Lydgate Park, south of the Wailua River, is an ideal place for a family outing. A wide sand beach with a lifeguard and restrooms slopes into the ocean where a pair of rock-rimmed pools, one perfect for young children and toddlers, the other good for swimming and snorkeling, invite. The walled pools provide a barrier from high surf and dangerous currents and harbor schools of colorful, relatively tame fish that may expect to be fed.

Lydgate is a large, well-maintained park with a playground and shoreline bridge built by hundreds of community volunteers. It's a good walking beach, there are covered pavilions for picnics and ample parking space. This is a people's park, a place once known as a refuge for early Hawaiians, vanquished warriors and lawbreakers seeking shelter. The remains of the refuge can still be seen in a coconut grove bordering the Wailua River on the north side of the park.

Today the park has become a pet community project. In 1994, 7,000 Kauaians combined forces to build the park's Kamalani Playground. Later, thousands turned out again to build the whimsical Kamalani Kai recreational bridge on the south side of the park. The bridge, designed by kids, is less a structural link than a flight of fantasy. An organization called Friends of Kamalani continues to work on plans for expanding the park, which include bicycle and pedestrian paths, sports fields and camping areas.

Lydgate Park is located off Rt. 56 between Kapaa and Lihue. Heading south from Kapaa, cross the Wailua River Bridge and turn left on Leho Road at the Holiday Inn Sunspree. You'll see a sign for the park just past the Holiday Inn. To find the bridge, go past the first turnoff for the park, turn left at the next road (watch for a sign for the Kaha Lani resort), then follow a hard-packed sand road to the bridge.