Parthenon Park

Access via Marine Dr > Parthenon Pl.

Oh, Parthenon Park... The entrance to this park is similar to that of Kew Beach Park. You will need to walk past the DO NOT ENTER sign. Notice the tiny sign to the left that reads "BEACH".

After passing a number of equally aggressive 'okay, you can walk through here, but use the trail and we still won't like it' signs, you will have to go down this crazy set of stairs:

But when you get around the corner, all feelings of hesitance will evaporate as you see this for the first time:

There's picnic benches, what appear to be wishing wells, trails leading to the waterfront, and goslings.

There's even a statue! A huge statue!

But when you get to the bottom of the stairs, you will see this:

You might feel like crying at this point. This is the actual Parthenon Park:

It's got a nice view, but it's not exactly a beach. It's a raised slab of concrete. Yet, somehow, we still managed to enjoy it. It wasn't even hard to do. We just sat with our feet over the edge and tried to figure out what island we were looking at (after consulting a map once I got home, I've concluded that it's a part of the mainland called Irwin Bluff). There were also delicious que pasa corn chips involved. They just have the perfect crunch.

You can also swim at Parthenon Park. The ground at the bottom of the concrete is sandy, and although the bottom of the ladder is encrusted in muscles and barnacles, it hasn't rusted out yet. As long as you're wearing good water shoes, you'll survive it. We recommend checking out the brand Vibram and their line of 'five fingers' shoes (this post sure is brand-heavy. Nina, let's find ourselves some sponsors).

But as we hiked back up the crazy staircase and looked at the private property, disappointment won. Pathenon Park, you dirty tease!

PPR
Good: nice view, sand
Bad: epic disappointment private property, concrete, long & steep walk out
3.5/10