Playground

Learn while you play!  Officially opened on the last day of school in 2005, this unique playground in West Gloucester is geared toward learning basic science through play. The park contains:

Holcroft Park [aka Gage Street Playground] is located in a high-density area with a mix of multi-family and single-family homes as well as some commercial properties.  The playground is divided into two levels with a pre-school age playground on the lower level and a school age playground on the upper level.

Bessie Baker Park is in the center of a congested neighborhood and is near the downtown area. The park is heavily used by local residents and Little League teams. The field was reconstructed with an irrigation system in 1997. The basketball court was repaved, seal coated and striped in 2000; at this same time, new backboards and standards were also installed. New playground equipment, including a tot-lot and swing set, were installed in the summer of 2008.

Harold Parker State Forest, which lies in Andover, North Andover, North Reading and Middleton, comprises just over 3,000 acres of Central Hardwood-Hemlock-White Pine type of forest. The forest is twenty miles north of Boston and within one hour's drive of three million people. Recreational opportunities include hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, camping and picnicking.