Whether you’re walking your dog or enjoying an afternoon picnic, Lubbock has lots of parks for you to visit. Here are a few of my favorites:

Huneke Park: This is a nice park to visit during the day, but it’s even better at night. There’s a war memorial in very good condition, which lights up at night. There’s also a lake with a fountain, and during the warm months you can find ducks there. It’s a great place to see a sunset or enjoy a spring picnic, or just to sit and think.

Mackenzie Park: Located off of Interstate 27, Mackenzie Park is a big place –two hundred forty-eight acres in all– and it offers a lot of options to park-goers. There’s a disc golf course, as well as a regular golf course and golf pro shop. There are some baseball fields, as well as Joyland Amusement Park, which offers a few rides, including a roller coaster and some water slides. There’s also a sculpture garden featuring the work of Lubbock native Steve Teeters, and Prairie Dog town, where you can see (and feed) prairie dogs in their natural habitat for free.

Maxey Park: This park holds a special personal meaning to me, because it’s right across the street from Covenant Children’s hospital, where my son was born. There’s a huge lake in the middle, which you can fish at, and if you have young children, there’s a really cool “bouncy playground” that your kids will love. There’s also some sports fields and a swimming pool, although that is only open for part of the year. It’s a very visually stimulating park where you can happily sit and do nothing, perhaps while your kids swim or play on the playground.

McAllister Park: This is a pretty new park with lots of activities, especially for families with kids. It’s surrounded by highway, so you probably can’t walk to it, even if you live in the area. There’s a baseball complex with four baseball diamonds, and the Legacy Play Village, a cool wooden playground with lots of turrets and hideaways. The playground is unfortunately a little bit graffitied, but it’s still a fun place to take your kids. There are also some huge ponds, making this a good fishing and picnic area as well.

Tech Terrace Park: This is a popular park for joggers and dog walkers. There are benches and some shady spots, and you can meet really nice people here. Some people have been talking about how it would be neat to build a dog park here, which would make this park even more popular.