Starr Jaycee Park

Our travels inevitably take us in or near the Royal Oak area. Royal Oak’s master plan included many parks which is a great feature of the city. It off sets their need for paid parking I suppose.
When the kids get restless, we pull over and stop to let them burn off some steam. Star-​Jaycee recently reinvested in itself and the old play structures were replaced with new, safer systems. The kids love it as there are a toddler section as well as a section for older kids. The downfall to parents here is that there are few places to sit. Apparently, benches weren’t part of the plan.
There is a disc golf course here but the best feature is a narrow gage railroad that operates here by a group of foamers (rail term for railroad fanatics) and retirees. They do a great job of maintaining the rail system that is in place and charge a nominal fee to ride the small rail railroad. All money goes to cover the operating costs of it. Again, it’s unique.
Parking is at a premium here so you may end up parking in the streets of the adjacent neighborhood. If this place is busy, try Memorial Park at 13 & Coolidge.

SJ Park is a 28 acre park hidden down 13 mile in a suburb. Just because it’s off the beaten path doesn’t mean that it’s not worth checking out.
Granted, part of the 28 acres includes ball fields/​backstops, a football field, a volleyball court, and what the city calls «multi-​purpose fields,» which are just large areas of open grass, it’s still a great park.
About half of the park is covered in trees. I used to spend afternoons here on a blanket reading. It’s great for that.
They have a good sized play area for kids, with a large jungle gym and bathrooms.
They also have a good disc golf course here that isn’t used as heavily as the one at Wagner.
In the middle of the park amidst the trees, there are miniature train tracks. Check the website, but sometimes in the summer they have a mini-​train running on them for the kids, and I believe the rides are free!
Honestly all those factors make this a great afternoon spot. Soon as it heats up again, I’ll be back here reading through whatever book I’m on or playing backgammon with my lady. I want to fall asleep here again!