North Park — Attraction in McCandless

This review is specifically for the BLACK AND GOLD PLAYGROUND!!!! This is a very well kept, clean park!! We sought out a place to take my sons, where we could picnic with take-out, where they could also play. I located the area in North Park that we visited, on a list of Pittsburgh's Top 10 Playgrounds!! The Black & Gold Playground at North Park did not disappoint, and is easily found using Google Maps!! There are 3 large play structures that include tons of assorted sizes & styles of slides, climbing poles & walls, monkey bars, great hiding spots, along with more fun things to do that I can't possibly think of them all. There is even an area that houses a play theater, for acting or putting on a puppet show, inside one of the play structures. This gigantic playground also has workout equipment, including 3 ellipticals that are secured to the ground. Swings are aplenty, too!!! There are large yellow plastic swings that have safety harnesses like the ones on roller coasters, swings traditional toddler seats, and a bunch of regular swings!! There are plenty of benches scattered around the playground, for parents to sit and observe their little ones!! A double water fountain is also amongst the many activites, to keep everyone hydrated!! There are 2 pavilions very nearby, and visible from the playground. There are a decent number of picnic tables underneath each pavillion, all situated on a solid concrete floor. There are large trash can available to dispose of your trash properly. Each can was lined with a trash bag, and VERY clean and well maintained. It was quite obvious that there is an experienced and competent crew that keeps this park in tip top shape!!! There are clean and maintained outhouses, aka PortaJohns, located all around the area. At any given time, we were within a minutes walk of being able to use a restroom. The two that I visited were well stocked with toilet paper, too!! Parking is the last thing worthy of mentioning, in regards to the Black and Gold Playground at North Park!! There is a TON of FREE parking available. The parking areas are paved, and all of the parking lots are clean and well maintained!! I would VERY HIGHLY recommend visiting North Park, to locals, as well as families traveling in the area. Children and adults of all ages are sure to enjoy the fun and peacefulness that you...

North Park is a great place to come hike, bike, kayak/paddle board, fish, or just sit and enjoy a view of the lake. A lot has changed in the last several years since they dredged the lake (making for better fishing etc) and several private businesses have come in.

They turned the old boat house into Over the Bar (a bar and grill with an outdoor patio area that people go crazy for), and Outside the Box Labs shows up at the boathouse every now and then (as well as other places) with their mobile Cryobar (liquid nitrogen drinks)-follow them on social media to find when they'll be.

Venture Outdoors came in with Kayak Pittsburgh and brought kayak and paddle board rentals to the lake, and GO APE! set up a treetop obstacle and zip-line course down the road from the old boat house. In addition, the old girl scout cabin is still there and in use, they have two off leash dog parks, and they are finally fixing up the tennis court area complete with lights to play at dusk etc. There is also a large pool and I hear they are bringing movies to the park for summers!

Popularity of the park seems to be increasing every year as more and more people come to recreate, and hold events, including several races (in fact it seems like there's a race to support a cause almost every Saturday in the summer months).

There are paved places to bike as well as mountain biking trails and the park also includes nature preserve areas and a trail with a railing suitable for blind individuals wishing to hike and enjoy nature.

#kayakpittsburgh #outsidetheboxlabs #ventureoutdoors #seeyouattheboathouse...

The day started out great. I was able to play 9 holes in the basking Spring sun, and my wife had an awesome day professionally, really making exciting progress. To celebrate the beautiful day, we grabbed our twin toddlers for a nice afternoon at the North Park playgrounds. Our wonderful day ended when we met Jess. We had called ahead to inquire about the wait; and we were told there was none. When we stepped inside, we asked for a table outside, and let the hostess know we'd wait outside - since we had been told there was no wait. A while after - Jess snarled asking if we needed something, my wife said just our table, and Jess said she didn't write our name because we didn't say it. It's a small place, and one would imagine that if they required more information they could have asked as we were standing 10 feet away. But Jess had angrily forgotten. She said she would have someone clear a table but we waited another 10 minutes and we finally asked the server if we (and our toddlers) could clear the table ourselves that had been empty the whole time. And from there on we were taken care of well. The food was ok, perhaps worth another post, but this time I wanted to draw attention to the pretty poor service by the head hostess who abuses her position to hurt patrons at will, power trip much? Despite the discourteous behavior we still tried to be polite and say thanks goodbye at the end of our dinner as we walked out the door but her crude snarls continued. It was clear from the looks that her colleagues gave her that they were very used to her...