So many people make the mistake of thinking they have to travel to find exciting, undiscovered treasures, but that is not true. No matter where you live there are places you can explore and enjoy.
This weekend my family and I took a break from our home improvement project of fixing the deck stairs to visit a local park, Oxbow Falls Park. My son and I had visited this park briefly in the spring, and knew we had to go back with the whole family.
Oxbow Falls has an 18 hole disc golf course, which is obviously very popular, and is the only 18 hole course in New York State. But it was too hot for Frisbees, so we were interested in the waterfall. A local Boy Scout recently cleared 1 mile long trail and built a bridge to allow access to the bottom of the waterfall. The trail is so new that not many people know about it yet. We found out about it from a friend, and talking to friends and neighbors is a great way to learn about the undiscovered places in your community.
So we set off with our dog and water shoes and departed for a few hours of exploration. Now it isn’t Niagara Falls or anything, but it is quite pretty. The waterfall is about a 100 foot drop on the edge of the Helderberg Escarpment. It isn’t too steep, so we were able to hike up almost to the top by wading in the stream. Along the way it was fun to see all the different rock pools and the wide variety of trees and plants. We didn’t see much wildlife (probably due to the fact our dog was with us), but my 18 year old future biologist was fascinated by the huge millipedes that were climbing all over the moss covered rocks.
The whole trip took about 3 hours, was less than 20 miles from our house and cost us nothing except the gas to get there. Discovering your local community is a fun, frugal way to connect with your family.
Our favorite place is this little kid’s consignment shop. We just happened to be discovering the new little town we had moved to one day and going in all the little shops downtown. We happened to go to this place called Sweetpea Boutique and it was the cutest thing ever! Not only was everything priced great and had such cute stuff, but it was such a fun place to go to. They have tons of toys out that kids can play with and on, so it’s like an indoor playground. I absolutely love it and my son gets so excited whenever I tell him that we are going there.
Tweet http://twitter.com/tobinsmommy08/status/97105719245017088
My son and I love to go to the park by our house. It has a skate park and we love to people watch. I’m so glad we can share this fun time together while he is little.
our favorite place is a park not far from where we live..not many people go there,they go to some of the bigger parks-but we love this quiet well shaded park
Our town has a small park area, not the city park, that the kids love, and most times there are not many people there.
supergrand2009@yahoo.com
My favorite place is our school, it is the place I work but is also the place where my boys went to school, my parents went to school and where I also went. We all got a good education and had lots of fun also.
We have a lovely State Park. It has Historic Buildings, Science Exhibitions, Ball Courts, Walking & Bike Trails, Playgrounds, Picnic Areas. Pets are even allowed! We love it! When I have mentioned it to people, I am shocked how few even know it there. We have never seen it crowded. It is a mystery to me, that it is not taken advantage of more.
I Tweeted-@maxfate (When I looked for a link to the park-I saw that it famous for being haunted!! Goodness, I hope to think that is not why it is less than popular!)
http://twitter.com/#!/maxfate/status/97138726928527362
Belmar Library has the best story time and DVDs and books.
Thanks for the contest.
http://twitter.com/slehan/status/97153892701315072
My favorite place was created by Arbor Tree City. It is behind a few restaurants and office buildings and no one believes me when I tell them it is there. It is just a small little park next to a good size pond. I like to go there and sit to write!
jadavis42@tntech.edu
I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/JessicaADavis/status/97158082982981633
jadavis42@tntech.edu
My favorite place is the Boerner Botanical Gardens – Whitnall Park, Franklin, WI – There are various gardens with flower, rock gardens, trees & more – so there is something new to see each time.
larajarrette at gmail dot com