Ever wonder what playgrounds would be like if they were built around nature? Try a visit to Converse Park in Marshall, WI.
Location
408 Best Built Parkway – Marshall, WI
It is about a 25 minute drive from the east side of Madison, or 15-20 minutes from Cottage Grove or Sun Prairie. It is free and open to the public.
Converse Park
Converse Park has several baseball fields, a shelter, two sand volleyball courts and a natural park. There are bathrooms located in the baseball concessions stands. When on the street (Best Built Parkway), the driveway to the parking lot is a little hidden between one of the baseball fields and a lumber business, but once you drive down the driveway, there is plenty of parking available right next to the natural park.
The benefit of it being hidden between baseball fields is that it seems to be a hidden jewel. We went on a holiday weekend, so there were not any baseball games, and we were the only ones at the park. I’d guess that when baseball is in play the park may be a bit busier.
Above photos provided by Whole Trees
Nature Play
The park is built into some small mounds/hills, but also has fruit trees and natural areas. Additionally, there are several stations around the park that explain several elements of nature and conservation that are related to some of the elements of the park.
Our kids (6 and 8 years old) loved the bigger play structure that is built into a small hill, but there is also a smaller structure for preschool-aged children. There are many areas that are great for obstacle course games and areas that work well for taking a rest.
One of my kids favorite features are the tunnels built into the hills and mounds around the park. They loved playing hide-and-seek in the tunnels and around the trees that surrounded the park.
We love exploring different playgrounds and my 8 year old even mentioned it was his favorite playground – we stayed for around an hour and moved on. This would be a great stop to add on to some other fun area attractions like Little Amerika or Aztalan State Park, or on your way to Milwaukee!
