July is National Park and Recreation Month, and Statesboro has two newly revamped parks with playgrounds, including Reverend W.D. Kent Park, which also has a covered basketball court. It makes for an amazing place to play this summer!
In 2021, the city and county hosted ribbon cuttings for Reverend W. D. Kent Park on Grady Street and Luetta Moore Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. While both parks were already in existence, they each received huge upgrades and renovations as part of a $4.5 million project, making them true assets to our community.
Since the parks went up with their brightly colored and impressive play structures, my kids have been asking to check them out, so visiting them both was on our summer “bucket list.” A lot of work went into revamping these parks, and it shows!
This is a multi-part series.
Reverend W.D. Kent Park
On the day we visited Rev. W.D. Kent Park, we stopped by the library first and then got some nice, cool drinks from Sonic on our way to play. We love this area because we also get to ride past the police station, fire department, and EMS station to see all the emergency vehicles, too! It’s a great central location but also a very quiet area.
There were others there enjoying the huge, covered basketball court, but we had the playground to ourselves on this day. One thing we loved was all the shade it provided, both over the play structure and swings and at a pavilion with tables nearby. Even though it’s super hot in Georgia any time during the summer, that shade can make such a huge difference!
The play structure here is probably going to be most friendly to elementary age and older kids, rather than toddlers, but it does have some younger-kid-friendly climbing opportunities. My kids loved all the climbing spots as well as the canvas pieces to sit or rest on, high above the ground.
There’s also a curved climbing wall; just make sure to spot your kids on that one, as it’s pretty high in the center!
The last fun feature is a bank of shady swings near the main play structure, which includes two toddler swings, two regular swings, and two double-sided swings, which are especially fun for kids and grown-ups alike!
Another key aspect to this park is that it has bathrooms! You’ll also find a water fountain, picnic tables, benches, a grill, trash cans, and plenty of parking. During renovations, the city also installed security cameras and wi-fi access.
In short, this park has everything you need to stick around and play for a while!
Rev. W.D. Kent Park
1 W. Grady St.
Open year-round
