Okemos resident Branden McClurkin,7, runs with dogs April 3, 2013, at Northern Tail Dog Park, 6400 Abbot Road. McClurkin also played fetch with any dog that came up to him with a frisbee or ball.
—After a period of cold weather, snow in April and the overall miserableness that is the winter season, it finally seems like spring is here.
With temperatures today expected to reach a high of 56 degrees with clear skies, according to Evan Webb, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, it will be one of the nicer days so far this year to stroll East Lansing.
As with the nicer weather, more parks and gardens will be accessible for students and residents to visit. Here are some outdoor havens to check out in East Lansing and on campus.
1. Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden
The garden, wedged between the Horticultural Demonstration Gardens and the Lewis Landscape Arboretum at 1066 Bogue St., features theme gardens such as a pizza-shaped garden featuring tomatoes, peppers and oregano that make up a pizza, and a butterfly garden shaped like its namesake and lined with colorful flowers to attract the insects.
It features 56 theme gardens total, with other gardens such as the Dinosaur Garden, the Alice in Wonderland Maze, Jack and the Giant’s Garden and the Perfume Garden, to name few.
Norm Lownds, curator for the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden, said the idea of the gardens is to connect with children through themes that make sense to them, and to make it accessible not only for children, but also for their parents.
Students on the south side of campus also can stroll through the garden for a change of scenery or a break from studying before finals.
“Our tagline is we want people to experience plants,” he said.
2. Patriarche Park
Located at 1100 Alton St., Patriarche Park recently received a $300,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund to help fund a new playground scheduled to be ready as early as fall 2013, according to the city of East Lansing website.
The goal is to raise $570,000 to build the structure.
The park features a lot of open space, playground equipment, volleyball courts and softball fields, among other things.
Lansing resident Jeremy Burrell said he enjoys taking his son, 5-year-old Zach, to Patriarche because there’s always a lot of children playing.
“It’s a safe and quiet community,” he said.
3. Valley Court Park
While playing softball with a group of friends Wednesday, jazz studies sophomore Walter Cano said they all get together at Valley Court Park, 300 Valley Court, to practice and get ready for the intramural season, among other activities.
“We play frisbee … We play tennis a couple times when it’s sunny out,” he said. “We try to come out here and enjoy the weather.”
4. Northern Tail Dog Park
The dog park features an open field of grass for canines and their owners to run around, play catch or exercise together.
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Lansing resident Jenna Fasullo said it’s nice to have a free dog park nearby that’s big enough for her dog Wilke to stretch his furry legs.
“I don’t know of any other one that’s this big that’s local,” Fasullo said.
