Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/674647
47 Park features include an activity center, access to launch personal watercraft, fishing, a playground, swimming, sand volleyball, pavilion with snack bar, and restrooms. New improvements include a regulation in-line skating rink, a skate park, a shelter, and parking area. The park is open every day from 8:00 AM to dusk. SHARK RIVER PARK 1101 Schoolhouse Road Wall Township, (732) 922-4080 or (732) 842-4000 www.monmouthcountyparks.com Established in 1960 with surplus land from con- struction of the Garden State Parkway, Shark River Park is the first and oldest Monmouth County Park. There are more than 985 acres along either side of the Shark River in Neptune and Wall Township. A variety of picnic facilities host thousands of park visitors each year. Children can enjoy the playground year-round. The park's waterways, trails, hills, forests, and ponds attract birders, anglers, hikers, and nature lovers, and in the winter, cross-country skiers and ice skaters. SUNNYSIDE RECREATION AREA AND EQUESTRIAN CENTER 628 Middletown-Lincroft Road Lincroft, (732) 224-1367 or (732) 842-4000 www.monmouthcountyparks.com This 135-acre site is home to the Park System's Equestrian Center. With nearly twenty horses, the facility specializes in equestrian programs for people with physical and cognitive disabil- ities and operates with financial support from the non-profit Special People United to Ride. Sunnyside also has an exercise trail surrounded by tracts of open space and wetlands, which are managed as a field nesting bird habitat and stream buffer. TATUM PARK 144 Holland Road and 151 Red Hill Road, Middletown, (732) 671-6050 or (732) 842-4000 www.monmouthcountyparks.com "A little piece of paradise where you can find peace of mind." That's one description of the 366 acres of rolling hills, open fields, and 6.5 miles of winding trails through red and chestnut oaks and tulip trees. Visit the park each season to see the beautiful changes in color, to walk the trails, or to count how many different birds you see. Picnic tables offer a relaxing place to lunch. Near the Red Hill Activity Center, you'll find a playground at the edge of the woods. THOMPSON PARK 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft (732) 842-4000 ext. 4312 www.monmouthcountyparks.com Established in 1968 when Geraldine Thompson bequeathed the famed 19th century horse estate "Brookdale Farm" to the citizens of Monmouth County, Thompson Park's 667 acres now serve as headquarters for the Monmouth County Park System. The preserved historic buildings offer a rich glimpse into the area's past, while the surrounding fields, trails, and lake provide a beautiful location for outdoor activities. Visitors can enjoy the playground, Craft Center, Visitor Center, off-leash dog area, fish- ing and boating on Marlu Lake (car-top vessels only), tennis courts, athletic fields, and a large picnic area. TURKEY SWAMP PARK 200 Georgia Road Freehold Township, (732) 462-7286 or (732) 842-4000 www.monmouthcountyparks.com Turkey Swamp features 2,111 acres including a 17-acre lake for fishing, boating, and skating. Fish for bass, catfish, or bluegills either from the shore or from canoes and paddleboats that you can rent in summer. The lake offers winter ice-skating when the ice is thick enough. Nine miles of multi-use and fitness trails traverse the park which is located at the northern end of the Pine Barrens. Turkey Swamp's terrain is relatively level and the lake adds scenic interest. There is also an archery range and playgrounds. Get back to nature by spending the night at the family campground or reserve a picnic shelter for your next big group picnic. The family campground offers campsites, electrical service, water service (April 1 - November 15), drinking water, modern restroom with hot showers and laundry, a self serve sanitary dump station for campers with holding tanks, fire rings for charcoal cooking and camp- fires, picnic tables, and a children's playground. u Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold Township. courtesy of Monmouth County Park System