On the ninth day of Raleigh Parks Christmas, we headed out to Cary with my friend, Kristina, and her daughter, Lucy to visit Walnut St Park. Wow, what a great park for crawlers and cruisers! Besides the large open spongy surface, there are tot swings, a jungle gym with smaller slides, and an area with balance beams and climbing structures that proved to be so exciting for the non-walkers!
Walnut St Park is run by the Town of Cary and is located at 1420 Walnut St, not far from Cary Crossroads shopping center. Not a surprise, but the main entrance sign is easy to miss when driving on Walnut St, so look for the cross-street of Nottingham Dr.
This park has both a tot play area and an older kid play area that are both very close to each other. Both playgrounds are covered in the spongy surface with the exception of the small sandbox with diggers in the tot area. There are swings, jungle gyms, and a small pavilion in each playground area. The older kid playground also has some amazing climbing structures that were very popular.
If you’re looking to take the dogs on a walk or stroll the kids around, this park has a great paved walking trail. According to the information sign, 2.5 loops around = 1 mile. While walking around the trail, you’ll see many birdhouses, an area dubbed the wetlands, a natural mulch walking trail, and a large 1.5 acre open recreational space. There are many benches scattered throughout the trail and a few picnic tables near the large open field area. Don’t forget to check out the fancy brick “imaginary garden” promenade that cuts through part of the loop. Check out the Town of Cary’s website for information about future phases of the park, which include adding a basketball court.
So, I know I can’t say it enough, but the Town of Cary does a great job with creating playgrounds with the spongy surface, which is so nice for the really small crawlers and cruisers! Ashley and Lucy had a fantastic time roaming through the climbing structures, swinging on the tot swings, crawling from one end of the playground to the other, all the while trying to sneak a taste of the nearby mulch chips! This would be a great park to bring your lunch followed by a romp around the playground.
Thumbs up: playground, walking trail, tot area, nearby pavilions
Thumbs down: somewhat hard to see entrance sign from Walnut St
How precious!! Ashley has a friend!! I hope NO hair pulling!! What a wonderful park!! Especially for tots!! I wish Virginia could take some lessons from North Carolina!!
Thanks for letting us tag along. Great synopsis and photos.
Fun to see Ashley with a little friend. Bet that is her favorite park.