Elmhurst Green is a small green space along Washburn Avenue that was created after the removal of several houses. The area has been planted with trees, and a curving sidewalk passes landscaped garden beds.

Dedicated on Sept. 11, 2004, to commemorate Topeka's 150th anniversary, the pavilion is located in a small triangular park at 11th and Washburn -- just south of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 SW 10th. A brick walk leads to a sitting area where three large brick pillars are topped by gargoyles and other architectural remnants from the old Shawnee County Courthouse, which stood at 5th and Van Buren from 1895-1965. The area is surrounded by flower beds. The pavilion was named for Topeka banker Anderson Chandler, the primary donor for the project.

Located at 12th and Lane, the Aaron Douglas Mural celebrates the life of the Topeka-born muralist, illustrator and scholar. Painted on a large wall by local high school and college students and residents of Topeka's Tennessee Town neighborhood, the mural is a reproduction of one of four panels of "Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery Through Reconstruction" that Douglas completed in 1934 for the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library (now the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture).

Named for former Topeka police chief Dana Hummer and his wife, Louise, Hummer Sports Park is the crown jewel of the Topeka Public School's athletic facilities. Constructed on property once belonging to the Topeka State Hospital, the six-sport facility (funded with a $17.5 million voter-approved bond issue) opened in the fall of 2003 on the north side of SW 6th between Oakley and MacVicar.

Long-time Topekans and former students who remember the storm-ravaged campus of Washburn University after the 1966 tornado will be amazed by the school's impressive new facilities and beautifully landscaped grounds. Located in the heart of Topeka, this 160-acre campus offers walkers and joggers a two-mile trek around its perimeter (SW 17th to SW 21st & SW Washburn to SW MacVicar). But only a stroll through the campus will reveal its true beauty, as dazzling garden beds, abundant trees and sculptures await those who probe the interior.

Named for its location in the heart of the city, Central Park is a 15-acre all-purpose park that includes a community center, a fishing pond, a walking trail and an open-air shelter for family picnics and other group functions. There's a wide variety of play equipment for kids, a landscaped pergola on the north end and a football field with a gravel track on the west side. Abundant large trees offer plenty of shade.

This sharply triangular-shaped park separates SW Willow from 6th Street as they converge from Garfield on the east to Lindenwood on the west. Located across from St. Francis Health Center, Willow is the perfect place to relax or read a book in the shade of mature trees. There are numerous benches and picnic tables, plus swings (including a tire swing), a merry-go-round and a jungle gym for youngsters.

This small park is easy to overlook at SW 1st and Taylor, where it's bordered on the north and east by the 1st Street exit off I-70. The park has some shade, swings, a slide and a teeter-totter for the youngsters, plus benches, a picnic table, a BBQ grill and a water fountain.

Ward-Martin Creek emerges from its underground channel to define the east edge of this wonderful park bordering SW Billard Ave. between 10th Street and Munson. Mature trees offer an abundance of shade for picnickers, while youngsters can choose from modern playground equipment (on a rubberized base), swings and a jungle gym. An old backstop can still support a ball game. Benches and picnic tables (with nearby grills) abound, some beneath a newer open-air shelter. There's also a water fountain and two older tennis courts.

A small storm runoff creek slides along the east side of this park at the intersection of SW Drury Lane and SW Ward Parkway in west Topeka. A large open area (with a backstop) is ringed by trees, while a picnic table, swings and an elephant slide are located at the park's south end.