Thursday, June 27, 2013

#TakeItToThePark with Coca-Cola’s America Is Your Park Campaign {$20 Subway Gift Card Giveaway}

 Coca-Cola Logo
This is a sponsored post on behalf of SheSpeaks and Coca-Cola

What are your favorite aspects about the neighborhood in which you live? The style of the houses? The proximity to stores? The super-friendly neighbors?

While I have long loved quite a bit about where we live, one of the reasons that has remained a positive over the years is the number of parks within walking distance. Smaller neighborhood parks; larger, multi-playground options at my daughters' elementary school; new, modern parks in new developments... they're all right here!

One location that has remained a constant favorite over the years is a park that has just about every attribute we could want all in one place: TONS of equipment and slides to play on, swings, a huge sandbox, a blacktop for bouncing balls, coloring with chalk or riding on roller skates, shade to relax in, picnic tables to eat at, and even a large pond with a boardwalk for plenty of nature walks and wildlife exploration.

Is this the very best park in America? Of course we might be a bit biased, but it does get my vote!

america's favorite park

That's right, Coca-Cola is on the hunt for America’s Favorite Park as part of the fourth-annual America Is Your Park Campaign and at stake is up to $100,000 in recreation grants to be used for park improvements!

The challenge is simple: 'Take It To The Park,'' get active and vote to help your favorite park win a grant. Being active is not only fun, it is an important part of a healthy lifestyle... and what better place to get moving this summer than in the park!

This summer, Coca-Cola has even helped make this a little bit easier and a lot more fun with fitness-inspired events and activities taking place around the country — they set a goal to inspire as many as 3 million people to have fun and get active in parks, on beaches, in gyms and recreation centers around the country!

As a part of this campaign, there are many ways you can vote for your favorite park but it starts with getting active. Turn your favorite fitness activities into votes for national state and local parks this summer by checking in on Foursquare, logging your daily activities on MapMyFitness or clicking to vote online.

Coca-Cola vote

The park with the most votes will win a $100,000 recreation grant from Coca-Cola and the title of America's Favorite Park. Second- and third-place parks will win $50,000 and $25,000 grants, respectively. Another $15,000 grant will be awarded, at random, to a lucky park that comes in 4th to 25th on the leader board!

Talk about an incentive to get moving! We love heading to our favorite park anyway, but when we received a package of items making it perfect to get active and enjoy a tasty picnic, we were ready to head out the door right away.

Coca-Cola gear

The biggest question was where to even begin. Do we play catch with our new balls, toss around the Coca-Cola flying ring, show off Mom's old school skills with the jump rope or head to Subway for our delicious sandwiches?

Subway sandwiches

As usual, hunger won out... so much so that we didn't even make it to the park before chowing down on our Subway lunch. Yum!

But the girls were still extremely excited to head to the park, so it wasn't long before we were there hanging out enjoying the sunshine and all sorts of ways to be active!

From playing on the equipment...

playground equipment

...to tossing around the Coca-Cola flying ring and beach ball (and playing a pseudo-volleyball game with it)...

playing ball

...to practicing our jump rope and paddle ball skills...

jump rope paddle ball

...to bouncing the rubber balls and shooting some hoops.

kids playing basketball
I'm not sure which one of us was the most shocked that this shot of Big Sister E's actually went in!

Is there anything better than a gorgeous afternoon spent playing at the park?

We finished off our visit by checking out the pond and wildlife on the boardwalk, playing fetch with a friendly couple and their even friendlier dog, and kicking back in the shade before finally packing up and heading home. I'm telling you, best park in America!

pond and boardwalk

Are you ready to get moving, vote daily and Take It To The Park? Head over to Coke.com/Parks to find out more (the full contest rules and FAQs can be found here) and connect with other park enthusiasts on Twitter at #TakeItToThePark.

Plus, thanks to the generosity of Coca-Cola, one person will be prepared to get outside and get active with their family for a day of fun, because...

One lucky person will win a
Coca-Cola beach ball and a $20 Subway gift card!

subway gift card


A big thank you to Coca-Cola for providing a Subway gift card and outdoor items for me as well as a $20 Subway gift card and a Coca-Cola beach ball for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

439 comments:

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Jen said...

looks like a fun day at the park!

Suburban prep said...

It is comfortable. It is clean.

Unknown said...

We're very lucky our local park is a few miles from our house. There is a nice picnic area with picnic tables, charcoal grills, a large man-made sandbox and park benches along the water. You can go swimming, fishing, have a bbq or picnic.

Allyson Bossie said...

Well, now that I read Danielle's post, I am rethinking my local park. However, I like that it has a walking track right by the playground so they can play while I walk if the older kids are there.

Edge Of Insanity said...

I absolutely love our local park. It's one of the largest municipal parks in the state of Texas. It has water pads, playgrounds, a flower garden,and it's just beautiful.

Unknown said...

it has a walking track right by the playground so the kids can play while I run

wigget said...

it's close by

Janet W. said...

My favorite thing is the paved walking path with just the right amount of flat parts and hills for the perfect workout!

Unknown said...

Our local park has a track for walking/running and it is very nicely landscaped.

Unknown said...

Our closest park is right up the street form our house. There are not a lot of kids in the neighborhood so it is nice and clean. My kids love it.

Debra Gray-Elliott said...

I love the nature aspect of my local park.

dlhaley said...

It's within walking distance from my home.

Kimberly said...

It has a small water feature and lots of mature trees for shade.

susie said...

I luv our park too. It has grills to bbq, tennis court, bicycle paths, etc. Great place. thx

Allisha Gold said...

My favorite thing about our local park is the fact that it has a swimming pool right next to it so we can easily go and cool off on a hot summer day (:

SueZH said...

We are lucky that our local park is Stokes State Park. I love Sunset Mountain.

Mami2jcn said...

I like the park because the play equipment is well maintained.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

(Third try leaving a comment will be the charm!) Our local park is connected to our little local public library!

JC said...

I like the running track of our local park

Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxes said...

Our local park has a "garden" section with a gazebo. Lovely place for a picnic.

bless their hearts mom said...

we have a water feature that always has ducks and turtles making for some great interaction with the wildlife

Unknown said...

Our local park is located not far from my house and next to the local library. We usually get a snowcone which is a block away and pack a picnic lunch. The children love to climb and the slides the best.

Unknown said...

Our city Park has a lot of activities for children and a wonderful firework show on fourth of July, it is clean and they restrict alcoholic beverages which is great..

rachel said...

It has a river from Lake Erie winding through it -- shallow but fun for kids to explore!

Michelle S. said...

Our one park is really big so even at busy times it doesn't feel crowded. There are several play ground areas, ball parks as well as a water park and nature trails.

billwinsbig said...

Summer concerts

apple blossom said...

spray park

Stephanie Ann said...

I love how big our park is, there are so many places for the kids to play

d schmidt said...

My favorite thing about my local park is it has various age appropriate play areas

Unknown said...

I love the nice walking trails with trees and scenery!

Karen B. said...

A nice fun park.

Marissa M said...

We love that we have numerous parks super close!! So much fun to go and relax on the swings after dinner :)

bettycd said...

We have a new dog park which is such a brilliant opportunity for dogs to go off leash and socialize. We also have the Turkey Brook Park which has a playground area along with hiking/biking trails.

Anonymous said...

I love ours because it has a little beach and walking trails

michele376 said...

The park closest to my home is located on a lake. It has a beach for swimming, boat rental, fishing and picnic areas.

beh2351@frontier.com

Unknown said...

My local park is next to a lake that is really nice.

rounder9834 @yahoo.com

ken ohl said...

my niece loves when we go there it is beautiful and peaceful. thankyou, ken pohl19@comcast.net

Unknown said...

Bathrooms

Anonymous said...

its huge and well taken care of

Courtnie said...

I like the size and how pretty and peaceful it is.

walk9 said...

Besides having a huge playscape, it also has the dog park, baseball,basketball, skateboarding and an outdoor pool.

Paula V said...

My local park is actually a state park plopped right down at the edge of our very small town. It has loads of hiking, trees, playgrounds, waterfalls.

Veronica said...

I love that it actually has trees around it to make it shady for the kids while playing on the playground.

Kayla said...

That there are really nice picnic tables!

mecarolks said...

I like the picnic area.

Jackie said...

I like that it is clean...and it has a duck pond.
Thanks!

Helga said...

I love the hiking trails!

Unknown said...

My daughter loves the slide!

steve weber said...

I like that it's dog friendly and has bike paths.

CindyWindy2003 said...

its got lots of activities and is clean, feels like the kids can have fun safely, carawling(at)hotmail(Dot)com

Fari said...

I like the splash pad. It gets pretty hot where I'm at so the kids love going there.

Mary said...

Local park has a splash pad! Great for summer months!

momtoem said...

Our local park is newer and always clean with plenty of activities for kids.

Mijal Photography said...

Fun toys for my boys to play on!

BrunoDogg2 said...

We love our park, it has a water feature for the kids plus a dog park!

sherylssg said...

We have a State Park locally with a beach and swimming area, picnic area, boating/water sport area and fishing areas.

sflickinger at rocketmail dot com

Linda Szymoniak said...

We have so many parks within easy distance from where I live. Town parks with plenty of play equipment for kids and local dog parks for our furbabies to enjoy. There are several wonderful county parks with trees, hiking, picnic areas, and so much more. And even state and national parks within a short drive. I especially love going to the Indiana Dunes (state and national parks) and Turkey Run and Shades state parks to our south.

Katie said...

it has a large splash pad

Marti Tabora said...

My favorite thing about ours is that it's never crowded.

B. Wilson @ Windy {City} Wilsons said...

The fact that there are few drop off points for my little guy to fall.

scottsgal said...

that it's a block from our house

Darlene said...

I love that our park allows dogs.

Sandra VanHoey said...

One thing I love about ours is it's in the same parking lot as our library which we visit frequently and they have lots of great things for the kids to do there.

Marilyn B said...

I love that our local park has three playgrounds,a pond with fishing,a sand volleyball court, 18 hole disc golf course and the park is open year round.

strawberry said...

I love the old fashioned buildings and the country scene.

Darlene said...

Balance Bar giveway

Darlene said...

7th generation giveaway

Darlene said...

$25 GC from Dreft

Denise said...

A round-trip walk to my local park is exactly 5 miles, so I don't even have to do anything when I get there -- just walking there is my daily exercise!

Unknown said...

I like that it's a nice walk from our house to our neighborhood park.

Jason said...

It's clean, has restrooms and benches.

puye said...

I love the nice walking trails with trees and scenery

agnesye@hotmail.com

tawndam said...

The peacefulness

Bethany C. said...

I love that it is so close.

peg42 said...

I like that many of our friends and neighbors go there and when I'm there with my kids, I usually run into someone we know.
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

janetfaye said...

I like that it has a walking trail.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

Rich Morris said...

i love that their playground has stuff for both my younger kid & also the older one

Emaisgr8 said...

I love that my kids never get tired of going to the park! They always have so much fun.

Anonymous said...

that they have restrooms and covered tables for picnics

Elaine said...

My favorite thing about my local park is the calming effect it has on me when walking with my dog- the trees, the benches, the sound of the leaves as the breeze goes through etc.

Sara said...

I love that I can take my baby there and go for walks!

mellyrox said...

Our park is uncrowded most days & has a great walking trail..thank you.

melly66(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Sweetpea said...

I love the walking track at our park

Kayla said...

My favorite thing about our local park is that it's close. We live in a rural area, so parks are not as common here as in neighborhoods and subdivisions. This park is also new, and in a quiet spot.

Crazylicious85 said...

Our local park is on the river! Great location and always enjoyed by many kids and teens!

abfantom said...

I like pushing my daughter on the swings at our local park

G+ & GFC ids: abfantom fantom

abfantom at yahoo dot com

mullin77 said...

I like our park because it is very
clean and has a nice walking path.
You can take your pets there for a walk.

Unknown said...

I live on a military base an we have two parks on are smae block which is awesome just got to walk outside my garage and there right there.

captainliss40 said...

I love the swings!

sdavis said...

they have great playground equipment and a little amusement park with a few little rides in it.

Unknown said...

Awesome contest!
Count me in. Good luck everyone :)

cjabdelnour said...

I LIKED THE PARK A LOT WHEN MY SONS WERE GROWING UP. I WENT TO SO MANY OF THEIR SOCCER GAMES. WHAT WONDERFUL MEMORIES. Cheryl Abdelnour cjabdelnour@hotmail.com

dfraley3 said...

I wish our local park was organized and a fun place to go but sadly it's not!

Unknown said...

I like the park because it is safe, clean and literally right down the street from my house! Thanks so much for the fantastic giveaway!
Reneewalters3 at yahoo dot com

VP22 said...

I like that they just remodeled it, added new equipment and redid the field for sports.

debbie said...

There are a lot of picnic tables, things for kids to do, and a nice space to play.

GALENA said...

it is easy to get to an has places to sit in the shade an watch all.

jenspurg said...

I like the different options of play the kids have and that it's close to home.
huntandride@hotmail.com

9string said...

The nature trails.

Debra said...

my favorite park has a lot of historical buildings

Anonymous said...

They have this spider web net thing to climb in! It is my favorite.

tat2gurlzrock said...

There is much to do and its landscaping is beautiful!

HarleyC said...

I like that there's a lake and you can fish if you want to.

atboop said...

There are grills, tables and play things.

Susan Christy said...

Love that I have a great park close to my house with super tall slides and nice walking trails.

Serena said...

We actually just got a new park, it has a nifty fountain.

Angel said...

My favorite thing about my local park is the abundance of trees. I love the greenery!

clc408 said...

I like the walking track at my local park. It's a pleasant way to get daily exercise.

Kia89 said...

I like that it has a swimming pool.

ReviewsSheRote said...

one local park has a great water feature that is loads of fun!

Sara said...

Free admission

Unknown said...

The two parks near me have big trees and lots of grass where you can sit and read a book or go for a walk on one the shaded trails.

TheAtticGirl said...

My favorite thing is that our park is by the Chesapeake Bay and it's a beautiful place to take walks.

Unknown said...

Our local park has a swimming pool, playground area as well as covered pavillions for picnics. This makes it great to carry your lunch and have an inexpensive family outing. Thanks.

Unknown said...

I like the splash pad at my local park.

K.Pugh said...

Our local park has wonderful sprinklers
Thanks for the chance

marcia goss said...

Our local park is right across the street from our house. It has a great walking trail around a lake.
marcia.goss@gmail.com

Dave said...

My favorite thing about our local park is that it has shaded awnings-so hot in AZ

llinda29 said...

seeing happy faces

Conor said...

I love how big and green it is!

petchk79 said...

I love the park by our house because it is so private. My daughter is still under 2 so she gets scared when big kids are running around her.

Gina Thomas said...

i love taking my pup for a walk around our local park:)

tina reynolds said...

the greenway and it has really nice new play equipment

Liz said...

My local park is huge, clean & theres always alot of things for the kids to do.

Love3570@aol.com

Victoria Nyquist said...

My favorite thing about the park across the street is the fantastic playground and all of the options to play different types of sports. They have basketball, tennis, volleyball courts, and a big field in order to play soccer. It is fantastic!

Aliesiar said...

I like that it's big and has a lot to entertain the kids with. It gives them a chance to run around and get all their energy out.

Gen said...

the dog park for little miss the play in if there are no big dogs

Unknown said...

I love that our local park is a very short walk from our house and many times we are the only ones playing so we have the whole things to ourselves!

Unknown said...

I love that our local park has an amphitheater that we can go to free summer concerts with the family.

sksweeps said...

I love the concerts in the park Friday evenings during the summer

sksweeps (at) earthlink (dot) net

Jennifer T. said...

The favorite thing about my favorite park is it's proximity. We can walk to it from our neighborhood.
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com

Shayna said...

I like that the park is close to our house and it is pretty quiet so my son can play on anything he wants :)

shebebes@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

hiking in the woods to balance rock in the national forest

Unknown said...

The walking trail, at one with nature and self.

Unknown said...

I love the shady walking paths at our park :)

Tracey said...

I like the free activities that our park has on every holiday.
traymona[at]aol.com

Amanda Rauch said...

I love that it has nice areas to sit and eat lunch or watch the kids play

Unknown said...

My favorite feature of my closest park is seeing all the children and adults having such a wonderful time so close to home. Also, dog friendly atmosphere is my favorite as well.

wolverine49525 said...

Parks are great fun!

Rae Nelson said...

Our city park is not huge but has enough to keep kids active busy and have fun. I love that is has areas of shade and a picnic area and squirells and birds are always there!

dawn keenan (newnameford) said...

It's quiet, shady and has giant trees that the kids marvel over.

Karen Glatt said...

I live 5 blocks from a really nice park! What I like about it is that there is a pond, and I get to see the ducks and other fowl there. ALso there are wonderful areas to walk.

Anonymous said...

My favorite thing about my park is the fact that it has a big lake!

Monica Meza

Growl Tiger said...

I love that our park is clean and quiet, and not too big for my young son

Tahina Quezada said...

My park is always clean and their is a creek there too

Kitty said...

I like the green, family-friendly space at my park!

Victoria said...

I love the walking path at our local park. Lots of wildlife around and very beautiful.

Danielle S. said...

My favorite thing about the closest local park is that it's right in my backyard and I get to see lots of wildlife because of it!
dhsauers(at)gmail.com

Karen said...

I love that it's always family and dog friendly !!

ktgonyea at gmail.com

Karen A. said...

My favorite thing about my local park is the paths through the woods.

slehan said...

My local park is at the end of the lake by my house and has good play equipment and lots of ducks.
Thanks for the contest.

slehan at juno dot com

ann said...

I like that when they do fireworks in our town you can go sit on the hill in the park and have a perfect view of the fireworks there.

mahnrafjtb said...

We are lucky enough to have several parks in our small town. There is something for everyone. There are parks for kids to play and run. There are parks for people to sit and watch the town.

Robert said...

it's got a lot of recycled materials in it's building

Linda said...

we have a very clean and well kept up park and the kids love the castle playground.
mintstatesportswear(at)juno(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I like the walking trails.

Unknown said...

I love that its family and pet friendly.

bayctygrl said...

its clean the a nice size with lots of stuff for the kids to play on

Maryea said...

It's close to where I live and it's relaxing to walk around in it.

Ashley Morrow said...

I like that it is always clean and it is pet friendly.

DivasNewsReviews said...

Fav thing about my local park is the tennis courts. We can also go swimming in a pool or in the lake, fishing, archery, hiking, play on 3 different play grounds, throw around a ball on a baseball diamond or kick a ball on the soccer field. There's also a basketball court. Plus there are covered pavillions with picnic tables, lots of outdoor grills and it's the perfect place to throw a party for on of the kids.

Rowell Reviews said...

It's in walking distance from the house. kekagel(at)yahoo.com

Catherine R said...

We love that its walking distance and enjoyable for all our children :)

kellyr78 said...

I like the peaceful setting of our local park.
kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom

Michelle said...

I love how close our park is and I like how there is enough to do to keep all the kids happy. Thanks for the chance to win!
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com

Crystal F said...

We like that it has a small splash fountain for the kids to play in. thank you!
crystalfaulkner2000 at yahoo dot com

Jessica Allen said...

Our local park has a spray ground! Perfect for summer! :)

pennelope merriweather said...

My favorite thing is feeding the ducks! That never gets old..! Thanks for this giveaway!

Di said...

I love the swans & the ducks

Ruby said...

I like the shade of the trees and cool breeze they give under the hot summer.

CSeppala said...

My favorite thing is that my kids are outside and have so much fun on the swings and the hills to climb etc...

casaflamingos said...

my favorite thing is the pool

Unknown said...

The nature trails!

Anonymous said...

I love that it's quiet and secluded:)

jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com

Stacy said...

I love that we have so many! And I love the nature trails.

Unknown said...

Its new and very safe!

Rachel said...

it is waterfront- beautiful view

richelle bowers said...

I like that it has tons of room to run around

Erica best said...

i love the lake view

Unknown said...

There's a lake view next to it, and they put very nice bathrooms close.

Mirm said...

I like that it is free entertainment for kids and enjoyable for me too.

sheila ressel said...

It's clean and safe.

June L said...

My local park has a small water park section that is so cute. Nice way to cool off.

Unknown said...

We have a park accross the street from our house, it's nothing fancy but I like it because its so close and it has a lot of swings which is our favorite :)
-Alicia Whybra

Nicole said...

We can walk there, and usually know other people that are there!

Jessyca said...

I love that it is right next to a lake, and its beautiful. Thanks for the chance.

Unknown said...

I love the smell and the fresh air! lexbaylor17 (at) gmail (dot) com

Mallory said...

The pond with the walk-ways make it a great exercise area.

Treesa said...

I love that it's so safe and fun for the kids!

cc_girly(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

I love to go to my local park on a beautiful day and get away from the stress of everyday life.

Tyler said...

I like the picnic shelter. It's a great place to have get togethers, & the kids can play on the swings & slides.

Anonymous said...

I like the big open field where we can play lots of games!

Buckytheresa5 said...

Our local park has a beautiful pool and area for many activities for the kids. You can see the kids playing at all angles too that is really a plus to me.

mogrill said...

It has horse shoes...it is fun
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@gmail.com

sparkedcat said...

Our local park has very nice walking paths.

Sunny Barnum said...

our local park has nice shades from the blazing FL sun.

Miss Sarah said...

One of our local parks is extra fun with a HUGE climbing gym / slide place, plus smaller ones for younger kids, lots of swings, and pretend town, a small pond, and lots more. It's a really fun place to take kids!

Thanks for the giveaway!

Anonymous said...

Our local park has lots of shade and they have a play area that keeps my kids busy for long periods of time to enjoy for the summer.

megan said...

love that they are a free, safe place to exercise and play

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