The Experience: Dick Nichols is a very nice park that is very popular with folks from surrounding areas, for good reason. The playground has features that are not typically found at other parks, including a fun feature with three monorails on which kids hang by their arms from handles and slide from end to end and a small car to climb in and pretend to drive. The playground has two playscapes, one for bigger and one for smaller kids (the smaller one has recently been replaced after a fire last year). The restroom also had a fire in it and is now closed, but portable toilets are available and bathrooms are available in the pool area while the pool is open. Kids love to play on the water-squirting dolphin, which operates during the warm months. However, the dolphin has had an out-of-order sign on it this spring and summer, so we are hoping that it gets fixed soon. Be sure to talk in the secret message tubes located by the swings while you’re there. Large trees provide ample shade for almost all the picnic tables. The one-mile paved trail seems to be the perfect length for kids to get through without collapsing, and is usually not crowded at all. It is easy to push strollers along, and even beginning bikers don’t have a problem with it. It's also a great place to learn how to roller skate.