January Morning at Lake Ida Park

The day before Winter Break ended for Palm Beach county public schools, I took a morning trip to the Lake Ida Dog Park.  I had avoided this park for quite some time since I'd, incorrectly, assumed it was strictly a place for dogs to play.  I had envisioned open fields with running dogs filled with little poop treasures for my kids to stumble through.  I once tried driving into the long narrow park but saw only some parking and picnic pavilions.  On this glorious Monday morning, we drove further into the park and found an amazing playground, well-paved walking paths, the sun sparkling on the ripples on the lake, and very few people there!  My son enjoyed climbing a red Bottlebrush tree, picnicking along the lake, and making new friends on the playground.  When he tired of the play area he ran up and down the slight hill nearby and explored over by the dock where a young teen was net fishing.  We never tired of running over the bridges, searching for shiny shell treasure on the shore, and just basking in the invigorating South Florida Sunshine!

   The playground is a short distance from nice big restrooms and a couple of large pavilions with picnic tables.  The parks department used ARTIFICIAL turf as the surface under the play equipment which gives it that bright, fresh, natural look without the bugs and maintenance of real grass.  There are 2 sections to the play area for older and younger children with a nice sized rock wall in the center.  The area for the dogs is further north along the road and is completely enclosed (thank goodness!).  If you have a dog and decide to do both the pup play area as well as the kiddie one, please be aware that many children have fears of dogs and allergies. There are ample areas nearby to keep your beloved pet leashed.  

   This is a wonderful park for safe bike exploration for young riders as there are not a lot of pedestrians and the path close to the lake is far from car traffic.  This is definitely one of the top parks in the city of Delray Beach!