McCoy Park - Independence

This was a while ago that I went here, but I think I remember it pretty well. It's a really nice park and my kids just love going here. It's further away from our house, so we don't go there unless I really plan it - but I know when we are there it's always good for a couple of 'bored-free' hours.

Location: McCoy Park, Full-screenMcCoy Park
800 N Bess Truman Pkwy
Independence, Missouri 64050
64050
This is a fairly easy to find park as it is right next to the Truman Library in Independence MO. You can see the playground from the 24 highway and the road wraps around to the 'Spray-ground' area.

Amenities: This is a major park, let me tell you. I have to say, it has about everything. The last couple of times I was here, the large picnic area was rented out to groups - and this was even during the week! It has over 30 picnic tables, a few strategically placed barbeque grills, full bathrooms (great for changing into swimsuits for the spray-ground!), tennis courts, and a few different shelters. There may be different locations for the shelters, but the of the ones I saw, one was near the bathrooms and spray-ground area and the other was situated next to the playground.
Since this park is split into two different play-areas, I'm going to split this article as well.
The Spray-ground: This is a fairly new addition to the park - and it's very popular! Spray-grounds are just water-enhanced playgrounds and is a great place to cool down and play with water. It's designed for almost all ages and has three different circles for different age groups. One has very little water coming out of things above, so it works well for toddlers or water-shy children. The other areas are better for older kids as there is a lot of splashing activity. The spray-ground is covered in a rubberized material, so if there is the expected crash-and-burn (water+running kids = disaster), the chances are that your kid will not have any lasting injuries.

My eight year old has tons of fun running from one circle to another and you pretty much have to drag him out of there when it's time to go. The three year old loves the area, but sometimes gets a little overwhelmed with all of the older running kids and usually after an hour or so is ready to hit normal playground area of the park.
This area is NOT shaded - bring your sunscreen for your kids and for yourself, as the benches surrounding the area are not in the shade either! There is one little umbrella area with a couple of picnic tables under it, but these are usually taken by the time I get there, because it is a very popular area! There are benches surrounding the area at about 20 foot intervals, and there is usually enough seating for all the parents to watch the kids.
You will need to bring: towels, sunscreen, floppy hats, swimsuits, change of clothes, sandals/water shoes (especially for changing in the restroom!).
This area is closed on the off-season.

Playground area: I didn't get any pictures of this park (the shame!), mostly because we had to leave shortly after we got to this park because said 8 year old hit another kid and that is immediate grounds for removal. This area has a picnic area with a shelter, so there is shade for the parents that are keeping an eye out. The park area is not as lucky, as the kids won't have any shade for playing. This is an older park with older equipment, but just as fun! It has an old metal-jungle gym in the shape of a fire-truck that I can remember being around parks when I was a kid! The kids love it! The playground equipment is in decent shape and the ground cover is wood-chips, so bring your sandals or shoes with you from the spray-ground. I don't know about you, but asking my toddler to cross wood-chips barefoot is like asking her to cross a river of molten lava; much screaming and plain not going to happen.

The Results:
Pros: It has a spray-ground. Kids love water! Not only that, but the whole thing is free - a definite "pro" in my book. It's well-maintained and usually has a good amount of other kids there, so there is someone else there to play with. There is plenty of seating at both the spray-ground and park and picnic areas for lunch out!
Oh, and it has a BATHROOM! *cheers*
Cons: There isn't much shade for the active kids and is a good way to get burned if you don't use precautionary measures. Parking, especially during particularly nice hot days, is limited, and you may end up having to hike it from a different parking lot.