6.17.2009

Review: Doylestown Historical Society Public Park

Outdoor Appeal: 6
Setting: small downtown Doylestown park, reflecting pool, slate paved terraces, Canal mule statue, chess tables, some trees and flowers and a swash of grass flanked by an old stone wall


Explorable Op's: A few. This is a small park that's meant for respite and reflection so there isn't anything there specifically geared towards kids. Although the reflecting pool, the mule and the open running space provided by the slate slabs seem to be enough for 20 minutes or so.





Difficulty: Easy. The park is terraced but most surfaces are covered in slate slabs and are flat.


Facilities: None. But downtown Doylestown is just around the corner so you are never far from food, drink and restrooms.









Review: As far as I can tell this small park doesn't get a lot of use. There are chess matches played here once a month and on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer the park can get mobbed with kids who are looking to loiter. But usually we don't see anyone else while we stroll through. It really is a nice sanctuary tucked away from the rest of the downtown area. We go to the park often and we normally stop by on the way home from town. As I mentioned above, the reflecting pool, the mule and the open area of slate slabs seems to offer enough for my kids to run off some of the extra energy they may still have left in them. The park has a clean, finished look to it. Most of the park is covered in slate. There is a large tree that stands guard in the middle of the park and gives shade to the two chess tables. Uphill from the park is a gravel parking lot and the back of the shops on Oakland Avenue. The back of the shops are brick so it doesn't take away from the ambiance of the place. The place feels down right civilized!



Recommendations: This is definitely the place to take a cup of coffee from any one of the 6 (or is it 7 now?) cafe slinging shops in town and relax for a bit. The park provides a view and a calming sense of quiet - something Europeans seem to value but Americans are still a bit uncomfortable with. Jules Thin Crust Pizza is just down the street a few doors. I recommend picking up a pizza and some drinks there and walking up to the park with the family. Jules is usually mobbed so it will be nice to eat outdoors away from rest of town where you won't be bothering anyone and no one will be bothering you. Now, in the Review above I mentioned that kids frequent the park on Friday and Saturday nights. But I'm going to go ahead and recommend both nights for a family visit. Nothing scares an adolescent more than being around family on a Friday or Saturday night. When they see you coming with a pizza and your kids they'll realize that you are planning on staying and they'll scram in a hurry. Enjoy!

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