We had such a good time at the Riparian Preserve with our son. The preserve is much larger than I had expected it to be and the endless trails through the brush were a lot of fun to explore.
There is a fishing lake that was very popular and plenty of wildlife to find. Even though the Preserve is just a "walk around and look at nature stuff" we spent about three hours there with my two-year old just enjoying everything, wandering down paths, and splashing our hands in the stream.
Right at the front of the park there is also a small play area for kids and plenty of picnic space with views of the lake. We haven't done it yet, but there is an observatory just inside the park that indicates it is open to the public on Friday and Saturday nights - no reservations are required. I guess you just show up and they'll let you use their big telescope. I'll need to go check that out.
I had been intending to go to the Preserve for a long time now and I'm glad we finally did. It is definitely a place we will go back to while the weather is good.