We recently swung by J.B. Flaherty Park in Wake Forest since we had never been there before. It’s a huge 100 acre park with a playground, baseball fields, pickleball and tennis courts, plus a picnic shelter, dog park, and ponds for fishing!

Playground

I immediately noticed that the playground is identical to Cedar Hills Park! My kids love climbing inside the fish, so I know they will love playing here once the playground reopens! The surface is mulch and it gets direct sun, but it is adjacent to the restroom facility, which is a plus with little ones!

The restrooms have a small shaded picnic area with tables. This could be convenient location for a birthday party or event (once you can do those sorts of things 😉).

Sports Facilities

While we were there we walked over to check out the baseball field. I bet this is the place to be during baseball season! The tennis and pickleball courts are over by the dog park near the park entrance.

My kids favorite part of Flaherty Park was the workout equipment. They love the leg machine for some reason and have played on similar equipment at Smith Creek and Tyler Run! It probably adds to the appeal that it’s the only thing they can climb on right now during the pandemic!

Community Center

There is a community center onsite with a full gym. We have attended some fun events here throughout the year, and they host an open gym for toddlers some weekday mornings. Check their list of events here.

Dog park and trails

We wandered around Flaherty park for a short while but never did find a pond or walking trails. However, once I got all the kids buckled back into the car, I looked over and saw a small trail off the parking lot which I assume leads to the pond. I didn’t unbuckle the kids again to check it out, so I’ll leave that exploring to you! Let me know in the comments what you find!