Lexington Parks - Wellington

Wellington Park (565 Wellington Way)

Location - near Stonewall shopping center on Clays Mill, backs up to New Circle, near Shillito

Playground? yes 

Trails? yes (paved and unpaved)

Other? dog park, labyrinth, historical (cemetery), shelter, garden, bridge, creek

    This is where it all began (at least for our parks challenge!). After a month and a half of staying mostly in our house and backyard during our Covid-19 quarantine, we ventured out for a walk.  Wellington Park is not that far from our house but involves going through the grass where there is no sidewalk, going out onto a busy road where there is no shoulder, and going across a road at a crosswalk. The wagon was a life-saver. I could strap in the two little boys, and they were content until we got to the park. The big boys rode their bike and scooter, which gave them more stamina for the walk. I had walked through the park twice before with the big boys on our way to church, and we had driven to this park several times (although the boys didn't really consider it a park since it didn't have a playground), but we had never walked to it as a destination.  This changed everything.  We returned over and over again and ended up having the stamina for longer walks, like to Stonewall and Southland and even Shillito. 

    The boys like walking/biking/scooting on the paved paths, and they also like the creek area. We walked some of these wooded paths early in the year, but by the end of the summer, they were overrun with poison ivy. There's a shaded area with trees near the dog park where they like to climb trees and run on the rocks. There are also some art features that the boys run around (and Cooper likes to ring the chimes/bells incessantly until I make him stop).

By getting off the path for social distancing purposes, we were able to spot this little turtle who was literally headed toward the Shell Station.

Calvin much preferred his scooter until it broke. One day, he took this "big wheels" all the way there and back because he didn't want to walk.

This is before the poison ivy took over

Creek area. Colson went from sitting contentedly to desperately wanting to get in the creek as the months went on

They love this bridge!

He had the idea to ride his bike across the creek. It didn't quite turn out as he had expected.

These wildflowers were in full bloom one summer day

Here's the trees-y area where we often stopped for a snack, especially when Colson started getting into the creek

Cooper likes to be able to climb trees like his big brother

This is the area where they have implemented a labyrinth. For now, it's painted onto the grass, but I think they'll be making it more permanent. I can't wait to go back on my own to walk/pray the labyrinth like I do on my solitude retreats

The garden area

This is a fun little mown path maze area. You can see two little heads sticking out over the grass.

This is the chime area

(Note: We visited all 88 LFUCG parks in the span of a Covid year -- mid-March 2020 to February 2021. These are not meant to be extensive reviews but more a record of our experiences. Eventually I will add hyperlinks to all the blog entries here)