Ronald Reagan Park Review

Ronald Reagan Park
2777 Five Forks Trickum Road,
Lawrenceville 30044
Ronald Reagan Park Official Website
Amenities ∙ 25 acres ∙ Dog park area ∙ Horseshoe pits ∙ Shuffleboard courts ∙ Small skate area ∙ Playground ∙Pavilions ∙ Two half-basketball courts ∙ Bocce ball courts ∙ .75-mile paved multi-purpose trail ∙ Restrooms


Last year you may have noticed the rundown nature of the playground area. With only a couple functional swings it made it difficult for the playgroup we attend with some smaller children to all have something to do. After a call to the county and speaking with the cleanup staff that are there on a regular basis, they said that it is on the list for a renovation. This is great news since the Five Forks Library across the street was remodeled and updated this last year.

The Ronald Reagan Park has a wonderful walking trail that is long enough in length to feel like when you are walking in circles that, well you aren't really walking in circles. The trees give a lot of shade for walkers and luckily the trail isn't too steep for the children who bike alongside. The large grassy areas make a great place to play frisbee, play catch, or kick a ball around.

The Ronald Reagan Park also has a covered picnic area alongside the playground in case you are planning a birthday party at Ronald Reagan park. It is close enough to see the playground. The restroom facilities are one of the cleanest that I have seen at a Gwinnett County Park. It seems that soap is refilled, and the bathrooms are cleaned on a regular basis and are well kept by patrons. While potty training my daughter last year, I didn't feel grossed out at all to take her to the stall. They are set off from the playground, but the park planner explained that they are trying to set water fountains and restrooms off a ways from the play area to reduce loitering of  child predators based on national safety guidelines. So if you feel like the facilities are a hike for you or your little one, now you know why.

The play equipment at Ronald Reagan Park is not my child's favorite. It is a little outdated and the play area doesn't have any trees that shade the area. I do like that they have the smaller section for the little ones and the bigger slides for the big kids in the same play area. The lack of equipment makes it harder to keep my daughters attention for a long period of time. So if you are looking for a nice place to play for a little while, this is a great park, if you are looking for a afternoon of it, probably this is not one of the most entertaining parks.On a scale from one to ten based on the restroom facilities, play equipment, parking, and amenities I would give this park a 5 out of 10.

Club Drive Park Review

Club Drive Park

3330 Club Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Club Drive Park Official Website

If you are looking for a park with a massive playground that has play equipment for 2-5 year olds and 6-12 year olds, Club Drive Park is the park for you.  There is a little hike from the parking lot to the actual playground but it is well worth it. For the 2-5 year olds there is age appropriate climbing equipment, a teeter totter, the most toddler swings I know of in one Gwinnett Park, a stationary fire truck to play on, and plenty of slides and musical drums. The 6-12 year olds get to enjoy zip line activities, rope courses and gigantic slides. The playground is fenced in with only two entrance/exits which make it a lot easier to monitor multiple children. There aren’t any trees so there are a few canopies on the slides but they still seem to heat up pretty quickly so I would recommend going earlier than later. There is a covered picnic area inside of the playground for parents to sit and relax in the shade while the kids run around.

Club Drive Park age 2 to 5 Playground

  The 6-12 year olds get to enjoy zip line activities, rope courses and gigantic slides. The playground is fenced in with only two entrance/exits which make it a lot easier to monitor multiple children. There aren't any trees so there are a few canopies on the slides but they still seem to heat up pretty quickly so I would recommend going earlier than later. There is a covered picnic area inside of the playground for parents to sit and relax in the shade while the kids run around.

Club Drive Park age 6 to 12 playground

If you want to take a play break, head over to look at the pond there are usually ducks, turtles and geese that are easily seen from the dock. Since we are potty training the bathrooms are always a concern of ours at the park. We have played at the Club Drive Park various times and found that the park is cleaner earlier in the week since the Caretakers generally come by on Monday or Tuesdays to clean. There tends to be a lot of trash around and sometimes only one functioning toilet. The last time we went to Club Drive Park both were in working order and the soap was refilled. Since there is a field used for soccer and basketball courts there can be a lot of people in the evenings and weekends.

There are always people walking the .3 mile trail that loops the park, so it is rare that no one is there. The playground during the weekday morning hours doesn’t get overly crowded and most of the time has very few kids. The afternoons generally draw a larger crowd for the basketball, soccer and playground amenities.

After looking at the criteria below the the Playground at Club Drive Park Review scored an overall 4.33 for the Playground and a 4.6 for the Park. The overall score for Club Drive Park is a 6.2 out of 10.  

Bethesda Aquatic Center

Bethesda Aquatic Center
225 Bethesda Church Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Official Web Page

Bethesda Aquatic Center, inside Bethesda Park in Lawrenceville, is accessed very easily from the Ronald Reagan Expressway. The Bethesda Aquatic Center is a great place for indoor lap swimming, water play for children (complete with a waterslide), or a quick workout in the resistance pool. Whether you are looking for water aerobics with a very seasoned instructor (of 20+ years), Aquatic Zumba, Toddler Swimming Lessons or cooling off in the hot summer Bethesda Aquatic Center has the answers. Since my daughter just finished swimming lessons I wanted to review the Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation Swimming Lesson program and also the Bethesda Aquatic Center facility.  

The swimming lessons were very affordable and informative. For a recently turned two year old toddler the Parent 1 Assist Class was perfect. My daughter loves the water, but never had a class. This class starts out with regular basic water introduction and moves into beginning swimming skills. Activities include; passing the children from parent to instructor to parent, fun singing activities with water gestures to child favorites such as the "Wheels on the Bus", throwing and retrieving water toys, blowing bubbles with mouth in the water and retrieving swimming rings, kick-board exercises teaching kicking with their legs, blowing a ping pong ball while laying on their stomach, jumping in the pool to an adult and climbing out of the pool, and utilizing a pool noodle under their arms while paddling and kicking or under their neck while floating on their back assisted.

For eight classes, my daughter learned quite a bit for her first level of instruction.  By class three she was wearing her goggles and had learned breathing (blowing bubbles with her mouth at this age), floating on her back while assisted and on her tummy. Although there were four parents and children signed up we ended up being the only students in the class. As a Gwinnett County Resident the fee is extremely reasonable at $50 with a $1 Registration fee. I feel like the value for the money was incredible and I am considering signing her up for the next class in a couple of months

As far as Bethesda Aquatic Center amenities, in addition to the two and a half pools, the instruction pool, child play pool and resistance pool area, there is a women's and men's locker room as well as two private family changing restrooms. The Bethesda pool’s high standard of cleanliness was apparent. Unlike most pools, this pool was not chlorinated but they use Bromine and had a tolerable but unusual smell. The indoor heated swimming pools were protected from the elements and weather conditions so classes and open swim is rarely canceled, unlike the seasonal outdoor pools at other Gwinnett County Pools. The children's play slide was a great attraction and the water is shallow enough for children ages 2 and up.

 If you need a cold beverage the vending center is easily accessible. The staff is very helpful if you happen to forget your swim diaper. They will happily sell you one for $2 and if you forget your child’s plastic pants that are required over the swim diaper they will happily sell you one of those as well for another $2. The staff is very nice. Once of the life guards helped a young girl who didn't have very good use of her lower extremities and couldn't afford lessons with twenty minutes of coaching. He really went above and beyond. I was really happy that I could coral her in a family changing room that included a changing table, baby wall seat, restroom and shower. The women's locker room has a bathing suit wringer to wring out the suits before packing, eight restrooms or so and a whole section of lockers and showers. As far as cleanliness, the locker room was lacking in this area. The shower curtains had mold on them and the tile looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months. The floor was dirty and seemed as though it was rarely swept.

Overall I would give the Bethesda Aquatic Center facility 7.8 out of 10 with 10 being amazing from the criteria below. The Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation Swimming Program earns 8 out of 10.