Reber Park, Winchester

Location: 109 Lindy Blvd, Ballwin, MO 63021

Amenities: picnic shelter, restroom, playground, tennis court, ballfields, horseshoe pits, and fitness trail.

Website: http://www.city.winchester.mo.us/Parks-and-Recreation/

Playground ground cover: wood chips

Reber Park is located in the center of Winchester, MO, a very small municipality located in west county, just west of Manchester, MO, near the corner of Manchester Road and Sulpher Springs. There are 3 playgrounds at the park, the first two are near the off-street parking lot.

The toddler playground has a couple straight, small slides and some places to climb. There is also an activity wall that has a steering wheel and tic-tac-toe among other activities. It is located near the parking lot, next to the school-aged playground.

The school-aged playground has a small slide and 3 adjacent larger slides. Also, there is a zip line with a handle, several climbing areas, a separate spinning and bouncing device (for one or 2 children each), a free-standing jungle gym, and 4 sling swings.

According to a mother I talked to in the park, the park gets overrun by middle-school children sometimes in the afternoons, which are not the best playmates for toddlers - just keep that in mind when you choose what time to visit the park. I did not witness any problems when I was at the park though.

At the far end of the park is a third playground (from the parking lot, cross the ball fields to reach this playground). This playground has a toddler/preschool play structure, a bouncy teeter-totter sized for young children, 2 baby swings, and 2 sling swings.

Pershall Park, Hazelwood

Location:539 Fee Fee Hills Dr, Hazelwood, MO 63042

Website: http://www.hazelwoodmo.org/services/parks

Playground Ground Cover: Wood Chips

Amenities: Athletic fields, accessible comfort station, fitness course, horseshoes, multi-use court, accessible picnic pavilion, picnic site, accessible playground, racquetball/handball courts, lighted tennis courts, mile walking/jogging path, volleyball

The restrooms look like jail cells ha! It's a decent playground though, with a large play structure.  It has several different slides, a bridge, lots of monkey bars, and poles. There are 3 animals to ride on, a baby swing, and a sling swing. Next to the swings is a huge sand pit.

Large pavilion

Swings and sand pit

Horseshoe pits and basketball courts in the back

Raquetball courts

Brookes Park, Hazelwood

Location: 498 Brookes Dr, Hazelwood, MO 63042

Website: http://www.hazelwoodmo.org/services/parks

Playground Ground Cover: Wood Chips

Amenities include: Accessible comfort station, accessible picnic pavilion, picnic site, accessible playground, historic buildings

I was surprised to find 3 historic buildings on the property here! I love touring old houses and will have to come back when they are open to the public.  The Old Elm Grove School, also known as the Little Red Schoolhouse, was built around 1852 and is said to be the earliest school building in the county. The red brick of the one room school were used in an unusual fashion in that the brick faces are turned toward the inside. The school closed in 1952. Another landmark in Brookes Park is the Stuart-Utz-Teson House. Alexander Stuart, a friend of Lewis and Clark, built the two-story, dog-trot style log home in 1824. The home was purchased by Julius Utz in 1832, a Southern sympathizer during the Civil War, and was owned by the Utz family until 1914. The Stuart-Utz-Teson House has been placed on National Register of Historic Places. The Knobbe House is also in Brookes Park. It originally was located on the site of the Village Square Shopping Center and was moved to Brookes Park in 1995. The oldest part of Knobbe House was built in 1870 by Bernard Henke. It was purchased two years later by Henke's son-in-law, Joseph Steven Knobbe, Sr, whose son, Joseph Knobbe, Jr, went on to be instrumental in the incorporation of Hazelwood in 1949. Hazelwood has restored the home and re-adapted it for public use as office space and public meeting space. Another landmark is the St. Cin House, built in the 1850's by Francis St. Cin whose family were early settlers in Hazelwood. The bricks for this Federal style home were made on St. Charles Rock Road.

The playground itself has one large structure, and 2 baby swings and 2 sling swings. On the structure are slides, monkey bars, a bridge, and poles. It has restrooms but they are seasonal.

Ohlendorf Park, Affton

Location: 444 Spring Dr, Affton, MO 63123

Website: https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-departments/parks/places/ohlendorf-park/

Playground Ground Cover: Poured Rubber

This is a great playground for climbers. It's just one big climbing thing!

Bathrooms

Not sure what these semi circular rings of boulders are but my kids enjoy climbing on them!