Independence Grove.

One of my favorite things we did this past weekend at my brother and sister in law's house was visit Independence Grove. It is a mammoth-sized park, with every possible outdoor fun you can imagine. Want to take a walk or bike ride? They've got long, winding, paved trails to explore. Want to play on a playground? The huge playground there has multiple play stations, a cave for kids to explore, a gentle rock wall to climb, and it's all bedded underneath by the recycled rubber mulch... super squishy and soft. You can also swim in the lake, relax on the beach, boat, fish, grab a bite to eat at the cafe, sit on one of the hundreds of benches, or enjoy the fountain in the summer. I can hardly wait to go back.

"Who pays for all of this?" I asked my brother. It's run by the county he lives in, which has a commission whose specific purpose is to buy up land and preserve it as open space... fun open space.

I was astounded at who nice it was, how well-thought-out, and the sheer size of it.

I also thought that if you wanted to give families a great option to be together, enjoy the outdoors and exercise their kids and themselves a little, this would be the perfect spot to do it. Places like this could cure a whole lotta ills this country is wrestling with.