Porter Park — Attraction in Rexburg

Great park. Has a field large enough that multiple groups can play sports or other lawn games as well as fly kites (or drones if that's your thing). The splash park is open during the summer. On the corner of S 3rd W and W 2nd S (the southwest corner) is our city's Centennial Carousel (I believe the hours during the summer are from 10-4 & the cost is $2 per ride. Group rates are cheaper...but don't quote me on any of these prices or hours b/c I'm not 100% sure since I have never had the pleasure of riding it).

There is a playground for children ages 5 and up. It has two play structures with slides and climbing walls. There is also 4 swings. (if you want a toddler park, you need to go further down to the "car park" on Park Street and S 5th W).

There are 2 large pavilions (big enough for a family reunion or Quinceañera outdoor feast or large gathering of LARPers or Pokemon Go players) and 2 restroom buildings...although, I'm only sure that the south one (on W 2nd S) is unlocked during the day. The one on the north side (on W 1st S) I've never used because it looks like a old stone cabin, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone use it. The south restroom also has a drinking fountain . I'm uncertain if the north one has one, but I think I've seen one...

The park also has 2 doubles-tennis courts--side-by-side, which aren't going to stay nice for long unless dog owners stop taking their dogs inside the enclosure just because they want to allow them to run loose without leashes. The sign outside the courts clearly says no animals or small children inside (along with a few other regulations), which is why the gates closest to the playground are often locked.

This park is full of a lot of mature trees, which people use for hammocks and slack-lining as well as for picnicking under the shade on blankets. There are park benches as well as tables scattered throughout the park. Porter Park also has interesting landscaping and shrubbery. There is a walkway that completely encircles the entire park and it's wide enough for four people to walk beside each other, which means there's plenty of room for both pedestrians and bicyclists. It makes a nice walk and place to visit. The city also just recently installed a sidewalk for people walking past the park on the south side (W 2nd S), which is something it really needed since during the wintertime walkers have the hardest time there.

Porter Park is large and popular. The city often uses it for festivals, holiday events, and other activities like movies in the park during the summer. Because it's such a popular park & an asset to the community, the city recently built a stage for performances that has electricity and lights for night performances. They often have performances by local bands and similar and it's especially nice that they can use the electricity to power their speakers and instruments or equipment.

There are two major downsides to this park, but they happen mostly during the off-season or the wintertime. The playground area often becomes flooded when the snow melts...it's basically a large pond at that point. Also, both the north & south streets (W 1st S & W 2nd S) are dangerous to drive during the winter because of the 4-story apartments on W 2nd S and tall trees on W 1st S. The shadows cast from these two elements block any sun from hitting or warming the road all day. During and after heavy snowfalls or after there has been a thaw and refreeze, there's a thick sheet of ice on the road; I've seen plenty of accidents and spin-outs or cars getting stuck after skidding into a curb on both of these roads during the winter. It's downright dangerous to both pedestrians and vehicles. I wish that the city would plow these 2 streets more frequently or at least figure out something to remove the ice and snow from where the shadows fall. It's because of these two reasons that I gave the park 4 stars...

This park is absolutely beautiful! We were looking for a quiet and chill spot to cop a squat with the dogs out of the heat and to have a little picnic. We found this large, shady park on Google Maps and realized we were fairly close. Despite the road construction on W 2nd we found parking easily. We unloaded ourselves, both dogs, camp chairs, and food and drinks. Our Akita pretty much picked the shady spot she wanted to lay in and copped a squat. We joined her. In the middle of the summer day with temperatures in the 90s this park in the shade was so comfortable and cool breezes blew through. It was a lovely reprieve. There was so much space in this that with all of the people also using the park no one was on top of anyone. We were all able to spread out. There was even a large group of people playing different group games. On the other side of the park there was a large water feature where a lot of children were running around in and out of the tipping bucket that doused them in water. It was awesome. If I’d had on a suit I would have joined them. Right near the water playground there was a lot of seating for parents to keep an eye on their children and behind the seating and additional grass areas there was a carousel!!! We strolled inside and found a concession stand, too. We hung out for a few hours and then packed up. I love a good wholesome...

I would recommend porter park to anyone who lives in or is just visiting Rexburg. It truly is the hub of the city. In the warmer months the park is packed from sunrise long past sunset and even in the winter people are often at the park. Porter park is beautifully taken care of. Except for the fact that Mayor Merrill had all the trees on the East edge of the park chopped down. (They even left all the tree stumps and it doesn’t look very nice). Other than that the other trees are always trimmed well and the gross is always mowed. The carousel is only opened during the summer but it is such a cute attraction and only cost $1 to ride. The tennis courts are taken care of and are always clean and the playground seems very clean as well. Porter park is also a great spot for anyone with a dog. There are always dogs there it is the best! I would highly recommend...