Clayton Park

If you haven’t made it out to Clayton Park yet, you’re missing one of the better setups Erie has added in a while. The equipment is genuinely new and well-designed — kids get slides, a solid climbing structure, a zipline, and enough going on to keep the 2-to-10 crowd busy without anyone melting down about being bored. Pack food, because the BBQ area and covered picnic tables make it easy to turn a playground run into a full afternoon, and the mountain views from that shaded seating are hard to beat. There’s also a soccer field and a big open grass area, so bring the dog or kick a ball around while the kids do their thing. Parking is right there, restrooms are on site — it’s just a well-thought-out spot.