Encanto Park is a beautifully landscaped and maintained Phoenix city park. Its attractions are: pedal boating on a large, man-made lake; golfing on a nine-hole, executive golf course; swimming in the large public pool; picnicking; and playing various sports, like basketball, softball, or raquetball. The little children's ride center, Enchanted Island Amusement Park is set within Encanto Park. For golfers, a second course with 18 full-length holes is located nearby and is also run by the city of Phoenix.
Other than just enjoying the beautiful trees and landscaped greenery of the park (because Phoenix is a desert city, and those aren't things we can see all of the time!), my favorite activity was exploring the lake via pedal boat. We paid $6 for a half-hour rental (which was adequate for seeing all of the lake). My daughter, the two grandkids, and I all fit comfortably within the boat. The children had to wear life jackets, which were provided at no extra cost. We pedaled around a palm-covered island, watched some ducks swimming in the lake, and got a good view of the Encanto 9 Golf Course.
After our little cruise, we let the kids play at the children's playground while we sat in the shade and watched. We ended the outing with a picnic lunch at a shady table. The March weather was balmy, and we all agreed that we'd love to return to Encanto Park the next time that they come to visit Phoenix.