Dearborn Park (Decatur)

Dearborn Park is located at 1310 Deerwood Drive, Decatur GA 30030. It is located in the Midway Woods neighborhood.

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Overview: A true shady escape – Dearborn Park is just this. It is a dark, shady, quiet park with a babbling creek running through it. Imagine pushing your child on a swing with a view of lush green foliage and a picturesque creek in your direct view…that is Dearborn Park. One of the main draws to us to this park is the quiet and of course, the water. There are a few boardwalk bridges that overlook it as well.

This simple park features a small but functional playground. It has 3 slides, one small set of monkey bars and a few ladders. It is pretty basic. There is a set of 2 infant swings and 2 belt swings closer to the creek. There are a few pieces of outdoor exercise equipment, a basketball court and the creek. The creek is a little slippery in places (especially the rocks) so please be careful!

Parking: Street

Surrounding Area: Residential

Wheelchair/Stroller Accessible:  For the most part, no. Swings definitely not.

Ground Cover: Wood chips

Seating: Park benches and picnic tables which are scattered around the park

Pavilion: Yes with a small grill

Restroom: No

Direct Sun or Shade : Very shady

Fenced in? :  No

Infant Swings: Yes, 2

Quality of Playground Equipment:  Good but small

Ball Fields: Yes, a basketball court which is super shady.

Overall:  We like this park because of the shade, the closeness to nature and of course, the natural water. When we visited we saw other children fishing for small fish and listening to bull frogs. There are a few picnic tables tucked into lush forest areas so it’d be a perfect spot for a quiet, private meal. There are paved and unpaved areas – great for walking dogs or the adventurous toddler. It’s a beautiful area.

Stone Mountain Playground

Stone Mountain Playground is located inside of the Stone Mountain Park. To access this park, you will need to pay $15 to visit for the day or $40 to visit for the whole year.

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Overview:  When you first see the playground at Stone Mountain, you notice all of the green and silver climbing structures and ropes. It’s like a giant spider web in one area and a tightrope in another. This park is a haven for every child climbing enthusiast. We visited on a Saturday morning – it was reasonably crowded and even parents were getting in on the climbing here. The park features a large playground with equipment for children aged 2-5 and equipment for children 5 and up. There are a few covered pavilions in the area, a restroom and water fountains.

The playground equipment for children 2-5 features slides, many climbing areas, and a few areas for imagination play. Please note, there are no swings here.

The play equipment for children 5 and up features a playground of ropes, ladders, climbing walls and slides. It seemed like every part of the playground area was climbable. This structure was fully shaded by trees. There were also these green teacup spinners in the area that were a favorite of children and parents alike.

Parking: Dedicated lot

Surrounding Area: Stone Mountain Park

Pay to Enter: Yes, $15 for daily pass to Stone Mountain Park, $40 for annual parking pass

Wheelchair/Stroller Accessible: Yes somewhat

Ground Cover: Wood chips

Seating: Park benches and picnic tables

Pavilion: Yes

Restroom: Yes

Direct Sun or Shade : Very shady

Fenced in? :  YES. Perfectly enclosed.

Infant Swings: No

Quality of Playground Equipment: Very good

Ball Fields: No

Overall:  I wish our son was a little older to fully enjoy the beauty and complexity of this park. The other children we noticed who were 5 and up were enjoying themselves tremendously. There wasn’t a lot for my active 2 year old – especially with no swings – but we did enjoy ourselves a lot. If you get a yearly pass, it really pays for itself to visit more than a few times. This park was very shady and fenced in so it alleviated a lot of my worries.

South Peachtree Creek Trail – PATH

The South Peachtree Creek Trail is a PATH trail. It runs between Mason Mill Park and Medlock Park. From Mason Mill Park, it can be accessed at the opposite end of the park of the playgrounds near the tennis courts. From Medlock Park, it can be accessed from the parking lot near the playground and baseball fields.

The South Peachtree Creek Trail features a paved walkway in certain areas and a boardwalk in others. It has a series of hills. There are a few bridges with the creek flowing below.  There are many access points where you can walk off trail. There are many areas to sit down and rest or enjoy nature including alcoves in the boardwalk with views over the creek. It is very well maintained.

There is a bridge where you can watch trains travel below you:

There is some interesting graffiti in the “Ruins” area.

Things to Note:  This trail can be very busy with people walking, pushing strollers, riding bikes, etc.  There is a part of this trail that intersects with a street. Please use caution when crossing with small children.  For the most part, the trail is shady but there are some areas that are in direct sunlight.

Overall: This is my son’s favorite place to go for a run. The boardwalk is a safe place for him to run free and enjoy nature but you need to be mindful of bikes.

Medlock Park (Decatur)

The approximate location of Medlock Park is 874 Galemont Circle, Decatur GA 30033. This entrance is best for some of the ball fields and the pool. We use the entrance on Scott Circle for the larger parking lot near the playground and access to the PATH trail.

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Overview:  Medlock Park is a definitely a park for baseball and softball – it features many well lit, fenced in fields that take up a vast majority of this park. The fields are well taken care of and the grounds are quite shady.  There are picnic tables scattered around the park, two large parking areas, a pool and a PATH trail connection to the Mason Mill Park. You can find more information on the PATH South Peachtree Creek trail here.

The playground is a little on the older side with a large focus on slides.  There is play equipment for younger children (basically just slides) and play equipment for older children with more slides, a bouncy bridge and some fireman style poles. There is a tire swing, a set of traditional belt swings and 2 infant swings.

Please note that when it rains a lot here, this area floods. After a rainstorm, this area remains muddy for a few days also.

The Medlock Pool is open Memorial Day through Labor Day. More information and photos will be available after the pool opens.

Parking: Dedicated lot

Surrounding Area: Residential

Wheelchair/Stroller Accessible: Yes, with many ramps

Ground Cover: Wood Chips (newly added a few months ago)

Seating: Park benches, picnic tables and a small wall that many parents sit on

Pavilion: Yes

Restroom: Yes, near the baseball fields

Direct Sun or Shade : In the playground area, it is direct sun.

Fenced in? :  No, and close to the parking lot.

Infant Swings: Yes, 2

Quality of Playground Equipment: Older but safe.

Ball Fields: Yes, many.

Overall: This park is great for those playing baseball or those looking for a slower style playground as it isn’t very crowded. My son is a runner and he loves to run along the many ramps that form a large triangle. We often walk the PATH trail to this park, play and then walk the PATH trail back to our car. The playground is pretty basic without many bells and whistles. The picnic areas are shaded and in very lush grass.