The Mommy Park Review: Joanne Land Playing, Round Rock

 Little hidden gem in Round Rock. I know. I feel like I say that a lot...but really this one was just so much fun! I think it's great when parks are unique and fun! 

Our toddler (3.5 yo) loved to do the zip-lining the most! 

It was a hot summer day, so me and my hubby were not as eager to go "again, again", but we did stay there quite a bit. I liked it a lot because it just goes down with gravity!

The other parts of the park were very unique and resembled an American ninja warrior arena.

The little one (9 mo) did not do as much. Just the swings and a log that moved back and forward. He was hot.

Another cool thing (not pictured) is that there is a big lake near this park, so if it is something you are looking to do, it's definitely there.

Map: 2003 Harrell Pkwy, Round Rock, TX 78665

Overall: 4.75/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	5
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	4
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	5
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	4.75

Cost: Free as of 8/20/2021

Stroller friendly? Yes, very friendly! Loads of open space :-)

Restroom? Yes. Near the parking area. However they had spider webs in various areas. Which I get a bit scared of being near those.

 

The Mommy Park Review: San Antonio Zoo

 Map:  Brackenridge Park (San Antonio Zoo)

Overall: 4.75/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	5
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	4
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	5
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	5

Cost: (As of 8/31/21) Cost varies depending on packet and ages. As of 8/31, kids under 3 were free. I did two kids and the butterfly experience and the train.

https://sazoo.ticketapp.org/portal/pages/tickets

Stroller friendly? Uhm...mostly yes...but there are a few buildings that are not stroller friendly. For example the reptile area just have a bunch of stairs and I had to lift the stroller to get it in. If you have a big stroller it will be hard. I have a small graco one so it wasn't too bad for the most part...but some areas are more tricky than others. However since I did this solo trip. It was worth it toke it.

Restroom? Multiple restrooms, check out the signs!

AGH! I know this is technically not a park, but it kind of is? It is a gem! I love this zoo and its the best zoo nearest to Austin that I have found!! It was extra amazing because it also had a dinosaur exhibition. My son loves dinosaurs so he was over the moon!

We did the combo with the butterfly's, train and carousel. My advice if you do this is to do the train last when everyone is tired and do the zoo area first. Even if you decide to do the train first, if you've purchased the tickets as a combo you have to go into the zoo to get them, not at the little train station...so it makes sense to just do it on your way out!

We went to the butterfly exhibit first and it was fun. Honestly my toddler wasn't as much into it as I thought he would be, but it was entertaining enough for me. They take great care of all the caterpillars and butterflies.

Then we went to the reptile building. He loved finding all the reptiles in various areas. We also saw the flamingos, bats and crocodiles. After lunch we went to the carousel. My son loved it! It was worth it to pay the extra bucks to ride on it IMO :-)

We had come to the park one time prior, but my son fell asleep prior to seeing the giraffes...which was a bummer...so I made it a point to follow the arrows towards Africa to make it there in time before he fell asleep. We paid extra 5$ to feed the giraffes. He was so happy!

At the end we rode the train. TBH I wouldn't do it again bc it is kind of a hassle and the train does not go through the zoo...it goes towards a museum and to the Botanial gardens (not through), so it was more of a hassle...but if your kids are into trains then it might be kind of cool. It is just a long wait to finally get there.

What was the rarest animal we saw? The Okapi! It looks like the most weird mix of animals. Zebra print on the bottom and maybe like a Kangaro face. 

Anyways. Overall we enjoyed our experience and my son keeps asking when we will be going back! Fully recommend visiting the San Antonio Zoo.

The Mommy Park Review: Arkansas Bend Park, Lago Vista, Texas

Location: Arkansas Bend Park

Overall: 4/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	5
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	4
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	3
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	4
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	4

Cost: Varies. See below chart for cost as of 3/18/2021. For updates click here

Type	Cost
Day Use	$5 per Person
Day Use for Seniors (62 years and older)	$3 per Person
Day Use for Children (12 years and younger)	No Charge
Trailer Parking Fee (No Charge to Seniors or Disabled Veterans)	$7 per Trailer per Day
Day Use for Disabled Veteran (50%+ disabled)	No Charge

Stroller friendly? This park was stroller friendly. Lots of wide space to take your stroller and park while you view the lake!

Restroom? Yes! Before you get to the playground there is an area for restrooms! They were super clean too! 

We always love to come to this park for the view! It is amazing to kind of be at the top of the hill and to get to feel the wind! It's also very convenient to be able to go to the lake if the boys decide they want to throw rocks! However on this day we did not do that as there was cyanotoxins in algae alert which can be harmful for humans and animals if ingested.

My son did enjoy the playground and mostly just climbing and going down the slide. I did lower the score a bit on safety because this parks requires lots of supervision for kids under five. For example going to the big slide was not such an easy task for my almost 3 year old and getting down from the maze also required a bit more guidance and awareness from our part!

We did have lots of fun and would come again. The price is the only thing that deters us from visiting so often, but at the same time, with COVID-19 still a prevalent virus, it is nice to go to an area that we know will be kind of isolated!

I loved the shots of this day as my son wore his astronaut suit!

The Mommy Park Review: Play for all Abilities

  Map: 151 N A.W. Grimes Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78664

Overall: 4.75/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	5
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	4
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	5
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	4.75

Cost: Free (As of 1/28/2021)

Stroller friendly? Mostly yes. They request that you park your stroller in the area that is not the city.

Restroom available: Yes! They have a couple. One in the "city" and one once you go inside by a tarp and close to the music area.

This is a park is a part of a $1,250,000 investment by the city of Round Rock and businesses. I love that is free and for everyone! One area reflected the city with all the stores that we love like the local HEB and the Wag-A-Bag gas station. My toddler (2.5 yo) is learning to do the scooter so he had fun practicing and going around the city and exploring the supermarket, library, etc!

The area that was a bit more difficult for him was a race path where bigger kids were going in their bikes and my son was wanting to go against traffic. That is the only reason I gave it a 4 on safety, but of course that can vary by day.

We went on a Saturday and it was a bit crowded for my taste. Especially during COVID. I'd probably go back because it was so fun to just explore all the areas and there are some areas that we didn't even get to go.

The highlights for my son were the musical area, the city, and the slide made of poles. We did not make it to the sand (on purpose) or the zip lining which I think he would have liked but it was kind of crowded. 

Overall it was amazing! My son kept asking about it for the next couple of days!

The Mommy Park Review: Zilker Botanical Garden

  Map: 2220 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78746

Overall: 3.75/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5)
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	4
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	3
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	3
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	3.75

Cost: Depends on age and being Austin Resident. It was 8$ for me and my kiddos free as they are 2 and under!

Stroller friendly? Mostly yes. A few areas have paths that get more narrow and inclined near the Japanese garden...for most part it is stroller friendly.

Restroom available: Yes! Near the entrance.

It was very fun to go to the Zilker Botanical Garden! My son loves fish so the whole time we were looking at all the ponds to find the fish. (Spoiler: we found fish only in the pond at the entrance parking lot and that was his favorite spot!)

 It is stroller friendly for the most part. We just followed the path to where my toddler was going. There was an area with dinosaurs, and another one with butterfly chairs. It was rainy when we went and in the middle of winter so not many butterflies...but I believe in the spring there should be more butterflies.

I gave safety a slightly lower value mostly because of the rocks and because some of the areas are uneven and I was having trouble pushing the stroller around without it sliding. If you know me you know I am a strong woman! So I think your average person might have some troubles too!

It is not a park with swings per say...but overall a fun adventure!

They also have a small area just for kids. We did not stay there too long though! My toddler loved the fountains and the dinosaurs.