Riverside Park
155 Lincoln Ave
Haverhill, MA 01830
Date/Time Visited: Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 10:00 am
Bathrooms: Two Bathrooms
Parking: Plenty of parking
Shade: Limited on the playground
Benches/Tables: There are lots of benches and tables throughout the park
Additional Features: Baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis court, walking trails, dog park.
My four year old and I met friends for a playdate at Riverside Park today. It had been raining, but there was a break in the rain so we were able to enjoy the park. It was pretty quiet, I think due to the weather. We’ve gone on sunny days before and it’s been much busier. This is a large park area with a lot of different features. Their website says it’s 50 acres!
There’s a good sized parking lot when you arrive. The park is set back from the street which is nice, and then the playground is set further back from the parking lot. The playground isn’t fenced in, but the way it is set up you’re a good distance from cars. Where the path to the playground meets the parking lot, there’s a line of yellow posts.
As you head to the playground there is a bathroom right at the edge of the parking lot. There’s also a pet waste station, which I thought was nice to have available. While walking to the play area, you pass a couple basketball courts and several picnic tables spread out in a field.
There are two different play structures. One is smaller and appears to be a little older. The smaller structure has a few different slides, a couple of smaller climbing structures, and a monkey bar type structure. There’s also an area that looks like it could be a sandbox, but it looked like it had more wood chips in it than sand today.
The other play structure is bigger. We spent most of our time on the bigger playground area today. It has some fun climbing structures including a rock wall, a taller slide, a merry-go-round type structure, a swing set, and more. The swing set has one baby swing, four big kid swings, and one accessible swing.
The trails at this park are one of my favorite parts. They're paved and from what we saw today there are two different loops. Someone told us that if you do both loops they are equal to a mile. We brought bikes and it was perfect for the kids to practice their biking. It would also be a nice spot for a stroller walk. Along the trail you’ll go by the dog park, which is fully fenced in. There’s another pet waste station by the dog park. There are a couple of spots to sit, with benches along the trail too. I noticed one scenic spot with a nice view of the river while we were walking.
Walking the trail, you also get to see the different baseball fields, basketball court, and tennis courts. A couple of the tennis nets were down, but there was one that was up. There is also another bathroom building by the tennis courts. This park seems to really have something for everyone!
I love all of the space at this park. There is a lot of open space and fields and lots of picnic tables and benches throughout the whole park. There are trees throughout the park. On sunny days, there’s no shade on the actual play structures, but there’s plenty of spots where you can take breaks and get some shade. There’s a picnic bench by the playground with a canopy above it which offers shade. It would be a perfect spot for a picnic lunch.
This park is right next to Rivers Edge Plaza. There’s a path to the plaza through the woods, so you could walk there without going on the street if you wanted. This would be convenient if you needed to grab snacks or drinks.
Driving by Riverside, you wouldn’t be able to tell what a great space it is, but I think it is definitely worth checking out.
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