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GUEST POST by John Nelson of the Nelson Family Blog

August 11, 2007 | Comments Off

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Here’s a post from John Nelson about some of the great local parks in the area.  John and his wife, Allison maintain the Nelson Family Blog about life in Northwest Arkansas with their kids, Emma and Brooklyn, and Belle the dog.

From John:

If you’re like me, you hate to mow the grass. Especially when it’s 100 degrees outside. There are many weekends during the summer I conveniently forget to mow the yard. The down side to this is that the kids now get lost in the back yard. Thank goodness for taxes put to good use! If you’ve forgotten to mow your yard, take your kids to a public park! My family and I frequent the public parks in southern NWA (Springdale / Fayetteville). Here are some recommendations:

Fayetteville

  • All Parks Listing: Use this site to access all public parks in Fayetteville.
  • Gulley Park: by far the most popular park in Fayetteville. They offer 2 great playgrounds for kids and wide open spaces for those really hyper kids that need to burn off a lot of energy. Also, for older kids or parent date nights, they offer the Summer Concert series.
  • Wilson Park: nestled near the historical district in Fayetteville, this park offers 3-4 playgrounds, tennis courts, sand volleyball, and a walking trail. The playgrounds are really great, and kids of all ages will enjoy the “Castle” area.

Johnson

  • Ok, so Johnson only has 1 park. But it’s really a fantastic park. It’s my personal favorite, too. It’s fenced in, has great playground equipment, and even has a swing set designed especially for the handicapped.

Springdale / Tontitown

  • All Parks Listing
  • Murphy Park: this place is HUGE! It has several different playgrounds including a big pond with ducks, the Springdale public library, and the Aquatic Center . All of these offer tons of great time to spend with your kids outdoors. Especially the Aquatic Center…it’s a blast!
  • Randall Tyson Park: 70 acres of a good time! This is the soccer/baseball mecca of Northwest Arkansas. The park offers multiple playgrounds and lots of shade. If you have dogs or kids that need to burn some serious energy just running around, go into a baseball field and let them run! It works great…I’ve done it.
  • Some park in Tontitown: I have no idea what the park’s name is, but it’s across from the Grape Festival location on the south side of 412. The park is a mixture of old-school playground equipment and new-fangled equipment. Lots of shade and lots of pavilions to have parties.

So next time you or your spouse can’t bear to mow the yard and the kids need to burn some of that endless energy, step out and enjoy one of the many parks NWA has to offer!

Posted by Terri Chadick | Filed Under Guest Post 

GUEST POST by Allanah from Sufferin’ Succotash

August 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Here’s a guest post by Alannah over at Sufferin’ Succotash for those of you who (like me) have still not purchased school supplies.  Alannah was one of the first NWA bloggers I encountered when I started All Sides of Life. 

From Alannah:

I’m sure ours is not the only family simultaneously anticipating and dreading the coming school year.   August is always the time for buying new clothes and school supplies.  I tend to prefer Office Depot or Office Max for school supplies because they’re less crowded than Wal-Mart and have never been out of stock of anything we’ve needed.  All three of those stores should have the supply lists for local schools, as should their web sites.

Fayetteville - http://www.fayar.net/

Springdale - http://www.springdaleschools.org/

Rogers - http://www.rogers.k12.ar.us/

Bentonville - http://www.bentonville.k12.ar.us/web/

Farmington - http://farmington.k12.ar.us/

In other news, it’s also one of the best times to go to your local farmers’ market.  The tuberoses are so elegant and fragrant, the basil ready for pesto, not to mention the wide variety of tomatoes.  Remember how easy and beneficial it is to buy local! 

Posted by Terri Chadick | Filed Under Guest Post