Ellis-Porter Park — Attraction in Jefferson City

We were in town and wanted to go for a walk. I picked this place because Maps said it was near the river. I didn't see any trails near the river but I saw the river at one point. Meandering paved paths take you from bright sun to shaded areas for relief. There are a few hills that definitely give your calves a slight burn going up. The park is very well maintained as far as the grass. However, the cleanliness leaves a lot to be desired. At 1 picnic table we saw cans of soup left behind. Then, on the other side of the park, on a bench, were 2 steaks either cooked and left or cooked by the sun! Either way, that's disgusting. There was a bottle of BBQ sauce in the grass so maybe somebody was abducted by aliens JUST as they were about to eat? We'll never know. Those picnic tables have an extra shelf up above and have little roofs for protection... genius. It's a shame people can't pick up after themselves and appreciate what the City has provided for them.... instead of apartments or concrete,...

This was the first time I had been to this pool since I like 10. And it was actually really nice. I rented their party table for my daughter's 5th birthday and it was great. Lots of room for a the kids and wasn't very busy(it was close to end of season, like after school started lol). Only thing I didn't care for was that the party tables were on the opposite side of the pool so the kiddy pool was a bit far and they don't give like a time notice prior to closing like memorial. But honestly they were way better than memorial...

I visited the park specifically to walk the AllTrails "Ellis Porter Park Greenway Trail". It's a nice trail that's 1/2 paved and 1/2 gravel + 1/2 through wooded area and 1/2 through a combo government/residential area + part of the Ellis-Porter Park. Surprisingly, it wasn't buggy, and there are bathrooms at the park shelter within sight of the trail's starting point, which is helpful. If I lived in the...