Old Settlers Park: Rediscover Old-Fashioned Fun in Salem, Wisconsin by Mike Prochaska

I miss the old playgrounds. I have noticed this summer that some Chicago Suburban Park Districts have been changing the playgrounds, so me and the kids were very excited when we discovered Old Settlers Park on Paddock Lake in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. 

Old Settlers Park is always a hit with the summer beach crowd. The park provides shaded picnic and lawn areas overlooking the sandy beaches of Paddock Lake. It was kind of overcast when we found this park, so we didn’t really go to the beach, but we loved the old playground.

We were so excited that this park has a merry-go-round. It also has two old-school metal slides. You know, the kind you would always burn your bottom on when it was a hot day. Who doesn’t remember that?!

The first thing my kids asked me to do was spin them around and around. I remember always getting so dizzy on these as a kid. The poor dog looked like she was getting sick. My kids had a blast spinning on the merry-go-round and hanging off the side.

This park also has the teeter totters I remember playing on as a kid – the ones where if you went down too fast your butt hits the tire on the ground. My daughter kept hitting the ground and asking me why it makes a weird sound as she was laughing. This is a small park, but I am sure it’s busy in the summer when the weather is nice. Check it out! 

Old Settlers Park is located at 24100 75th Street, Salem, Wisconsin 53170. 

An entry fee is charged on weekends only, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, when lifeguards are on duty. Cost is $5 per car for Kenosha County Residents and $10 per car for non-residents.

Amenities at Old Settlers Park include:

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