Zhunan, Zhunan Sports Park 竹南運動公園

Location: google map location, No. 55, Gongyuan Rd, Zhunan Township, Miaoli County, 351

Parking: Off of 13, next to the library

Pros: playgrounds, swings, big grassy field, big hard surface area for riding bikes, basketball court, tennis court.....it's a park for EVERYTHING! They have restrooms on site (not very clean).

Cons: Not much to do around the park. You will have to drive to get to a restaurant.

We were first here for our boys' soccer game. It is actually a great destination if you plan to visit Zhunan. I would maybe come here in the morning, and go by the harbor for lunch (great seafood). There is a Family Mart that's walkable from the park if you need drinks/snacks. Sometimes there is a vendor in front of the park entrance that sells traditional Taiwanese ice cream called "Baboo." (It's hard to find Baboo these days!)

Taipei, Mingshui Park 明水公園

Location:google map location, Bei-an Street Lane 538, Taipei city.

Transportation: by MRT brown line to Dazhi Station, take exit 3. 

Pros: beautiful trees, surrounded by not so busy streets, interesting play structures

Cons: no restrooms on site (but MRT station is close enough if someone REALLY needs to go potty ;))

I loved this park because it's in a quite neighborhood, not crowded, and right next to a MRT station. The wooden walkway surrounding the big tree with two slides is really cool. And my boys always LOVE those metal cubed climbers. As you can see in the picture, the climber and the stone slide do not have shade. So keep in mind that it is probably not a good idea to visit here in the middle of summer! We visited here on a Sunday morning in October when it was about 80 degrees - it was not too bad.

Taipei, Museum of Drinking Water 自來水園區

Location: google map location (No. 1, Siyuan Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei)

Website: 自來水園區中文版

Pros: inexpensive, parking lot available, clean, FUN!

Cons: can be crowded on weekends

Open year round, 9am - 6pm (8pm in the summer), admission is $50/Adult, $25/child ($80/$40 in the summer). Water fun can't get any cheaper in Taipei! We first visited on a Saturday in the middle of August, arrived a little past 9am, and by 10:30am it was packed with school groups. They also offer Dipping Dots and other light snacks at the concession. Would definitely recommend going!

*Closed on Mondays

*swim caps are not mandatory

*no water guns allowed

Taipei, Daan Park 大安公園

Location: google map location (Andong street #52, Taipei)
Pros: proximity to the mall, MRT, restaurants
Cons: small playground, no restrooms on site

Not to be confused with Daan Forest Park (on google map the forest park is called Daan Park. yes, it is confusing) - Daan Park is located right across from Sogo Fuxing off of Zhong Xiao E Rd. Nothing fancy, but may be a good option to let the kids get their wiggles out after doing some shopping at Sogo.

Taipei, Recycle Park 兒童志氣公園 (damaged by Typhoon Megi)

Updated 10.07.16: Structures removed due to damages by Typhoon Megi

Location:google map location (Zhongxiao E. Rd sec.3 #140)

Pros: shaded at 10am in the summer. good for little kids

Cons: structure are not stable enough for big kids climbing, no bathroom on site

We call this the "Recycle Park" because this is one of the projects by Re-create Taipei, which is an organization that uses recycle items to create unique parks in the city. I really like the idea of turning something old to something new and useful, but this park really is not for kids 4 and up. It's a neat little space for toddlers to walk around. The structures which are made out from old water towers, are kind of flimsy and hard to play "on." They are probably not meant to be climbed on, but thats what BOYS do - they climb on everything. If you live close by, might be worth checking out though!

Taipei, Qingcheng Park 慶城公園

Location: No. 29 Qingcheng Street
Transportation: MRT Nanjing Fuxing Station, exit 7
Pros: zip line, close to restaurants/shops, picnic tables
Cons: No restroom on site

It's a great little park with a zip line, swings, and a metal ladder thingy. It's away from busy streets and close to where all the restaurants/coffee shops are on Qingcheng Street.

Taipei, Fu Ming Park 富民生態公園

Location: Minsheng E Rd Sec. 5 & Sanmin Rd. （民生東路五段 & 三民路）
Transportation: Bus 262 新東街口 (Xindong St)
Pros: big trees with shade, unique play structure, close to coffee shops
Cons: No restrooms on site

We came here last weekend - It's the MIDDLE of summer and we were at a park!!! I have been trying to figure out where I can take the kids OUTSIDE in the summer other than the beach. Luckily we decided to try this park and it turned out to be quite shady (at 9:30am in the morning). It was my first time visiting Minsheng neighborhood and I really enjoyed it. There are quite a few other parks in this area all within walking distance to each other. In this heat, the kids walked 2 blocks with me to a nearby coffee shop with the promise of getting them a treat in the end. ;)