Ideal Park and Playground is a great outdoors area to visit no matter the time of the year.

As soon as we pulled up to the curb, my kids were drawn to the huge sandpit. We went straight to it and spent most of our time digging and playing in the sand on this visit. It was great for me because there are two benches for parents and caregivers at the sandpit. There was a large digger, which is hard to find at parks these days, and tons of sand toys, too. I'm guessing some neighbors left or donated the sand toys.

Near the sandpit is the playground, it's not overly huge, but it offers enough to keep kids active and entertained! There's a smaller area for toddlers with a small slide and climber attached and a more extensive area with a big slide and climber. There are two baby/toddler swings and two bigger swings for older kids. And then there's a rock-climbing wall that my kids loved. This park takes up 2.5 acres. It connects to the trail system for Cottage Grove, so you can easily get on the trail and head out for a walk on a nice day after your visit to the playground. It's not an overly big park, and we were the only ones there at the time. An hour here was plenty for my kiddos. This is a great neighborhood spot for kids to go sledding during the winter months. The hills are just the right size. 

After playing here and the kids getting full of sand, head over to Highlands Park Splash Pad and let them run around in the water!