Located not far from the Mount Dora Lighthouse, this medium-sized park has a shelter area with…read morepicnic tables, playground facilities with climbing features including one shaped like a pirate ship, a walking trail, public restrooms and even barbecue grills. The playground was getting a pretty good workout for a weekday afternoon. A reasonably sized parking lot where I left the van for a walk around the park. Gilbert Park is named for the person who donated the land, Earl Gilbert. [Review 1030 of 2024 - 1906 in Florida - 22058 overall]

One of many in the string of parks along the lake near downtown Mount Dora this cute spot has the…read more bronze alligator statue.

This is for sure in our top three favorite parks now!…read more It's tucked back behind Sky Zone, so it's quiet and has plenty of trees to shade it perfectly and allow for a nice breeze. The play structure is huge and offers so much to engage with and use imaginative play. There are multiple slides, as well as a few different areas with plenty of swings. We easily spent a few hours and didn't know the time had passed. Lots of space to run, jump, and climb. It is all very sturdy and safe, as well as clean.

When we moved out this way, I had a friend tell me how wonderful "the big playground behind the…read morechurch" was. Took a year or two to realize this is the place she meant. We've had multiple birthday parties for our kids here and attended others. The covered Pavillion with bathrooms is excellent. They had plugs for the crock pots full of food we brought. It's maintained daily, something I found out the time I arrived at 7am to sweep and blow leaves away and clean the tables. A lady showed up after I was done to do all that and thanked me instead. Oops! Oh yeah, then there's the huge playground. My kids have loved this place and all the wooden things to run around, through, up, and over for ages!

They tore it down and are going to build another playground. Not sure when the new one will be…read morecompleted. It was our favorite playground around.

This park is closed. The gates are locked and there is a sign posted that it's closed due to safety…read moreconcerns.

This playground is incredible! A community funded project, this playground is not to be missed - it…read morehas designs and features I haven't seen anywhere else! We love stopping to play here if we are in the Deland area. Freedom Playground has plenty of parking, bathrooms, pavilions with picnic tables, and playground equipment that can be used by a wide range of ages and body abilities. I love that the park has one main entrance gate to keep kids contained and also has the little kid area separate from the big kid area. There are accessibility features like wheelchair accessible ramps for the playground equipment and a ground level merry-go-round. There's plenty of slides, climbing and obstacles, a zip line, pirate ships, pretend play houses, and all the features you would want in a playground. I love the nods to Florida with multiple gators throughout! Freedom Park is a Florida gem!

From what I've read online, DeLand faced the exact same issue that so many municipalities around…read morethe country have faced and continue to face regarding what to do with their playgrounds. At one point in time it was a thing to build these large destination playgrounds made out of wood. While a nice idea on paper, eventually the upkeep proves to be problematic and expensive. Eventually the municipality is faced with the hard choice of costly renovations that will need to be redone in the not too distant future, demolishing the structure or trying to replace it with something more modern/contemporary. Either way it equals a lot of money that usually is nowhere to be found. Thankfully a few years ago DeLand along with residents, area companies, school children and a newly formed non-profit committee figured out how to replace the original wooden structure. Amazingly over 300K in private donations were raised along with DeLand kicking in the rest and what you have today is an amazing structure/facility. In my own area there have a been a few success stories with places like this: www.savekidscastle.org/ But there have also been a few mismanaged disasters with places like this: articles.mcall.com/2004-11-19/news/3571642_1_playground-jungle-gym-time-capsule What works here: * Lots of parking * Solidly clean bathrooms * Lots of shaded areas * Super safe recycled rubber ground which means no tracking mulch into the car * A very needed water fountain * Lots of different structures/play areas/misters that offer a ton of diversity What doesn't work: * At least when we were here the zipline was in sad shape. It needs to be raised up or just gotten rid of it because it was way too low to be enjoyable. I don't want to lay on the hyperbole but honestly aside one other park (Kids Castle in Doylestown, PA) this place is the nicest that I've ever seen and even though my kids are arguably a bit on the too old side to be enjoying a place like this, they still did. Great job DeLand! What an awesome place for the community!

A great park for kids all ages. A mix of turf and woodchips, and spaces to resevre for birthdays…read more The are also basketball courts and a fitness court to get a full body excercise. I visited on a weekend, later in teh morning, and with all of the kids, there was plenty of space for the kids to get around.

Very nice, brand new park. Kept the kids busy for hours! So much to do and very clean, new…read moreequipment. Parking lot is not complete, sandy parking spots. Handicap is fully paved. Didn't bother us though. This park is a new favorite. Also, very nice views in the distance!

Beautiful park for the kids right in the middle of downtown Sanford…read more Large playground area would swings. Lots of large beautiful oak trees for shade. Pavilion with picnic tables. Bathrooms Free books. Butterfly garden. Large open space for picnic Great place to talk a ball or football. Minutes from downtown Sanford restaurants and shops

No, this park is not gigantic but for the amount of space it's in they have quite a bit of great…read moreplayground equipment. We took our kids here recently after we drove by and saw it. We knew it was a must on our "park tour" that we have going on with our kids. The park is clean and best of all?? There's lots of shade from the trees! Shade at playground should be a requirement in Florida. I have been to far too many unshaded parks and it is BRUTAL. My kids particularly liked the big slide here. It's great! There's a bathroom here too and I didn't go in it but my husband says it's clean. The park is well kept and has a lot of great options for your kids to explore and enjoy.

Took my two young grandkids, 3 and 5. They had a blast! Bouncy inflatables for all ages. Space for…read morecrawlers to preschool, two separate bounce areas where my 3 year old loved to climb, bounce and slide, then the HUGE area for all ages. My 5 year old loved the big space and the challenge to climb and slide the bigger items. Next week I will be bringing more grandkids 6, 8, and 10. Hoping later in the year to bring my teen grandkids. Literally all ages and size have a fun, safe place to play. Even parents can join in if they want. Air conditioned, food and drinks available, but you can also bring water bottles and leave on one of the many long tables available. There are even some comfy chairs for parents who just want to chill while their kids play. Owner understands kids and their need to play! Great place to keep kids busy without spending a fortune!

I have a lot of great things to say about this place. I have been coming here since my kids were…read morelittle and it's always been a great time. Now my older kids have kids so I come with my grands. But... the most important part is my youngest, who is 16, decided that him and a group of friends wanted to relive their younger days and come back. They have had such a great time just being kids again. Thank you to the management for understanding that even at 16 they are still kids and allowing them to let go for a few hours meant the world to them.

No, the brand new large playground has been finished. It has been enjoyed by every child in…read morecelebration, but also many visitors from outside of our little town to the frustration of the residence who have been paying for this and Celebration has specific fees for residents. It is a really beautiful and well-maintained behind it. There is a large grass field used for games and social activities. There is also a pool that is currently under construction.

This park is great. In great order and everything was clean and felt safe. So grateful to have it…read morebe open to the public.