Winners For

Best Park

In general, Florida's disdain for law and order can lead to some pretty scary chaos. (Just check out the assault weapon arsenal in the trunk of our Buick.) But sometimes Miami's libertarian tilt is refreshing. With few exceptions, you can pretty much let your dogs roam free in parks around the Magic City, even if it's technically illegal. And th...

Soundview Terrace measures one-third of an acre, which means it's puny even by the surrounding Queen Anne neighborhood's backyard standards. But the tiny park, wedged between two slim streets, has room for a play set with slides and boasts an outstanding view of the Cascades. Even better, it's bisected by a staircase that served as my training g...

When one thinks of a park in Orange County, it usually brings up images of finely manicured grass, perfectly placed shade trees and a nice man-made pond with some intrusive ducks. These types of green spaces have their place of course, especially when it comes to family outings, but they are a dime a dozen. Yet parks that can offer a real natura...

With more than two and a half million visitors each year, Kensington Metropark is a 4,481- acre first- class recreational facility. Its wooded hilly terrain surrounds beautiful Kent Lake. The park features an 18-hole regulation golf course, a disc golf course, a nature center, a farm learning center, picnic areas, beaches, boat rentals and a pav...

Among Pittsburgh’s crown jewels are several emeralds, including Frick Park, the largest of our regional parks, with 561 acres. Its wooded slopes and valleys are perfect for hiking or birding. Frick also boasts an environmental center and the only public lawn-bowling green in Pennsylvania.

Spend a day at Fort Snelling State Park — an entire day, from morning till evening — and chances are you'll exhaust yourself before you exhaust all the possibilities of things to do there. For the sheer variety of activities, its profound natural beauty, its historic significance, and all the educational extras of a state park, it's hard to find...