Siouxland Families

Kelly Park is a quiet, cute little neighborhood park, and it'd be easy to drive by or even play there without realizing it's been the site of fun for Sioux City kids for more than a century, starting with the homesteading Kelly kids in the late 1800s! Here's my guide to Kelly Park, including a bit of the park's history:  Where is Kelly Park? Kelly Park is listed by Sioux City Parks and Rec as being at "Fall Avenue and Carlin" which should get you there too, but according to the assessor's office is officially at 3300 Parkview Avenue in Sioux City, Iowa, 51105. There is no parking lot, and no parking on Parkview on the park side of the road, but there is free street parking on other streets near the park.   Amenities and Fun at Kelly Park Kelly Park in the 2020s includes two acres of grassy space according to Parks & Rec, but it felt like more to me. The park also has picnic tables (I counte...

From a potato patch scandal to pool parties by way of picnics and Greek week, Lewis Park is one of Sioux City's most historic parks, and the fun at Lewis Park shows no signs of stopping. The park is conveniently located just off the campus of Morningside University and is often used by Morningside student groups for picnics and events. And while it's beloved and frequented by Morningside students, it's actually a city park, open to the public all year round, and you should feel welcome to visit it anytime. Here's what you should know about Lewis Park:   Where is Lewis Park?  Lewis Park is located at 1621 Sioux Trail in Sioux City, Iowa. It is immediately adjacent to the Morningside University campus. There is usually ample free parking in the park's lot, but parking can occasionally be difficult during the school year especially during special events like the Sioux City Relays.  History of Lewis Park Lewis Park is one of Sioux City...

Splash pads are popping up across Siouxland, and in this weather, we sure need them! Splash pads are park areas that don't have any standing water like a pool, but have lots of fountains, dumping buckets, sprayers, and other water features kids can run through, under, over, or past to get nice and wet on a hot day. Looking for more aquatic fun in Siouxland? Check out my   Guide to Siouxland Pools & Swim Lessons  and my post about the Siouxland Splash Waterpark opening in 2025! The Sioux City splashpads as a group get mostly rave reviews from local families, but the most common complaint when one comes up is kids slipping. To avoid this, make sure kids are in water shoes with good grip on the bottom, not in flip flops or other shoes with smooth bottoms. And don't forget your sunscreen! Here's where you can go to join in on the refreshing splash pad fun in and around Sioux City (listed alphabetically--they're too good to rank!) All of the splash pads in Si...

If you don't have a bike yet, you're going to want to get one--or rent one--to check out the amazing new bike features at Sioux City's Cone Park, opening in June of 2024. Here's what families can expect at this cool new Siouxland attraction: graphic courtesy of Sioux City Parks & Rec First off, what is Cone Park? Cone Park is a city park on the west side of the same hill/property as Sertoma Park,in Sioux City's southern hills area, near the Sioux City Explorers baseball stadium. You can check out my full guide to Sioux City's Sertoma Park for more info about what's on the east side of the park, including a playground and a disc golf course. But on the west side of this area, Cone Park provides tons of family fun including a tubing hill, which is obviously awesome in winter, and recently added a summer tubing option as well. There's also a splash pad at Cone Park, and it's somewhat minimalist, which actually enables it to double as a hockey rink,...

While researching a story for the upcoming winter issue of  Living Here Midwest magazine, I had the opportunity to check out Split Rock Creek in Garretson, SD at Split Rock Creek Park and Devil's Gulch Park, two city parks almost adjoining, and they were so cool! Where are Split Rock Creek and Devil's Gulch? Split Rock Creek Park and Devil's Gulch are both in Garretson, SD, right next to each other but separated by some railroad tracks. 512 5th Street is the official address for the Split Rock Creek Campground, and Devil's Gulch doesn't seem to have a specific address, but it's hard to miss: Split Rock Park Split Rock Park overlooks Split Rock Creek, including the Split Rock Dam, which was built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration.  At the park, there is a campground for RV and tent camping, as well as a day use area with a nice playground, benches and a picnic shelter, and a cute bridge with a view of an even more scenic ...

Sertoma Park is one of Sioux City's best-known parks, with an iconic water tower, fun playground, scenic views, lots of space to run and play, and a great pavilion. Here's your ultimate guide to this wonderful park just south of Sioux City's Morningside neighborhood and the Southern Hills Mall. What is Sertoma Park? Sertoma Park is a 42-acre city park in the southern part of Sioux City, on the same hill as Cone Park. Essentially, the eastern side of the hill is Sertoma Park, while the western side of the hill is home to Cone Park and to the Lewis & Clark Park baseball stadium where the Sioux City Explorers baseball team plays. Also nearby is Thinker Toys and the Castle Pub, both housed in a castle across the street from Sertoma Park to the South.  The history of Sioux City's Sertoma Park Sioux City's Sertoma Park is one of its newer parks, dating to the turn of the millennium. In 1995, the Sioux City Sertoma Club made an agreement with th...

Distance running is my favorite sport (I ran XC and track in jr high, high school, and college) and I'm happy to report that there are some really great places to run in Siouxland! Whether you're new to the sport, new to Siouxland, or maybe just visiting Siouxland, if you want to find out more about the distance running and track scene in Sioux City, you're in the right place. I couldn't include every single place you can or should run, and you'll need to of course use your own judgement and preferences to, as every runner has different ideal running conditions. But I tried to come up with some of the best and most useful suggestions to make this the most comprehensive guide to running in Sioux City. So fellow runners, read on to find out more about the best places in Sioux City and Siouxland to go for a run including outdoor tracks, outdoor tracks, and great trails, plus find out about Sioux City's biggest running group, some of the biggest local races held ann...

Note: Amazon links are affiliate links; this does not change your price to purchase but gives me a tiny portion of Amazon's profits if you do choose to buy through one of these links. Thanks in advance if you do make that choice! State parks offer so much fun and variety to families throughout the Midwest, but don't get much fanfare, and I'm so excited to be part of a new project working to fix that! I got to be part of a group of 14 authors, with one writer or couple representing each state in the Midwest to write Midwest State Park Adventures . I wrote the South Dakota chapter, so it was really fun for me to see what all the other writers came up with, but especially the Iowa and Nebraska chapters. Anyway, here's the full scoop on this new book that I'm thrilled to be a part of. What is Midwest State Park Adventures? Midwest State Park Adventures is an anthology travel guidebook that dives deep into the best state parks across 12 Midwest states: Illinois, Indiana,...

Crystal Cove Park, nestled in a South Sioux residential area, is a cute park well worth a visit! What is Crystal Cove Park? Crystal Cove Park is one of South Sioux City's premier parks, consisting of a 33-acre lake inside a 100-acre park! The park is free and open to the public. The park is home to more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife. Where is Crystal Cove Park? Crystal Cove Park doesn't actually have a specific street address, but for GPS etc. purposes, it's closest to W 39th & Timberline Drive in South Sioux City, Nebraska. There is lots of free parking in the parking lot at Crystal Cove Park. Trails and amenities at Crystal Cove Park Crystal Cove Park has about 1.5 miles of trails, looping around the lake, but that's far from the only thing to do at Crystal Cove! Some other features visitiors love at Crystal Cove include: Disc Golf course : my family has played the first 9 holes, but it got too buggy for us, so we bailed before the second nine....

Consider this your ultimate guide to city parks in Sioux City! From disc golf to mini golf, laser tubing to rustic trails, from water slides to river views, new construction to historical monuments, Sioux City's city parks have it all. Below, you'll find addresses and a brief description for each of the city parks in Sioux City, Iowa. And as I write about them in more detail, I'll link to those posts from this page so you get the full view of the best city parks in Sioux City and our surrounding communities! My top picks for visitors have a * by them and include Bacon Creek Park , Riverside Park and Sertoma Park . City Parks in Sioux City *Bacon Creek Park 5015 Correctionville Road Includes two playgrounds, picnic shelters, a dog park, and a 3-mile walking path which surrounds a small lake with docks for fishing and kayaking, plus mountain biking trails near the dog park area.  Check out my full guide to Bacon Creek Park  for ...