Exploring the World With Pokemon Go: Ward Park
I traveled to Ward Park after such success in nearby Cady Way Park. This area was truly what I had hoped it would be.
Ward Park is a massive activity area filled to the brim with different places to see. From Soccer Fields and Tennis Courts, to Basketball Courts and especially Baseball Stadiums, there is so much to do. Truly, I found it a travesty that the park was so empty when I visited.
The only excuse I can think of, is that the extreme Florida summer heat was keeping visitors away. A clear day with plenty of space for entire crowds is just begging to be used. Multiple parking lots allow for such accommodations too.
But if that was not all, there is a hiking trail located at this park as well. And like many places I have visited in the past, said hiking trail is equipped with workout stations for a full body experience.
Well Organized:
Normally when I explore a park, I try to arrange my photos in the other I took them. Unfortunately, while I was at Ward Park, I managed to overflow the memory card on my phone. Yes I take the pictures on my phone. Please don’t judge me. So I am arranging these images at random to try something new.
To showcase how sophisticated this park is, I made sure to snap pictures of the warning signs for lightning storms. This makes sense given the extremely open and flat nature of this area. The sidewalks alongside the parking lots only add to this image. Truly Ward Park is one of the best places I have explored thus far where organization is concerned.
Want to visit Ward Park but worried you might need to take a break from the heat and athletic activities? Don’t worry, there are plenty of park benches and tables to choose from. Some in the shade, others not. Pick your preference.
Many of the pictures above at Ward Park are from the hiking trail. This area was among my favorite spots. If for no other reason than the abundance of shade. By the time I reached this section of the park, the sun was bearing its intense load upon me. Summer days here are scorching and even staying hydrated helped me little.
The one image that is unlike the others depicts a small section of the Baseball Fields that dominate this place. I took plenty more pictures of that section considering it was the only spot that I liked more than the hiking trail.
Towards the Back:
By this point in my adventure around Ward Park, my phone’s memory recovered from whatever crash had stunted it. Here to the end, the images will be arranged in the order I took them. Whether you like the first format better or the second, I hope that neither throws you off. And if you prefer one style to the other let me know in a comment.
The entire back section of Ward Park is devoted entirely to Baseball. From what I could deduce, the fields here are the original intended purpose of the park. Dedication plaques and statues of prominent members of the community dot the seating areas indicating Baseball’s overall importance in this park’s founding.
For a public park, the things to see in this region alone are breathtaking. You might forget that this place is open to the public. Certainly, I wondered multiple times if I was trespassing as I took in the amazing sights.
I rounded out my journey through Ward Park by checking out the few remaining spots I had missed prior. Pokemon Go helped immensely in that regard. I’ll talk about that part of my experience in a moment.
All in all, Ward Park is both extremely well designed as well as a beautiful place to do just about anything one could conceive of in the outdoors. No matter where your destination might lie at Ward Park, know that thanks to proper construction and proper paths being built, it is not difficult at all to reach any and all parts in a couple minutes of walking.
This park is already among my favorite hidden gems that I discovered thanks to this travel blog. I might have to write a special post outlining these hidden gems at some point. But that is for another time.
Pokemon Go:
Ward Park is too large for me to properly fit in one screenshot via Pokemon Go. However, where I am currently standing is the best spot to play here. Around the Baseball fields, one will find plentiful spawns, tons of Pokestops that follow a single path and even a few Pokemon Gyms if one walks away from the stops for a bit.
All in all while the front of the park was relatively empty, the back section is where its at. Its a good thing I trusted my instincts (see what I did there?) and walked to the Baseball area. Otherwise, I would have missed this gem of a park, both in and out of game.
Next time, I’ll be back on the Cady Way Trail. As I will be exploring one of my favorite sections of this path, I will be taking a ton of pictures. Look forward to that very soon.