River Legacy Park

River Legacy is the largest park in Arlington.  It has every park feature you could possibly imagine, but since we focus on playgrounds, that is the only thing I am writing about.  And, the playground alone is worth the trip!

There is a children's wonderland treehouse fort for bigger kids.  There isn't much missing - slides, climbing, tunnels and bridges, hiding places, and imagination booster galore!

Tree fort

Tree fort tunnels and bridges

Inside the trees, there are fun things to look at and do.  There are tables, store front windows, animals carved into the walls, and even an interactive animal sounds tracker (kids press a button and it tells all about the animals as well as it's sound).

There is a smaller tree for the younger kids.  It has a fun cave inside, several ways to climb up into it, a spyglass to view the surroundings, and a double slide.

This one's for the little kids

There is also a free standing hollowed out log, a dinosaur skeleton to crawl inside and on top of, spider-shaped climbing web, a small bee to climb on, and plenty of swings - two regular, two baby swings, and two special needs swings with harnesses (one small and one large).

paleontology climbing fun

Spider and bee

Swings for everyone!

One big bonus to the bigger parks is access to a (clean!) restroom.  It is a little walk, so warn your little ones not to wait until too late.

See the building back there?   The restrooms are there... just a little walk

There is also a large, shaded picnic area and pavilion right next to the playground (along with bike and hiking trails).

River Legacy is located on NW Green Oaks (where Cooper dead ends into Green Oaks).  You have to pass up the Nature school entrance and take the big gated entrance to the west.  Once in the gates, you can follow the signs to the playground (it will be off to the left) - there is plenty of parking right on the playground.
703 NW Green Oaks Blvd
Arlington, Texas 76006

BC Barnes Park

We were excited to try Barnes Park again... we went earlier this year and it was under construction.  What that means is that it is now a brand new park!

This park is very small - just a playground, a field, and a small picnic area settled in the middle of a neighborhood.  Perfect for just going to the playground, since it is never crowded!  There are three play areas - one for children 1-5, another for big kids (5-12) and a bonus area with some extra apparatuses.

The little kids area is designated for ages 1-5.  It has several safe stairs, a little storefront window, a couple of low slides, and an aesthetically pleasing ABC climbing wall.  It has a built in sunshade.

The 'little kid' playground

The big kids area has a climbing wall, two taller slides, monkey bars and spinning wheels, plenty of things to climb and a built in shade.  Best of all, it has a little sliding trolley thing.  At 5, my kids were too small to do it alone, but made me help them onto it until I wouldn't cooperate any more.  Very cool play area.

The 'big kid' playground

Sliding trolley ride!

There is a 'bonus' play area up some stairs.  It had two baby swings, two regular swings, a tire swing, a free standing climbing area, a spinner, a balance beam, and a bouncer.  Any playground with a tire swing is a winner in my kids' book... and a workout for me.

The park is directly behind Amos Elementary.  The school is fenced off, but it is possible that the school uses Barnes as an extra playground on certain days.  Otherwise, it is generally uncrowded.

BC Barnes Park is located off of Mayfield Road (near Collins) in a quiet, older (slightly run down in areas) neighborhood.
3000 Daniel Drive
Arlington, Texas 76014

Bob McFarland Park

This park is perhaps the most heavily treed in Arlington, so on a hot day, it would be perfect.  The shade covers most every part of the playground areas.

Tons of shade!

There are three playground structures.  All are old, but not run down.  And they held the attention of my kids for over an hour with no other children there.  The first one seems to be for smaller kids (lower climbing areas, small slides, safety stairs), but it also has a large area of monkey bars and climbing apparatuses attached to one side.

The second play structure area is larger, with more tunnels, bridges, slides, platforms, and hiding spots. It has a little store front, a high double slide, a tunnel slide, and climbing access from every angle.

A third play area looked at first to be an exercise area.  It is mostly for older children - too many spinning platforms, high climbing areas, and risky jumps for kids under 6.  It's super modern look made my small kids want to be on it, so I ended up hoisting and hand holding a lot.

There is a small maze in between all of the different structures.  It is easy to navigate and has several entries/exits.

There are plenty of little extras all along the playground, too.  Sprinkled in are a free standing climbing wall, a two person airplane bouncer, a very long moving balance beam, and a springboard bouncer.

This park boasts lots of swings (2 baby swings and 7 regular ones).

And the best bonus?  An old-school four square court.  Bring a ball and teach your kids the fine art of four square!

The park has a basketball court, a small pavilion, wooded trails, and three playground structure areas.  It is a beautiful old park with plenty of shady places to sit.  It is directly behind Williams Elementary, so I suspect they may use it as a second playground for recess.

Bob McFarland Park is located on Embercrest just off Matlock (between Bardin and Green Oaks) at the street's dead end.
410 E. Embercrest Drive
Arlington, Texas 76018

Deaver Park

Deaver Park is an older park.  The playground is split into two areas.

The smaller play area (for kids 5 and under) is perfect for small toddlers.  It has low climbing opportunities, a double slide for slide races, a small spiral slide, a musical wall, covered treehouse, and pretend storefront.

The larger structure (for kids 5-12) has two bridges, matching parapets, three slides, and some climbing areas.  This play area would likely not hold bigger kids' attentions for long, but for the kindergarten set, it was pretty good.

This park has tons of place to run around and play.  There are soccer fields, basketball courts, practice fields, and a shaded picnic area.  There are plenty of paved trails to bike ride too.

Deaver Park is on Kelly Elliott, between Sublett and Green Oaks.
5800 Kelly Elliot Road
Arlington, Texas 76017

Meadowbrook Park

Meadowbrook Park - this is the FIRST park ever built in Arlington!  We stumbled upon it driving home from somewhere else, and were pleasantly surprised.  The history of the park is noted on a placard at the entrance to the playground, and it was actually quite fascinating.

There are two playgrounds, aged 2-5 and 5-12.  Both play structures are shaded by a large umbrella, but the younger one is truly shaded by trees.  It has two slides, plenty of lower climbing opportunities, and two baby swings.

 The larger structure was enormous, with spiral and bumpy slides, a super tall slide, tons of climbing and levels, a monkey bar roundabout, some spinners, and two regular swings.  There is also a two-seater car that bounces when rocked.

 This park has a recreation center (with clean restrooms inside), basketball courts, shaded pavilions, plenty of benches, and a 9-hole public golf course (apparently Arlington's oldest course) in case dad needs a break from the park.

 And, we were lured into walk in the heat by the promise of a sculpture garden.  While the walk was pretty (and shaded), and the sculptures were lovely, we could only spot two sculptures.  Still, pretty cool, but not sure it makes an entire sculpture garden.

Meadowbrook Park is right off of Abram Street.
1400 Dugan Street
Arlington, Texas 76010

Brantley-Hinshaw Park

Brantley Hinshaw Park is one of the three playgrounds in Arlington with a spray ground/splash pad in addition to a regular area.

The spray ground area is the smallest of the three parks, but the water features do their job... keeping kiddos cool in the Texas heat.  And there is a large covered area attached for picnics or supervising parents.

Splashpad

The playground is split into two play structures.  They are defined as 2-5 and 5-12, but the baby side held the attention of my five year olds for much longer than the older play area, which is rare.  The younger area boasts plenty of climbing, three slides, a little pretend storefront, a tunnel, and a little climb-on car.

The are for older kids has lots of monkey bars, some low-level climbing areas, and a slide.  There are no baby swings, but you could bring a huge group of big kids out and they wouldn't have to fight over swings... there are 7 regular swings.

There is plenty of shade at this park for spectators (both man made and tree created), but the playground itself is mostly unprotected by the sun.  The ground cover is a combination of wood chips and spongy safety surface.

This park has a walking trail.  It has perfect areas for kids to ride their bikes and remain seen by parents.  And there is a practice field as well as basketball courts attached.

Basketball & Soccer fields

This park backs up to Atherton Elementary, so during school hours, there may be elementary kids on a 'field trip' to the park.  Off hours, you can wonder over to the school playground just a few feet away for some added play space.  There is no restroom at this park.

Brantley Hinshaw Park is located just off of Sherry Street, near Mayfield.
2121 Overbrook Drive
Arlington, Texas 76014

Dixon W. Holman Park

Dixon W. Holman Park is gorgeous park located in North Arlington.  While the Arlington Parks Department does list this as having a playground, I think it may be a bit of a stretch.  Luckily, there were lots of fun things to do besides play on a playground.

Holman Park is tucked back in a neighborhood at a dead end.  It is a beautiful combination of manicured flowers and wild, natural environment.  There are winding trails to explore and wildlife, plant life, and insects to find.  The signs along the trail help you identify (or learn) the flora and fauna found in the park.  This park is also a monarch waystation (like the butterfly park at Wimbledon) where butterflies can stop and rest during their migration.  All along the trail, there are shaded nooks to sit and rest.  

Look at all of the things you can see here!  Perfect for a nature hunt!

Beautiful walking trails

The playground does have two baby swings and two regular ones, a large stack of logs with handles to climb up on, and a crescent shaped climbing structure.  The playground alone won't hold children's attention for long, but the park itself is worth a trip.

Playground

While Dixon Holman park doesn't have the most amazing playground in the city, it is a little oasis of natural beauty with plenty of room to run and stretch your legs.

Dixon W. Holman Park
2409 Burney Place
Arlington, Texas, 76011

The closest large streets are 360 and NE Green Oaks.

Bob Cooke Park

We were delighted to find this newly rennovated park in North-Central Arlington.  The playground structures were large and entertaining, there was plenty of shade (both arboreal and man-made), and the park had lots of 'extras'.  It has two baby swings and two regular swings.  The ground covering is soft wood chips, and there are benches everywhere.  There is not a restroom on the playground, but there are (clean) restrooms on the other side of the park.

Swings!

Shady spots to sit - under a tree or a pergola

The 'baby' playground (1-5 years) is small, but full of low-risk activities.  There were three little slides (one straight, one spiral, and one bumpy).  There are stairs, a tiny (low-slope) climbing wall, and an activity wall.  The entire thing is shaded.

This playground is for little kids

The 'big kid' playground (5-12 years) was enough to keep my 5 year olds busy for over an hour.  It has endless ways to climb up, including three different climbing walls and several climbing bars and ladders.  It has two really big slides and three levels of climbing platforms.  There were also several spinning platforms for some dizzy fun.

Big kids will love this side!

The park has a small pond (but we didn't see any ducks).  The pond has a bridge spanning it, which little kids would love, and is a part of a nice little walking/biking trail.  There also basketball courts, tennis courts, and a big field you could play soccer on.  On the other side of the park, there is a recreation center with an indoor pool and a senior citizens center.

Bob Cooke Park:
2025 Craig Hanking Drive
Arlington, Texas 76010

The closest large streets are New York and Pioneer Parkway.