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robzilla71173 t1_je9sgds wrote

George Washington Carver Park. I live like half a mile away and it took me over a decade to realize it exists. It's 25 acres donated to the city in the middle of the Oak Grove neighborhood with the stipulation that it never be developed. (full of sinkholes anyway). It's just a big chunk of woods with no sign, no real parking, but open to the public.

Lurvey Park is just down the road and is one of our smallest parks. Similarly overlooked. The driveway to it goes between some houses.

This one gets used a lot I think by people in that neighborhood, but few people know about it citywide. There's a privately owned 1 acre garden off of Walnut that the owner maintains for the public. They have a small gate to let people walk in from the street and enjoy it.

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Gen_Chaos t1_jeb4k02 wrote

Duuude! I've lived in Oak Grove for 3 years and never figured out how to get to Lurvey Park.

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robzilla71173 t1_jeb5d6r wrote

I'm looking at it on google maps right now and helicopter is all I can think of. There really is no way unless you go straight through someone else's yard. It's got swingsets, I never knew that.

Edit: I just spotted a little gravel drive off of Oak Grove Rd. that goes into the park. Also, I am super burned out at work today.

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Objective_Chard1497 t1_jeb9uwj wrote

Yeah there is a little gravel road that looks like a driveway, it goes right next to someone garage. Off of oak grove road! It’s got a little sign by the road but it’s easily missed!

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MaxYuckers t1_jea7kvs wrote

The small park sounds nice! I wish everyone had a small patch of green within a few blocks.

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robzilla71173 t1_jea8agj wrote

I was reading about that one (Walnut St) in 417 magazine. Apparently the homeowner came from Seattle and one of the things they missed was random little gardens like that in neighborhoods.

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MaxYuckers t1_jea8eqq wrote

Aww, gives me that warm fuzzy feeling.

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robzilla71173 t1_jeabanx wrote

There are actually a lot of little places like that around here. They don't get advertised much, which keeps them a little more special I think. https://www.springfieldcommunitygardens.org/gardens

edit: the Midtown garden at Division and Benton has a free plant exchange where they invite people to take or leave plants, I like that one.

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DeathCait t1_je9s52g wrote

There’s a weird little park off oak grove just south of cherry. There’s a sign for it, but doesn’t appear to be any parking and it’s behind residential houses. That might be a good one to look into.

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KoiCyclist t1_je9u03a wrote

The one with the frisbee golf course?

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DeathCait t1_je9ugjb wrote

Not the one behind the community center that he frisbee golf. This one is further north just before cherry street. I am not sure what’s back there because I’ve always been too chicken to walk behind the houses lol. I looked it up and it’s called Lurvey park.

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robzilla71173 t1_jea50uy wrote

If I'm remembering right that's our smallest area city park. I've also always felt weird walking back there so I've never been either.

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Objective_Chard1497 t1_jeb9ytz wrote

You’re talking about lurvey park I believe

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Memopops t1_jebggsx wrote

Check out Ooley park while you’re over here. Just off Oak Grove, two swing sets, a sinkhole, and regularly floods. It’s a doozy! 🤓

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Objective_Chard1497 t1_jebour1 wrote

Is that the one just before cherry??

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Memopops t1_jec1brw wrote

So if you go east on Cherry from glenstone, turn right on oak grove and then take the first left. It’s one house down basically

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Objective_Chard1497 t1_jeefns9 wrote

Yep! I’ve always wondered if anyone actually used that park 🤣 I drive by it everyday on my way home from work and haven’t ever seen a soul there

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Memopops t1_jefmqma wrote

Everyone once in a while you'll see someone there...not like Lurvey though....that place is creepy lol

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Strange-Row5516 t1_je9sjwz wrote

Just go downtown or anywhere near the railway tracks, half of springfield is old falling apart or unused

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Aimless78 t1_je9t4n2 wrote

I see people use the Route 66 Auto Park to take their lunch and eat there.

Are you looking for old and abandoned stuff or just green spaces that are not used anymore?

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Aimless78 t1_je9u1yv wrote

If looking for old abandoned stuff, there is an old loading dock or something on Chase Street just east of Lyon Avenue (450 w Chase Street is the approximate address). Oftentimes, Moon City organization paints different scenes on it. They are the same people who paint the wood power poles along Atlantic, Chase, and many of the cross streets of those two streets.

There are also many old schools and churches that sit empty all over town.

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DarthRiko t1_jea7gte wrote

Take a cross-town trip on Kearney. I count over a dozen seemingly abandoned buildings.

Then there's the silos on Commercial and whatever that building with the mural near Chestnut and National, but people have already made plenty of stuff about them.

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Zigihogan t1_je9r1do wrote

All of Springfield is your oyster.

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throwawayspfd t1_jea7pcv wrote

I never see anyone at Kirkwood Park on Seminole east of Glenstone. Ray Kelly Park on Seminole and Fremont. Stanford Park on W Battlefield.

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robzilla71173 t1_jeaabv5 wrote

I'm sure it's used more now that the area has more development, but when I was younger the little lake with a walking path around it behind Burrell on S. National was pretty quiet. It's off of Bradford Parkway, Schaible Lake. Tiny little area between the medical buildings near Cox South. And I'm sure the boy scouts use it plenty, but there's a wooded area with a trail and a pond behind the Boy Scouts building on Eastgate.

If you don't mind the drive/bike ride, there's a little park off of the Frisco Trail as you get close to Bolivar called La Petite Gemme Prairie that I don't think a lot of people know about. It's literally just a few acres of prairie. Probably pretty beautiful with spring flowers soon.

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laffingriver t1_je9unh1 wrote

edit: NE corner of sunshine and fremont

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MrZanzinger t1_jeam36t wrote

Rountree historic park west of Ewing park is a tiny little oddity.

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nbmft13 t1_jeb4159 wrote

Hartman Park is one of the tiniest parks. It's down the street from my house, and every time we go there, we are the only people there.

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python_boot t1_jeb8912 wrote

but if you photograph them for a project, they aren't useless anymore

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Memopops t1_jebglyx wrote

Go down east traffic way under glenstone. It’s got some great stuff

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NotBatman81 t1_jed56ag wrote

Every nice facility in town. They build it, then they lock it up and don't let people use it.

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