Parks of the Capital Region to Visit

With the warm weather here and kids enjoying Spring Break, outdoors is the place to be!

I put my thinker to the test and then when that didn't work, I texted my friend Tina because who better to ask about the best parks in the Capital Region than a Mom of two boys?! I'll admit, a couple of these on the list are parks that I did go to growing up and absolutely loved.

No matter where you live, there should be a park on this list that's near by for you to check out and enjoy during the nice, sunny days the 3 nice seasons of the year, around here.

A big one for many, is The Crossings. Located in Colonie it is big and open and perfect for long walks, playtime, sports, just about anything. It's also close to all the shopping Colonie has to offer, too for those inevitable errands.

A nostalgic park for myself is William K. Collins Jr Park aka Collins Park in Clifton Park. It's over by Shenendehowa High School but the coolest part about it, for 8 year old me was that when the, then new Arongen Elementary School was built, the teachers realized there was a trail through the woods that would lead to the playground and take us on little local, playtime fieldtrips. Could you imagine if they still did that (maybe they do?) I can just see many parents freaking out over that these days. It's an older park and I'm sure not much has changed but if you used to go as a kid, I'm sure bringing your kids there could be quite a trip!

In Halfmoon they recently redid their whole park area within the last few years. What was once a basic swing set/slide type combo and some baseball fields has turned into a beautiful area with walking trails, bike paths, beautiful baseball fields and more.

Albany's Washington Park always has something going on from the beautiful Tulips that carry their own festival (which happens around Mother's Day) or local shows, people laying out and enjoying the sunshine, kids playing and giggling. Lots of open space, with big trees, trails, fountains and playground equipment. A great spot to spend a day enjoying the scenery.

Saratoga is an amazing area for various parks with the surrounding SPAC park being possibly the largest. Plenty of space, amazing views, golfing, history and if you get the right timing maybe even the music in the distance of one of the big concerts playing in the area.

Schenectady, like Albany has a big park with plenty of fun to be had and that's in Central Park. On a warm summer day you'll find footballs being tossed, water being sprayed and towels laid out.

One more, just for my own nostalgic purposes and because they've updated a bit since I used to roam the playground and make my way through the wooden maze. Clifton Parks, Clifton Commons. As a former Miss Shen Softball player this would be our stompin' grounds after games since it was right by the fields. I can't tell you how many times I hit my head trying to get myself through the maze to the slide. Could explain a lot, huh?