Love to bring the grandkids here. And I love that it's an "accessible" park. Childten who are differently abled need playgrounds too! read more

SGT Billy Wilson park - Parks Near Me - Buffalo, New York

See all

The boardwalk part of this park is beautiful and well maintained. There is great signage for some of the local species which I appreciated. However once you are past the boardwalk the grass is not well maintained on the trail. It was quite high and the bugs were terrible. read more

See all

Very clean, updated park, has parking and bathrooms, a soccer field. Wasn't there too long but noticed a hiking trail as well! Great place for the kiddos! So much to do for them. read more

Great little park that runs along Hopkins Rd in Amherst. Went there today to stretch my legs and get from fresh air, a break from being cooped up in the house during the pandemic. The playground is currently closed but always quite busy in the summer. They have some great features including a small zip line that I know have been mentioned many times before. My favorite is the boardwalk going through the swampy woods. Nice place to be during the summer heat as well as for observing the change of seasons. You never know what creatures you'll see. I love watching the large turtles! Check it out! read more

See all

What a wonderful park. Great walking area and super fun playground for kids to enjoy. This park is surrounded by woods which make for nice shade. Its a lot of grass for picnics or playing soccer. read more

SGT Billy Wilson park - Parks Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Fantastic playground - popular spot so can get crowded quickly. I wish there were more shady areas to sit in. Next to the playground is a hill kids can run down (also used for sledding in the winter) and a field to run in too. Short walking path behind the playground as well, and a wooden path that walks over water in some spots which is great to see all different types of wildlife! read more

What a cool park, not too far from my work either. Nice bridged trails over a swamp area (we got to see some small turtles, too cute!) Lots of people were outside exercising and kids were on the playground (which I hear has a zipline, wow! ) Next time I hope to discover more of this place . read more

See all

This is a park more for a "leisure walk" than a "nature hike" but I still think its super pretty. There is the swamp area with a wooden boardwalk, a second concrete trail that loops around the more open part of the part, a soccer field, covered picnic tables, plenty of parking, and even public restrooms! Hard to ask for anything more from a park. The boardwalk somehow manages to make you feel like you are in a remote jungle even with the busy street right next to you. I think I actually like the street because as a former desert dweller the forest still kinda freaks me out (I get nervous when I cant see the horizon). There is also a great little hill for sledding. This past winter it seemed like the place to be after a couple inches of snow! read more

See all

Billy Wilson was the member of the Beach Boys that nobody knew about. Unlike Brian Wilson, he did not lie in his bed just like the Barenaked Ladies did. This is a beautiful park that I just discovered this morning, in the middle of posh posh posh posh East Amherst. I was surprised it wasn't on Yelp under either of its monikers. It's called Margaret Louise Park according to all the maps, but the sign says Billy Wilson Park. He was a fallen soldier from this area. I think they've just changed it over. Here is the full story about the name change: http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/amherst/fuss-over-renaming-amherst-park-ends-by-honoring-memory-of-afghan-war-hero-20140226 Regardless of the name, it's a beautiful unspoiled space that almost nobody seems to be using (the parking lot is usually empty or close to it), and it has nature trails, ducks, wildlife, some cool stuff for people to walk on and kids to climb on (not sure if allowed, but it looks fun), so if you live in this area, totally check this park out. read more

SGT Billy Wilson park - Parks Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This is hands down the best park for all ages! This gem of a park is located in a quite setting surrounded by woods. Far enough from the street to keep kids safe but not a long walk from the parking lot. It appears as if no expense was spared in crafting a park that has something for everyone. From music making objects for toddlers, to sit down zip line for older kids, this park has few equals.... At least from my experience. There are many structures to enjoy. read more

SGT Billy Wilson park - Billy Wilson park - Parks Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This is our favorite community park year around! In the summer, kids can have fun at the brand new playground, watch turtle in the pond, casual walk in the woods. While in the winter, it has this big hill for the snow sliding for the younger ones, or if they don't afraid the cold, kids can still play in the playground. read more

Took my little man the other day to get some fresh air and he enjoyed it. I didn't have him play on the playground because I wanted to stay in line with the social distancing. So explored the trail and I went near the grass and blew bubbles for him to catch. Nice park, plenty of parking and clean. read more

See all

This place is like mini nature gem - I can't believe I didn't know this park existed (until a fellow school parent told me). It's amaaaazing!!! The highlight has got to be the zip-lines, my kids had a crazy good time waiting in line over and over again for a chance to zip back and forth - how many playgrounds do you know has something this cool??? This park is huge, clean, and the playground area has a fantastic play area with tons of amazing things kids who love to climb, run, jump -insert other verbs of energetic kiddos- can have a great time using. There's these two really neat equipment with rollers (I have no idea what they are or called) that I've never seen at other playgrounds as well. One is a slide and the other one you can run continuously on (like a stationary treadmill) or slide across from one end to another. There's two picnic gazebos with shade, a restroom, a jogging/bike track, plenty of benches, a mini hill (perfect for sledding in winter I imagine) oh and a biking/hiking trail! I didn't get to explore the trails yet but that is saved for another fun day here very soon!! read more

SGT Billy Wilson park - Must try the ziplines! - Parks Near Me - Buffalo, New York

See all

Uh, the new play structure rocks. I admittedly spent some time here playing on the playground and LOVED it. I felt like a kid again. I mean, there are zip lines here! Not real zip lines, but in practice...they function just like them! The playground is also handicap accessible. My friend and I had a blast swinging, playing tic-tac-toe and meeting some of the other people on the playground. The one kid we met was a 19-year-old and was super excited to show us the swings and how some of the playground functioned. I think this is a fun playground for little kids too, but some of the equipment may need a teensy wit more supervision. As far as the nature trail, it was nice to explore. It was night time by the time we started the hike, so it was kind of hard to see, but I would love to return in the daylight sometime. read more

What a great park for a smooth walk. This park has a nice level walkway, part of it is wooded boardwalk throughout the woods, and the rest is a paved bike path between the woods and the road. Other than the fall leaves, the path was well maintained and very clean. Would be good for a bike ride too, even though you will need to walk your bike while on the boardwalk. There are also a few educational signs about different plant species, but not many. Great for a short easy walk to view the fall foliage but didn't see too many animals while we were there. read more

SGT Billy Wilson park - Parks Near Me - Buffalo, New York

See all

If you've driven by the Great Baehre Swamp and want to walk along the boardwalk, this is where you park. Your GPS might try to stick you in the middle of a neighborhood across the street or a nearby apartment complex instead, even if you click on directions on the official website. I'm not sure why a recent review (within the past week) says there's no playground anymore because there's one under construction, and it looks like it's close to being finished. The boardwalk is short, but there's also an asphalt path behind the park that offers somewhat of a reprieve from road noise. You won't be able to do a lot of walking, but there's plenty of opportunities to see nature. I saw a fawn frolicking with its mother. I also saw someone laying in the grass in the ample hills around the park, but there's a Lyme disease warning so I'd avoid that, personally. read more

This playground is a beautiful testament to what happens when a community gets together to do something good. The previous play structures were very outdated and rarely used. Now there is a beautiful play area with modern and accessible play for all. For my family, this playground appeals more to my toddler and 4 year old than my older two, which is the opposite of a previous review. However, the slides are short or slow, the structures are much shorter than, say, the local elementary school, and the spinning merry-go-round is actually fairly slow. The climbing structures are perfect for ages 4-7. And the zip line, Lord that zip line, is great for everyone. That is not to say there aren't older children here- it's more that they are using the playground as an American Ninja Warrior training ground, while the smaller kids are tending to use it as intended. Both groups seem to enjoy themselves. Cons- as mentioned, there are no swings, which seems like an odd thing to leave out, since there are accessible swings. And I hate to be "that mom" but the area where the zip lines are are very open, and very close to all of the rest of the playground. It is very easy for a younger child to wander into that space, and be hit by either the moving chair or a 9 year old with nothing to lose. The zip lines are both my favorite and least favorite thing about this playground depending on which child I am with. This playground is currently very, very popular and is crowded in the morning, and in the 4-5 o'clock hour. read more

See all

I almost don't want to review (because it's quiet, and under the radar and lovely). A friend told me about Billy Wilson Park as I was looking to go for a walk on this beautiful ::cough:: "Fall" day. I had never been, or even heard of this park, but it was exactly what I was hoping for .Pulling in to the lot, there is a good sized play area for the kiddos which sits near a nice little hill that I understand makes for great sledding for the little ones in winter ( Park restrooms here too.) I did not explore the whole park, but I chose to walk through the swampy grounds via the boardwalk. The boardwalk is a lovely, rustic (somewhat rickety) walkway which makes for a great walk through the wooded/swampy area. There were just a couple of other folks walking during the mid afternoon hours so it was very peaceful.It was close to half sun/half shade which was great.The walk across the boardwalk will take you several minutes, not more than 10 I would say, unless you choose to stop at one of the equally rustic benches along the way. Though it would not be comfortable I am sure, I wished I had my book as it seemed such a peaceful place to sit and read. There is a bike trail that I did not explore , I look forward to investigating next time I stop by. read more

See all

Billy Wilson Park previously known as Margaret Louise Park has made some improvements over the last few years. They constructed a brand new playground area that is suitable for all children. You can see that there is a lot more interest in going to the park. It is clearly evident because they are currently making the parking lot bigger. There is a nice walking trail that leads to Klein Rd. When overlooking the bridge, you will see fish and snapping turtles. If you wait long enough large turtles will appear. There is a bike trail leading through the park and on the road. Soccer nets are also set up so it is not uncommon to see teams practicing. read more

SGT Billy Wilson park - Billy Wilson Park - Parks Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I've always liked this park. It's nice, peaceful. Now includes a super unique playground. I'm deducting a star because of the unique nature of the playground. It's cool but it seems more geared toward older kids. Brought a friend's 4 year old here. She just wanted swings! There was a cool zip line swing. ONE swing. She didn't like the look of it and there seemed to be a wait for it. So, for little kids, there are better playgrounds. For older kids (& hell even adults) this is a pretty fun place. Cool structures to monkey around on. A super squishy ground around the structures which is just plain enjoyable to walk on. If your kid likes traditional swings though, they don't have those here. Note to self regarding the swings, or you'll spend 5 minutes here, get stung by a bee, and leave with a cranky child. Yeah. Enjoy. read more

There is no playground anymore. I would say that's the one thing missing. There is a lovely Boardwalk through the forest. Nice place to hang around with children. There are turtles in the ponds there that the kids enjoy. It's a great walk on a nice day! read more

Heard a story about why the name changed, no idea though. Nice small park, which there was more trails and events there. Great place for a picnic. read more

This park is a small park, mostly used by locals to go for a walk on its beautiful path. The path itself is not that long, but it is good for a nice stroll with a loved one. The soccer field is not very well managed, but the goals themselves are relatively nice. The playground is pretty cool, but I'm sometimes worried my kids are going to get splinters while playing on it - probably just me worrying too much! The hill is great for taking little kids sledding - you always see a bunch of kids there whenever you pass by it. It would be 4 stars but the fact that it was built on a former landfill docks a star from me as if is always in the back of my head that there could be hazardous waste here. I'm glad that Amherst has kept this park open after all of these years! read more

This is a very, very short "nature trail". I use the quotes because there is really only one walking path and it's a man-made boardwalk. On one side of the boardwalk there are some woods, but on the other side, you are right next to Hopkins Rd. Not very serene to hear and see the traffic whizzing by. When we wen as two adults without children, we were underwhelmed by the trail. We were there for exercise and tried heading back into the woods on some of the maintenance roads to keep walking and exploring a little further in the back of the park. It was very boring. This park is not really worth the drive to go and see, but if you live in the neighborhood and have a small child or two, then this is a nice little walk. There is a pond with a turtle or two. A couple of birds, if you're lucky. The playground is nice enough. Nothing more there, except a soccer field and a parking lot. read more