How many of you take the time to explore some of the public parks that are located in and around your local city? Often times…we get into the rut of just visiting the park that’s closest to us and never explore them beyond that. I know…I’ve been guilty of that too!
For the past few months my husband and I have been taking the time visiting and exploring various public parks within a 60 mile radius of our home. It’s nice to get outside and see something new! Plus, these public parks are FREE to visit and are great activities to do with the family.
In the city of Harrisburg Pennsylvania, you’ll find the beautiful Italian Lake public park located in the uptown section of the city. If you’re in the area, you’ll want to plug Division and Third Street into your GPS and it should pop right up.
The park is open year-round. During the summer season they hold small concerts in the park which are fun to attend. They have a small section set up with park benches (I recommend bringing your own lawn chairs) and a small stage. A lot of the time it’s small, local artists who participate in their event. Nonetheless, the entertainment is usually pretty good.
Italian Lake is surrounded by a paved walking trail that loops around it. Along the way you’ll see some park benches where you can sit down and relax. In the center of the lake they have a beautiful bronze sculpture & water fountain that really adds to this park’s elegance. At the one end of the lake you’ll see a Japanese-Inspired bridge that is really beautiful to see.
There are numerous ducks, swans and turtles that live in or around the lake. They’re pretty used to people, but please don’t touch them or feed them. On the day that we visited we spotted over a dozen different ducks and two beautiful black swans! Since I’m a turtle fan, I was a tad disappointed that I didn’t see any turtles during this particular visit.
The entire park is just beautiful and extremely well-maintained. This isn’t the type of park with a playground for the kids. Â Surrounding the lake you’ll find a few small botanical gardens which are colorful and serene. During the fall season you can see some of the city’s pretty fall foliage there too!
For our weekly travel feature…I just wanted to encourage everyone to take some time to visit some of your local public parks and to explore them. It’s a great way to get outside and to get some fresh air. I hope you enjoyed learning more about Italian Lake Public Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Feel free to tell us about your favorite park in our blog’s comment form below.
This is a beautiful park. You are right about finding and exploring the parks close by and further away to where you live.
What a pretty place! I love to find places like this and take the kids for an evening out. They love to have picnics and such. Wonderful find!
That is beautiful I dont think I have ever seen a black swan. The white ones are about but not the black ones. I love the sculpture. Our parks are pretty alright around here although not too fancy. We have more campgrounds for whatever reason at small lakes. Our state in the middle isnt too exciting but the east side around the Mississippi is much better!
I don’t think that I have ever seen a black swan. It is always so much fun to go on adventures like this and see all the beauty around us. We do try to get to our local parks for walks but need to do more local exploring.
This looks like such a lovely park. I so enjoy being by the water and I love the ducks. Thank you for sharing the great pictures.
That is a very beautiful park. There are several nice places around here. And right out my front door is nice as our house over looks a pond with a walking trail, dock, bridge and swings.
You continually inspire me to get out and see what is around here. I will have to plan a trip soon.
We have many nice parks in and around Denver. I admit that the one I go to most is right out from my front yard. The trail around the lake is exactly one mile and I love to walk there.