiet elegance in the distance. They were maintained beautifully and enjoyable to walk through. The effort put forth to maintain everything naturally was very obvious. If a tree falls it stays. If the bushes and foliage grow dense it stays. I did not get a commercialized and man made impression as I toured the nature sanctuary. There is even a tiny wooden box for donations. I peeked through the crack, before I dropped in my money, and was very happy to see that others appreciate what goes into maintaining this storybook setting and had donated as well. I am so pleased they are able to preserve the Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary. It's a little piece of quiet elegance, where children can learn, families walk, friends can enjoy a concert or class and couples can celebrate in this hidden gem.

Bender Park: Located on the shores of Lake Michigan in Oak Creek, this park offers some lovely…read moreviews of the lake and scenic trails. While it is a nice park, I prefer Lake Vista Park, which is located directly next door to the north. If I visit Bender Park in the evening, I've noted on multiple visits that certain drivers tend to speed recklessly through the parking lot. The other plus to Lake Vista is it does have a playground for kids, while Bender does not. Only other complaint is that the WE Energies plant to the south is a bit of an eyesore in an otherwise scenic location.

Great Park, there is cool beach, two brand new shelters and rocks with sparkles on them. Super cool…read moreplace with fantastic view of the Oak Creek Power plant.

Nice big park with all sorts of recreation possibilities including soccer, softball, baseball,…read morehiking, picnics, frisbee, kite flying, or fencing. Actually I don't know if fencing foils or any swordplay is allowed here but I didn't see any signs prohibiting it. The real attraction is the beer garden, they have a couple of great food choices, good beer, some bad beer, fire pits, and a friendly low key crowd of families, couples, smaller groups of friends. Lots of parking.

Nice park, scenic, peaceful, and well maintained. In nice weather it's a good choice for a picnic…read more Always easy paeking.

I went to Pershing Park with friends before sailing. We decided to hang out and have a picnic. It's…read morea nice location near the marina. It overlooks Lake Michigan. There is plenty of parking and plenty of space to hang out and relax while sharing a meal. It's particularly a nice spot in the late afternoon.