Looking for a fresh park to visit? Our region boasts an impressive number of wide-open spaces for hiking, biking, swimming and other outdoor play, and each one has an interesting backstory that illuminates our area's history.

Historylink.org's staff historian Paula Becker takes a look at the region's major parks from an historical perspective, with an eye to kid-friendly park features, while other ParentMap writers deliver the scoop on park destinations you'll want to know about.