Sawyer Park

Sawyer Park is a small park in downtown Hartford.

There is a decent amount of green space and a very small playground.  The coolest part is probably the old-fashion tall slide.  My kiddos kept themselves entertained by creating an obstacle course around the playground pieces.

If we were near it and wanted to stretch our legs, Sawyer Park does the job.  I would not go out of my way to seek it out again, though.

Sawyer Park
111 Branch St ~ Hartford, WI

Independence Park

Independence Park is Hartford's largest park.

There is a lot of wide open expanse, so this is a great park for outdoor games!  It also has quite a playground.  There are two separate climbers, swings, and a couple of other play items.

It has enough to entertain a crew of kids! 

There is also a very nice picnic shelter with bathrooms.  I don't know if the bathrooms are always open, but there seemed to be some kind of summer camp happening when we went, so they were at the time anyway.

Independence Park
900 South Wilson Avenue ~ Hartford, WI

Candy Cane Park

Candy Cane Park is what the city of Hartford calls a "mini" park.  Accurate.  It is definitely tiny. 

There is a one-person climber, a couple of swings, and a sand box.  The kids were pretty unimpressed, but they did play for a bit in the sandbox.

Candy Cane Park
526 East Lincoln Ave ~ Hartford, WI

Regner Park

Regner Park is a large park in West Bend.  It looks like they have a LOT to offer, but we went there to swim.

I will start by saying it was a really nice beach and splash pad.  It is a man-made pond with lifeguards.  There began the less desirable qualities.  I am all for safety, but this place seemed little over-the-top.  Kids under....5? 6? (I'm not sure because the prerecorded repeating announcement contradicted itself) are required to be within arm's reach of their guardian.  Seems like a reasonable request, right?  Except the "kiddie" area of this beach is VERY shallow VERY far in.  I do not need to stand in water up to my ankles to keep my child within arm's reach.  I can sit on the beach and watch her safely. Yes, I know kids can drown in 2 inches of water, but in the very slim chance her face went in and didn't pop right back out, I could easily stand up and run to grab her in plenty of time.  And even kids with flotation devices are not allowed to go past their armpits without passing a swim test.  Now HERE is where the arm's reach rule would actually make sense to me.  If she's past her armpits I should be able to reach her.  But no matter because she can't go there anyway.  And flotation devices aren't allowed outside of the very shallow kiddie area, so...? Don't worry, if you even think about doing something that might not be allowed, a lifeguard will start yelling through a megaphone from their chair.  You can't entirely understand them sometimes, and you usually have no idea whether they are yelling at you or someone else, but there is a lot of yelling none-the-less.

Overall, the kids really did enjoy themselves, and it was a nice clean place.  And I will say I'm sure they almost never have any incidents.  I just found it to be a little bit stressful.  I was looking forward to be able to relax a bit knowing there were lifeguards watching, but it felt to me more like I was constantly on edge trying to make sure we weren't getting in trouble.  It would probably also be better if you went there a few times and were more familiar with the expectations.

In the winter, the pond turns into a skating rink, which sounds fun.

Also at the park: playgrounds, trails, a fishing pond, and sport fields.  There is a labrynth garden, too!  I wish I would have known, because I would definitely have dragged my kiddo there to check it out.

Would I go back to explore the park some more?  Absolutely!  Would I take my kids swimming there again?  No.

Regner Park
800 N Main Street ~ West Bend, WI ~ (262)335-5087
Admission: for swimming $4/adult, $3/child, 2&under free

The Mineshaft

The Mineshaft is actually a restaurant, which is not exactly what I'm hoping to cover in this blog, but it really could be done without even eating at the restaurant part.  I will throw in there that they have a very extensive menu and pretty reasonable prices if you are interested in eating during your visit.

The main attraction to The Mineshaft is their huge game room! 

You buy tokens, play games, earn tickets, and cash in for prizes.  The great part about this place is that, while there were definitely plenty of kids playing games, it doesn't feel awkward for adults to play too.  In fact, when we visited with my family, we all played games - and my 2-year-old is the only one of us under the age of 16!  There is lots of fun to be had no matter what age you are, which makes this a GREAT place to take the whole family!

The Mineshaft
22 N Main St ~ Hartford, WI ~ 262-673-5416
Admission: Depends how desperately you want that giant prize :)