If you find that you need to be near the open water but you're too far from Lake Norman and don't…read morewant to make the hike to the Ocean, maybe Bear Creek Park will do it for you. This park is at the end of a gravel and dirt road. It features a large covered picnic shelter and access to the lake for fishing. There is no swimming here and there are no boat launches. But you can bring a chair and sit by the water with your equipment. See if you're able to outsmart the fish. The park shelter can be reserved by contacting the County parks department. [Round number review 13100 overall, 417 of 2020.]

This place is very calm but no fish it's hard to catch. The area is limited and there is a small…read morepicnic area.

This seven-acre public park has a softball field, two basketball courts, a playground, swing set…read moreand picnic shelters with restrooms. A bit of graffiti and some trash in the parking lot plus and a few clowns who decided that this was a great spot to dump their household garbage. But the park itself is in good condition and has paved walking paths throughout. There is a good sized parking lot and some spots in the park do have shade. Note that the basketball nets are blocked off to keep people from using them during the pandemic. [Review 13097 overall, 414 of 2020.]

Located in a quiet residential neighborhood and aligned with Bear Creek, this three acre park…read moreprobably floods a lot. Today it's in great shape with lots of open space and well maintained grass areas. The park has a nice playground with monkey bars, a swing set and a slide. There are a number of benches for the grownups. There is street parking for this public park. [Review 13081 overall, 398 of 2020.]

This small home-sized lot is not much more than a very nice playground area with a couple of…read morebenches. The climbing frame is in excellent condition and there is a slide. The swing set looks great. All of that is on a soft base for tumbling toddlers. There is a small parking area. There is no shade here. The entire playground area is fenced in keeping little ones from potentially wandering off. [Review 13096 overall, 413 of 2020.]

This small park is in a residential neighborhood and there is some street parking. There is a nice…read moreswing set and some other playground equipment with benches. There is a picnic shelter with tables and I sat for a bit with my coffee. A pretty bridge over the stream is nice for pictures. This is a lovely park and it's a quiet spot. [Review 13079 overall, 396 of 2020.]

This 11 acre park features a lighted youth baseball field, an adult softball field and a permanent…read morestructure that houses restrooms and concessions. There are also two picnic shelters in a lovely shaded area that overlooks the ballfields and a small swing set. A great spot for my takeout lunch today. There is plenty of parking both near the baseball fields and near the shelters. [Review 13091 overall, 408 of 2020.]

One of two parks here on Woodland Drive that are split by Main Street. The other is Constitution…read morePark at 300 Woodland Drive and I would add that one except I know that the Yelp Hamsters would merge the two of them together because that's what they do. Independence Park at 300 Woodland Drive has four concrete picnic tables, and open green space. The rose garden is pretty and it is next to Gillis Creek. When I stopped by, a family was having a picnic and practicing their social distancing. Constitution Park at 200 Woodland has two concrete picnic tables, a bench swing and more open space. There is available parking at both and they are very well shaded. [Review 13085 overall, 402 of 2020.]

This medium-sized park is located adjacent to the Municipal Justice Center. There is a separate…read moreentrance and separate parking from the justice center. The park has two well-kept playgrounds (that were still open when I was there) with a number of benches and picnic tables. The areas are well shaded, which was very nice. It's a lovely spot. [Review 13089 overall, 406 of 2020.]